Training a puppy from scratch (literally!) can be a great experience. After all they are so cute and loveable at that stage, like most young animals and it is good to train your dog right from puppyhood and establish the relationship between you and the dog early. However, what if you can’t cope with the antics of a very young animal? Your situation may be fine for a dog that is already at least house-trained, but not for a completely untrained puppy.
A “rescue” dog could be the answer. Dog rescue organisations nationwide need people willing to take on dogs which, whilst frequently house-trained, may present some other challenges. When adopting a dog from one of those admirable organisations, success is not a foregone conclusion because any rescued dog is inevitably an unknown quantity in some ways.
Please don’t adopt a rescue dog on a whim. Think it through carefully first. You don’t want to take on the wrong dog for you. The dog has had more than enough instability in its life already and for the rescue organisation, a dog being adopted and then returned is bad news. It’s bad for all parties, especially the dog.
To avoid potential pitfalls you need to go into it with your eyes open. Then it can be a rewarding experience for both you and your new found canine friend. First, consider why you want a dog. Hopefully, it’s a genuine desire to share your life with a loyal, trusting and entertaining companion: Perhaps you’ve always had dogs and miss their company: If you fully appreciate the responsibility and long-term commitment involved: Then fine, go ahead. Just take the time and trouble to make a good match.
Get it right and the dog gets a loving, caring owner and turns its life around. The rescuers see another dog successfully re-homed. You get the companion you wanted and your life is enriched. It’s a “win-win” situation.
Rescue organisations will have only a sketchy knowledge of the dogs’ backgrounds and origins. Unwanted dogs get dumped on them, often anonymously. They can only base their judgements on condition on arrival, plus any information they can glean from veterinary examination. These dogs don’t come to them with pedigrees and documentation.
Any answers they can give to questions like, “Is the dog house-trained?” or “is he/she lead trained, how well-behaved etc?” will be based on their, probably brief, experience of the dog whilst in their care. They’ll tell you what they know but that may not be very much!
They do a marvellous job with the dogs that fall into their hands, but there is a limit to what they can do, struggling, as they usually are, with far too many unwanted pets.
Do your homework and go with some sensible ideas in mind of the breed or at least size and type of dog that would suit you and your household. Don’t be seduced by appealing eyes and endearing appearance into straying from these parameters. The wrong dog for you will almost certainly be right for somebody.
People new to dog-owning can sometimes forget that dogs are not “things”. They are flesh and blood creatures with minds of their own. Dogs are not humans either and it is a mistake to attribute human thoughts to them. If this will be your first dog, keep these things in your mind right from the start, and you’ll love them for what they are and not some Disney type image of what you would like them to be!
If you have children or a dog already in the family, rescue centres often recommend that you take them along when you look for a dog there. It helps in judging how they’ll relate to each other.
It’s the same when acquiring any dog or pup, not just a rescue dog. The main difference is to remember always that a rescue dog has probably had a pretty rotten life so far so you’ll just have to have patience. It will be well rewarded!