Owning a dog is one of many wishes that we have, but not many people can have the commitment to take care of one. As a result, a lot of these dogs are abandoned, and a majority of them ended up at shelters. We don’t foresee this problem to go away anytime soon. You see, many new owners of dogs will prefer to purchase a new puppy, whether it is from the mills or from a private breeder, and this is especially true during the pandemic itself. However, most of these people might not have the proper knowledge of how to take care of the dog, and hence abandoning them altogether when the going is tough.
This can inevitably result in an issue of overcrowding at the shelters, which can be draining for the shelters itself as most of them are not for profit organisations. If you take a look at the dogs in the shelters, you will notice that most of them are still very much healthy! Once in a while, you might be lucky enough to find a breed that is very suitable for your family. Hence, if you are aiming to purchase a dog, why not consider adopting one instead?
How to go about adopting a dog
The process for adopting a dog isn’t rocket science. Depending on the requirements of each shelter, it can actually be a fairly simple procedure. Here are some of the general steps that you will need to take so that you can adopt a dog!
1. Enquire about the procedure
Note that each adoption centre or shelter will have their own standing operating procedures when it comes to adopting of their dogs. This is a normal procedure as the shelter needs to ensure that you are fit to adopt a dog, and that the condition in your house is suitable for it too. I will be worried if the shelter does not have this screening process at all!
To start off, you can either call in or drop them an email to enquire about the procedure. Of course, nothing is stopping you from paying a visit to the shelter too, but we suggest calling them first so as to find out the procedure first. Not all shelters might accept walk ins.
2. Find out the dogs that are available for adoption
While the shelters do have different dog breeds for you to choose from, your desired choice of a dog breed might not be available. In some cases, people do prefer to adopt puppies (they are all the same to us!), but some shelters might not have them at all. To prevent disappointment, it is good practice to find out the dogs that are available for adoption.
To do so in the past, you will need to call them or pay a visit to the shelter. But almost all shelters have started to place the availability of dogs online. They will also list down the dog’s age, their history, as well as their temperament. All of this information is critical as you might have certain conditions at home that is not optimal for certain dog breeds. For example, if you have young children at home, then adopting an aggressive dog breed might not be advisable. This listing of information online makes it easier for you to decide which is your choice of a dog without needing you to head down to the shelter.
3. Submitting relevant documents
Once you have decided on the shelter as well as the dog, you will need to submit an application towards the centre itself. In the application form, there will be several questions asked to determine your suitability towards rehoming a dog. Upon receiving the form, the centre will discuss with you the information you have provided to help you understand the compatibility between you and your chosen dog. Note that this part of the process is critical as the shelter wants to prevent a mismatch as this might cause problems to both the owner as well as to the dog. This is an important qualifying process as shelter dogs are in need of love, and if the new place cannot afford them the love that they deserve, it will be detrimental to the dog’s mental and physical wellbeing.
Should the centre decide that it is indeed an excellent match, they will proceed to arrange for a meet up between you and the dog. In the even that the dog is unsuitable, the centre will try to match other dogs that might be more suitable for you.
4. First Visit to the shelter
When you are allowed to visit the dog, the centre will ensure that the process is smooth. We will advise you to interact with the dog as much as you can so that the dog can start to build familiarity with you. It may take more than one visit for the dog to warm up to you but take heart that this is part of the dog’s process, since most of them are abandoned by humans and hence they have might build up a firewall against humans already.
Once the dog starts to warm up to you, it is also advisable to bring along the members of your family especially those that will be staying in the same house as you. This can help the dog to be acquainted with your family as well as to rule out the possibility of allergies too.
5. First visit to your home
For some shelters, the volunteers will visit your house together with you. The purpose of this visit is to assess your house and provide tips on things that you can probably do so that the dog can be easily integrated into your family. The volunteers will also discuss with you about your lifestyle and how you can tweak it a little so that your dog can get adjusted to the new environment.
Once all ready, the centre will contact you to collect your dog. You can now bring your dog home with you!