| Pros and cons of adopting a dog from an animal rescue group. |
|
|
 |
Teach Your Dog
100 English Words
by Michele Welton
My unique Vocabulary and Respect Training Program makes your dog the smartest, most well-behaved companion you've ever had. The A+ course in good manners and happy obedience. Increases your dog's intelligence. Teaches him to listen to you, to pay attention to you, and to do whatever you ask him to do. 330 pages. more info |
|
 |
11 Things You Must Do RIGHT To Keep Your Dog Healthy and Happy
by Michele Welton
Raise your dog the RIGHT way, feed him the RIGHT food, give him the RIGHT vaccinations, avoid health problems and unnecessary veterinary expenses, and help him live a longer, happier, and more comfortable life. 346 pages. more info |
|
|
Adopting a Dog From Animal Rescue
(Also please read my article on
Adopting a Dog From The Animal Shelter.)
Rescue groups, unlike animal shelters and humane societies, usually don't have a central location where dogs are housed for the public to come see.
Instead, a rescue group is a small group of dedicated dog lovers who maintain a network of temporary foster homes. When a dog is turned over to a rescue group, he is placed into a foster home for an evaluation period. The foster family provides health care and basic training while the rescue group searches for the right permanent home.
| Some rescue groups specialize in one breed (like Pug Rescue of Sacramento). Others
accept several related breeds (Northeast All Retriever Rescue). Still others accept all breeds, crosses, and mixes. |
| Advantages of rescue groups over animal shelters |
- A rescue dog, as opposed to an animal shelter dog, has been evaluated in a home setting, so the foster family can usually tell you quite a bit about the dog's habits and behaviors. They know if he's housebroken, if he barks a lot, if he likes children, if he gets along with other dogs and cats.
- A rescue dog has usually received some housebreaking, socialization, and training from the foster family.
- A rescue dog will always be spayed or neutered, and has had any health problems treated (or at least diagnosed and treatment begun).
| Disadvantages of rescue groups |
- It can be DIFFICULT to adopt a dog from a rescue group. You have to fill out a lengthy questionnaire, submit to an interview, provide references, and often allow a visit to your home, as though you were trying to adopt a child. Rescue people try to be very careful with their dogs, so their adoption requirements are often strict.
- It's usually more expensive ($100 to $400) to adopt a dog from a rescue group than from an animal shelter or humane society. But keep in mind that the rescue group has neutered the dog, treated health problems, started a flea and heartworm preventative program, provided grooming, and invested time and effort in basic training. Rescue groups do NOT make money -- indeed, their adoptions fees don't even begin to cover their costs.
| What you need to know about adopting from a dog from rescue |
- How to find rescue groups
- The typical adoption process -- what to expect
- Questions you'll be asked by the rescue group
- The adoption contract -- what to expect -- and what to watch out for
- How to evaluate an adolescent or adult dog as a prospective pet
- How to use a simple walk-on-a-leash test to evaluate a dog's suitability as a pet
- The four types of handling tests you should do
- What you can learn about a dog by simply playing with him for a few minutes
- How to test for possessiveness and aggression in a seemingly friendly dog
- What to look for in a simple check of the dog's eyes, ears, nose, teeth, coat and skin, gait, and more
| I answer all of these questions in... |
 |
How To Buy a Good Dog.
How to adopt from rescue.
How to adopt from animal shelters.
How to adopt from humane societies.
How to buy from breeders.
How to choose the right breed. |
Read more about
How To Buy a Good Dog
|
Copyright © 2000-2008 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
|
