Congratulations on starting your trial adoption with your pup!
You and your pup are headed home… now what? You, your family, and your pet should start the bonding process. This is different for each dog and remember, many of these dogs have been through a lot, especially the last few days as they traveled here. Some of these dogs will adjust quickly and some will take time to warm-up to you.
Tips for a successful adoption:
- Your pup may be anxious, and this may be displayed in various ways (cowering, anxious barking, shyness). These behaviors will start to diminish as your pup starts to trust you. This may happen quickly or take a few weeks – be patient with the process.
- Training your dog will start the first moment you have him/her. Take time to create a vocabulary list everyone will use when giving your dog directions.
- Do not expect too much too quickly when you get home.
- Remember they are often scared. Double leash at all times using harness and provided collar with tag.
- Create consistency and routines
- Feed in the same place each day at about the same time
- Provide a consistent place that is his/hers to sit, play, relax, sleep
- Take out after each meal to the same place in the yard
- Provide lots of toys that he/she is allowed to play with and redirect him/her to these when they get ahold of something they should not have
- Crate training is a great way to provide a safe place for your pup to be, and they should be in there when you are unable to appropriately supervise him/her.
- Consider enrolling him/her in a dog training class – a well-behaved dog is a loved dog.
- Consistently give any medication provided at the time of pick-up.
- Be patient. The pup is learning a new environment and rules and it will take time to adjust. Your pup may be more confident, or it may take time for him/her to feel safe and secure.
- If for some reason the adoption is not working out, please give us time to find a new placement or foster. This may take up to a week depending on the availability of a foster home.
Over the one or two-week trial adoption, you can expect to get several “check-in” texts to see how things are progressing with your pup. This a great time to be honest about successes and struggles as well as asks any questions.
If any medical concerns arise during this time, please reach out to Bobbi. She will provide you with support, advice, and any next steps you should take. We do only have a few vets that we partner with. If you do go to a vet without speaking to Bobbi, we will not reimburse for any vet bills. Rescues do not have unlimited funds and is very important to keep expenses down.
When you have decided to make your pup a permanent part of your home please contact Bobbi so she can finalize the process (you can do this anytime during the two weeks). At that time, the following will happen:
- You will receive an invoice to pay for the adoption and contract to sign and return.
- Once you have paid, you will get a copy of the vet records within a week.
- The microchip number will be transferred to your name.