It is far too often that rescues see perfectly fine and lovely animals returned after a very short period of time after adoption.

Some of the top reasons are

  • Allergies
  • Unexpected Costs
  • “Accidents” in the home with housetrained dogs
  • Aggression
  • Hyperactivity

We have heard them all. That is why our adoption apps are so long.

The one that bugs me the most, personally, is when people organize “dog” or “cat” adoption parties for their newly adopted animal right away. Animals adopted after such a party get returned more often than not.

You have to remember, your new dog or cat does not yet know you, s/he does not know the new situation. In a rescue case,  s/he ALWAYS comes from being passed around. A party is LITERALLY the worst thing you can do. Work on getting to know your new dog or cat before you introduce them to your friends.

Our friends at Paws Unite People just had a very particular and very quick case of this with an amazing dog named Ludo. There is literally NOTHING wrong with Ludo, he is a rescue dream.

He is great with other animals, house trained, a model citizen all around and really good looking, to boot. Yet, in 7 hours, he was back. They wrote a fantastic round up of what to consider when first bringing your new pet home.

Here are 5 things to remember when adopting a rescue pet:

  1. Even a housebroken dog or a litter box trained cat will have an occasional accident while they adapt to a new home and a new layout. Dogs need to adjust to the new schedule and cats need to find the “box”
  2. Growling is not always aggression with dogs (cats too) This is how they communicate and often how they play. However, humans often misinterpret the sounds for aggression. On the contrary, this is simply a common way that animals express their emotions verbally.
  3. They don’t know you yet, even the most well behaved and loving cat or dog will get nervous.
  4. Having people over that do not live in the home, large gatherings or parties is never a good idea. The pet needs time to settle in and get used to the new place.
  5. Do not feel bad for them…
    With dogs: over spoiling, high value rewards, and allowing them on the bed or couch actually can confuse them. You need to teach the dog what you expect of them by setting boundaries. If you over compensate with affection and then get mad at them for doing something you do not like you just confuse them.
    With cats: it is normal for them to hide… do not force them out or force affection, let them level out and get used to things 1st.

To learn more about Ludo’s story, check out the FB post from Paws Unite People :