Share:
Rehoming a dog from a shelter, thereby giving life a second chance, is one of the most rewarding decisions you could make. Every dog deserves a good home, and even by saving just one dog from a life in a shelter, you have helped to make a difference. While those employed by and volunteer for shelters work tirelessly on behalf of the animals, their considerable efforts can be no proper substitute for a home environment.
But as the old saying goes: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And to that we would add: …and with little thought or planning. So what considerations should you take before embarking on this journey?
Rehoming a Shelter Dog:
Those that work in animal shelters operate on the frontline of pet rescue and adoption. They see young and old dogs, the healthy and the infirm, all pass through their gates. It is understandable, therefore, that they would have strong opinions on how people select their pets. This video contains some of their thoughts.
If you haven’t read our page on ‘Choosing a Dog’, we would urge you to do so now. All the points covered there would equally apply here, and in some respects even more so. A shelter dog has already been abandoned once in its life. You wouldn’t want to add to both its and your misery by having to let it go a second time.
When it comes to shelter dogs, though, there are some additional points to bear in mind.
Every dog has its history, and while – as with human beings – some of our behavior and personality stem from inherited traits, much of what we learn and how we cope with stress are programmed through our experience. The problem for shelter dogs is they cannot communicate their story to us. We have to operate as pet detectives, deducing their history from their behavioral responses, rehabilitating where we can and accommodating when we must.
Some shelter dogs may have had responsible owners that instilled in them some basic training. Others may have had no training whatsoever, or may be trained in some respects but deficient in others. Your job would be to help your new best friend back onto its paws and down the path to being a standup canine in its community.
What that really means is a shelter dog requires a lot of love, patience, and understanding. But it also needs boundaries and training. With these five things operating in tandem, you will provide the dog with what it ultimately craves: Security.
While the above may be said to be true for any new arrival, for a shelter dog it is even more relevant. And what it will require from you is just that little bit more time and commitment.
There are many avenues to explore when seeking the dog of your dreams. You could look in your local shelter, search online for breed-specific rescue groups, or even contact animal sanctuaries abroad.
Whichever route you choose, please first check that the charity or shelter is both registered and licensed, and find out from where they source their dogs. Knowing the latter can already give you some clue as to their dogs’ possible histories.
Are their dogs primarily pre-owned, collected from the streets, or a bit of both? How are they processed through the system? Are they vet-checked on arrival? Do they spend time in quarantine? How frequently are they visited or walked by a shelter volunteer?
How does the shelter house their animals? It tends to be that shelters in the UK will house their dogs in individual pens, while on the continent they will keep them housed in groups within larger enclosures.
How shelters house their animals tends to vary from country to country. This is partly cultural and partly due to differing views toward the risk of spreading disease and infection, but it can also be dictated by the type of dogs the shelters see coming in. This is not to say that all abandoned dogs in the UK are therefore aggressive or are ex-status dogs. It simply means that those shelters operate under a stricter policy of mitigating risk.
The flip side of that is there is an argument to be made that dogs kept in groups tend to be better socialized with other canines than those kept in individual pens.
That being said, each dog is an individual, and should be judged on a case-by-case basis.
Rehoming a Dog from Abroad:
When looking to rehome a dog from abroad, please consider the laws and regulations of your home country, along with any local animal-related ordinances. These may include legislation prohibiting the ownership of selected breeds of dogs, but equally may pertain to pets that are carriers of certain types of diseases. Please read on further down this page for more information on common canine diseases and parasites, such as heartworm and Leishmania.
You should also familiarise yourself as to what quarantine protocols may be in place for when the animal arrives in your home country. Charities from abroad that actively promote adoption in your area may be able to help in this regard, as chances are they would have already sent other dogs to your home country.
Image © Busy Animal / courtesy of BusyAnimal.com
No doubt your heart will guide you on this journey, and while that is perfectly understandable, it is equally important that any decision be taken with a little consideration from your head.
Knowing what type of dog would best suit your circumstances, even before you begin looking on websites or in shelters, would go a long way toward helping you find the dog of your dreams.
Once more we would strongly advise you to read the page on ‘Choosing a Dog’, which has a lot of relevant information on selecting the right dog for you, your home environment, and lifestyle.
A dog’s social outlook may be different toward people compared to other dogs, and you will need to test for both. If you have other animals in your home, such as cats, you may wish to test the dog’s response to them, as well.
Spend some time with the dog in a neutral environment – that is away from the space in which it is usually housed. Note its eagerness or reticence to approach you, how it responds to your touch, and how long it takes to settle down if you ignore it.
Initially a dog – especially a shelter dog – will be excited by the attention, so after an initial visit take a half-hour break and then repeat the exercise, as the dog may be a bit calmer the second time around.
Dogs – especially shelter dogs that may have had a negative experience with past owners and people – don’t necessarily view all humans in the same light. Some may have a good rapport with men and yet be fearful of women, and vice versa. Some may find the unpredictability of young children to be disconcerting. It is important that all family members be introduced to the dog in the same neutral environment, and that the dog be given the opportunity to approach each person of its own accord.
With the shelter’s permission, take the dog for a lead-walk, either outside the shelter perimeter or in an area set aside for this purpose. Do this once where it is just you and the dog, and gauge its energy levels and how much attention the dog pays you.
Repeat this exercise with another dog that is not from the same enclosure (if the dogs are not kept in individual pens) but that the staff considers friendly. Again, note the dog’s pulling-power on the lead, how it interacts with the other dog and how quickly it returns its attention to you.
