Skip to main content

Looks aren’t everything, especially when adopting a dog


“Oh look at her. She is so cute. We have to get her.” This is a common thing to say when searching for a new pet. But it’s not the smartest way to pick out your new family member. Just because a dog is cute, doesn’t mean that he or she is the right choice for your family or your lifestyle.

At the Lynchburg Humane Society, we often see owners surrender their dogs because they are just too much to handle. What it usually boils down to is that the breed isn’t right for the family. A great example is a border collie. In my opinion, these are one of the most beautiful breeds of dogs. However, they can be a handful. They are very smart, and always need a job to do, meaning they must have some sort of stimulation or else they will find their own job to do. And in turn, you might not be happy with the job they have elected for themselves.

I will be honest, I have been guilty of the, “Oh look at her. She is so cute. We have to get her.” way of thinking. Seven years ago, my husband and I decided it was a good time to get a companion for Orion, our two-year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever. We decided we would like to have a puppy so she could grow up with Orion. The problem with getting a puppy that is an outright mutt is that you really have no idea of the personality because you have nothing to go on. The puppy we chose grew up to be a very active Australian Shepherd/Beagle/Jack Russell mix, at least that is our best guest. Regardless, she is very active and needs something to do anytime she isn’t sleeping. We are lucky though, we are a pretty active family with a lot of our activities dedicated to our pets.

Not everyone can be open to a pet that is going to be extremely active, or one that needs constant stimulation. So what should you do when searching for your new companion to ensure you get the right match?

Research the breed: If you find a dog you are interested in, don’t rush into the adoption. Educating yourself on the breed will help you decide if the dog is compatible with your lifestyle. Now I know what you’re thinking, what if the dog is a mutt? In this case, you need to determine what the primary breed might be, and then do research on that breed. In my experience, mutts make great companions because they have a mix of different personality traits, usually the best.

Ask for help: Another great thing to do is ask the staff members at the facility you are adopting from, most of the time they will know the typical information about the breed. They might also be able to tell you about the temperament, activity level and personality of the dog.

Spend time before adopting: Spending time with the dog will help you realize whether it is a good match. Visiting the dog a few times and having family members spend time with him or her is a great idea before making up your mind.

The bottom line is doing your homework before adopting, will help you make the relationship with your new pet a wonderful, enjoyable one.

Comments

  1. when i last adopted i came to get another dog,she wasn't ready to go out yet so i looked at another pup.Took him outside and walked him gave him some commands and he seemed to catch on pretty quick,was calm and affectionate, and what the shelter says about dogs needing about 2+ weeks to adjust is so true.May i suggest those with the slightest problem go to obedience school it's worth whatever you pay and usually it's not very expensive at all

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IS LHS UNDER ATTACK?

In 2013 the Lynchburg Humane Society (LHS) ended the year with a 92% save rate for the animals in our care, the highest year end figure since we began down the path to No Kill.   We were able to reduce the number of cats we took in by 294, compared to 2012, due primarily, we believe, to our spay/neuter efforts.   YOU made this possible.    We believe the Lynchburg Humane Society is about to be embroiled in a controversial attack by another humane organization because of all the great work we are doing.   We want our community and our supporters to know why and to be informed about this controversy because without you we could not do what we are doing.   You all are partners in our efforts.     This is long so please hang in there and read it in its entirety because there is important information throughout that you probably don’t know.    In April PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent us a letter asking us to change some of our life saving programs i

They know what they know so don’t give them the facts.

I had the pleasure of having an interesting conversation with a member of another humane organization this past weekend. They are an SPCA that takes in animals for a number of localities and operates as the pound for their area. She asked how we were doing in Lynchburg and I, of course, was excited to tell her about our recent success about our save rate being 84% and having no healthy animal lose their life in our shelter in 2010 and how much the community has embraced the changes as we move toward becoming No Kill. She immediately went to defense mode and asked me loaded questions to prove I was wrong and of course explain to me how our programs wouldn’t work for them. The appointment system, wouldn’t work – pet owners aren’t responsible enough to do the right thing. People must be just “dumping” their animals in other localities.” Fact : The counties that reported their stats for 2010 in the Lynchburg area saw a reduction in the number of animals they took in and more

When the tables turn

It is not unknown for people to be scared of dogs. Animal shelters throughout history were built on that fear. Dog catchers were employed to capture packs of nuisance dogs that were roaming and pestering communities. Pounds were built on the edge of towns near the dump to remove stray dogs from towns and in most cases, destroy them to prevent public endangerment.   Fast forward to now and shelters are referred to as centers, instead of strays we say adoptable, we don’t say animals we say pets, and dogs are family members. Getting a dog without a home into a family is a community effort and #adoptdontshop is a movement.  So how strange it is that the COVID-19 pandemic has made us fear being too close to people and has increased our desire for pets?  People want to foster or adopt pets, now more than ever! At the Lynchburg Humane Society’s Center for Pets there has been an increase of 85% more pets in foster care than at this time last year. The Lynchburg Humane Society alrea