Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Building Pet Relations

National Adopt a Pet Day Or Shelter Pet Day.

I follow some shelters on Facebook: I've had numerous pets in my life. All my previous pets came as puppies or kittens.

Now, I have in my home 3 dogs. One came here as a 5-year-old dog. I actually puppy sat this dog several times and was there when the owners first brought him home. So, I've known the dog since he was a pup. When the owners gave him up permanently, he was a handful but now he is well established. He knows the ropes and rarely gets into much trouble.

The other 2 are dogs I took in from shelters of one sort or another. I am their third or fourth home. One I have had since December 2021 the other has been here since September 2023. I approve of the shelter movement. You should know though, that when you adopt a pet from a shelter you may need to go through at least a year for that animal to really believe it is safe and secure with you. If you are the second or third home the dog or cat has been through, they are quick to expect they won't be with you long. And depending on the kind of abuse they may have suffered they won't be quick to trust the new place they are staying.

I'm putting these two new pets through respect and obedience training slowly, so they know I intend for them to be here always. (as long as I live)

As third or fourth owner dogs they can find more ways to try the normal persons patience. Like all dogs they are loving creatures so I always wonder how people can raise a pup then just give it up. Everywhere I went I took my pets with me.

Except the Panama Canal zone. I could not take my dog there. He stayed on my dads' farm while I was gone about 6 weeks.

Both these new dogs show the same kind of mischief and try patience in the same ways. They also experience the same kind of actual fear when they hear the word no. I wish dogs of this type came with a written history so new owner's knew what kind of training they had before they got to a new home.

We took in one rescue who was abandoned. The owners moved, just drove away and left the dog. It took 3 years for that dog to believe it was staying forever. Car rides are interesting, they won't get in the car because they think they won't come back with you. Take them to McDonald's buy them a burger then go home. They soon get the idea car rides are not so bad.

If you take in a shelter pet, just be really patient with all the newness it takes a while for them to believe they found a forever home.