Remember, this is an exciting time for a shelter dog. You cannot expect perfect responses to all external stimuli. But it is for you to understand what further training might be required and, in the mean time, to know what is manageable for you.
There is no foolproof method to test for sociability with other species, such as cats, even were the shelter to house cats on-site. Generally, a shelter dog’s senses are highly aroused every time it is removed from its pen, so being walked past a cat enclosure and it’s not paying them any mind is not necessarily a guarantee of success. It may just as well be distracted by the other sights and smells.
Certainly though, a poor response would be a clear indication that this dog may not be suited to a cat-friendly household!
Understanding the breed-type of the dog and what role it may have fulfilled before arriving at the shelter would provide better insight as to the viability of rehoming it with cats. Any dog bred or used for hunting, for instance, would probably not make good pet partners with a cat.
These steps can equally be achieved for rehoming a dog from abroad by asking the shelter to compile a short video on a smart phone that shows a member of staff following the same procedure.
When approaching a shelter, it is good practice to ask what general treatments are provided to the animals under their care, with regard to booster injections, flea and worming treatments, and any other preventative medication borne out of the area that they operate.
A dog arriving at a reputable shelter will ordinarily be both vet-checked and neutered. The veterinary check-up, however, tends to be a cursory examination as to the overall health of the dog, and it is very easy for any underlying issue to be missed. It should also be borne in mind that shelters don’t always have the necessary tools on-site to provide proper clinical assessments.
It is important, therefore, that you familiarize yourself with some of the hereditary issues that pertain to the breed of dog that you are considering, so you can be better placed to observe for yourself any signs that might suggest a congenital condition.
When lead-walking the dog, observe both its gait and its posture. Is there any sign of limping or dropping either of its shoulders as it walks? Are its hip movements fluid or stiff?
Note its breath-rate, and especially any signs of shortness of breath. This is particular important in the case of brachycephalic dogs.
After you have spent some time with the dog and it has become comfortable in your presence, gently stroke its body from the neck, along its flanks and down each of the legs, noting any issues with the skin or sign of lumps.
If you do discover something or have any concerns, raise them with the shelter’s attending veterinarian or request their feedback if they are not on-site.
Disease & Infection in Shelters Abroad:
Were you to adopt a dog from abroad, there is always the risk of it having contracted some infection or disease not prevalent in your home country. Common cases from Europe include heartworm and Leishmania, the latter of which is widespread throughout Mediterranean Europe. All dogs should be tested prior to rehoming, but in certain instances, particularly in regard to Leishmania, symptoms do not necessarily show themselves until well after infection. It is therefore advisable to have all dogs vet-checked on arrival, with an understanding as to what diseases and infections are most common in their country of origin.
Not all local vets may be knowledgeable of such diseases, so were your dog to be infected we would suggest getting in touch with an online support group – normally present on social media sites, such as on Facebook – so that you may be better informed as to how to best manage that condition.
Image © Busy Animal / courtesy of BusyAnimal.com
Even if an underlying condition is detected, this is not to say you should abandon all hope of rehoming the dog. Every dog deserves a home, and most hereditary issues and chronic conditions can be managed. It is simply for you to know, so you can make an informed decision both for yourself and the animal.
Having found the dog of your dreams, now you want to get your new furry family member home! But first there is the bureaucracy. You will need to fill in forms, detailing:
A house-check is also usually required, during which a representative from the shelter will visit your home to ensure it is of sufficient size, that the garden is large and secure enough, and the details that you’ve provided are accurate for the type of dog that you wish to rehome.
Costs for rehoming a dog vary from shelter to shelter, but there are costs involved. These fees cover the veterinary costs incurred for neutering and vaccinations, as well as microchipping and any behavioural assessments done during the dog’s stay.
There are additional charges for rehoming a dog from abroad. In addition to covering the costs of vaccinations, neutering and microchipping, there will be fees to cover for the pet passport, as well as for transportation, be it by land or air, with the latter including the cost of a flight partner for the dog.
Once everything has been agreed and payment received, your being able to pick up the dog or having it delivered to your door can happen quite quickly, usually within the space of a week. Hence preparations for its arrival need to happen quite quickly.
Be sure to have bought all those one-off items that every dog owner needs:
And then there are the consumables, such as food, toys, and the indispensible biodegradable dog poo bags.
Plan your dog’s arrival to coincide with a time when at least one family member – preferably the primary caretaker – will be at home to ease it into its new surroundings.
The important thing – especially for a shelter dog – is that it be given the space to explore its new home, to build bonds with its new family in its own time and on its own terms. That means providing it with both a sense of calm and security. Brief all family members – especially children – of the importance of taking care when entering and leaving the home, so that your new addition doesn’t make a beeline for the great outdoors.
Remember, if it is a shelter dog from abroad, it may have travelled some distance to get to you. That in itself can be a bewildering experience for any dog, and so an adjustment phase is to be expected.
At your earliest opportunity, though, book a visit with your local veterinarian, and be sure to get written on your dog’s clinical notes whether there are any underlying issues that are discovered or whether it has received the all-clear. Insurers may indeed cover for any pre-existing conditions, so long as it can be proven that you were unaware of them at the time of receiving the animal. If, however, any conditions are uncovered, this is the best time to know about it, as you would be in the best position to speak with your vet about how to best manage your dog’s care moving forward.
Register your dog’s microchip to your home address, and get a dog tag that gives your name and contact details. With that done, you can categorically say you now have a new furry member in your family!
Share:
FIND OUT MORE:
Now you can promote yourself with and through us.
Find out more >
