Adopting a pet – Top Tips

When adopting a pet there are a number of key things you need to think about, in the same way you would if considering buying a puppy, kitten or other pet, to ensure that it is the right fit for you and your family – and for the long term!

Benefits of adopting a pet

You’ll be saving two lives

By adopting a pet, rather than buying from a breeder, you are not only saving the life of the pet you are adopting, but also the one you are making room for at the animal shelter, that otherwise may not have been taken in.

Whilst I am not against breeders, the fact is we simply don’t have enough people to provide loving and secure homes for the pets that are already needing homes, with litters of puppies now often being surrendered to animal shelters as there is no one to take them.

And, with hundreds of thousands of  dogs and cats being euthanised each year in Australia alone, through no fault of their own, let’s help those already in need, rather than adding to the problem is my belief.

Save money that can go into training & healthcare

By adopting a pet you can save thousands of dollars which can go into training and healthcare instead.  All adoptable pets from animal rescue organisations are health-checked, vaccinated, de-sexed where required and temperament assessed.

Adoption fees are also much cheaper than what most breeders or pet shops charge and cover all of the basic health expenses as well microchipping, worming and flea treatment and desexing too.

A long-term commitment

Firstly, is important to make sure everyone within the household is 100% committed to caring for this pet for it’s entire life.  Unfortunately, far too many people don’t think about the day to day care that pets need, the lifespan of different animals and the long-term commitment often required.

Even pocket pets like rabbits and guinea pigs, require a financial commitment, family time and human interaction, love, quality food, exercise, protection from predators and health care.

Rabbits can also live as long as some dogs, so knowing the lifespan of the pet you are adopting, is important so that you can consider any future changes to your lifestyle, family unit, living arrangements, travel and more, that might impact on being able to care for them in their senior years.

Foster first

One of my biggest pieces of advice before adopting a pet, or buying a new puppy or kitten,  is to consider fostering first.

Even if temporary, it will help you to understand what is involved in caring for the pet and you can see if you and your family are ready for the full time commitment of adopting a dog or cat.

It allows you and the pet to get to know each other and to see if they are the right fit for your family and lifestyle.  Better still, if you find they are the perfect pet for your home, you are usually given the first opportunity to adopt them.

Studies have shown that even brief ‘sleep overs’ help to drastically reduce the cortisol levels (the stress hormone) of dogs in shelters, so that is why fostering is such an important part of the process and why so many animal shelters are desperately looking for foster carers.

Aren’t all shelter animals damaged?

For those of you haven’t yet experienced the joy of adopting a pet, and think that dogs and cats in shelters must have something wrong with them,  the reality is that pets end up in pounds and shelters for many reasons through no fault of their own.

Some of the most common reasons they end up in shelters include getting lost with no microchip or identification tag, owners passing away or moving into a nursing home with no family to take care of their pet, a lifestyle, financial or family change.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, many people rushed out to get pets, without thinking about the long term commitment that pets need, so they weren’t prepared for when their lifestyles returned to normal, or they didn’t to the training required.

Plus the current financial stress many households are under is also resulting in an influx of animals being surrendered to shelters.

Adopting a pet with ‘issues’ has benefits too

Whilst it is true that many pets in animal shelters are suffering from stress and anxiety related behaviour issues, with the help of your Veterinarian and an experienced pet trainer or behaviourist, these can be addressed.

I can tell you, as the owner of a rescue dog with anxiety that is prone to fear-based aggressive responses, every small improvement you make, and seeing your once sad and anxious dog, thriving in their new life with you, the commitment and hard work is truly worth it at the end of the day.

You will also learn and grow yourself in terms of understanding animal behaviour if you get the right help too, which can be very rewarding.

Get the help of a Vet or trainer ASAP

When it comes to some of the most common behaviour problems, not only found in shelter animals, but many dogs in general, it is often a case that many people simply didn’t set appropriate boundaries with their puppy, which means that when these dogs reached adolescence, people couldn’t be bothered dealing with the behaviour challenged that can come with their changing hormones and increased energy levels.

This can lead to destructive chewing and digging, barking and jumping.   For the pandemic puppies now in shelters, there may be some  reactivity or aggression due to fear and anxiety and a lack of positive socialisation, training, poor breeding and good leadership.

So sadly, while they aren’t ‘bad dogs’, there are some dogs (and cats) spending far too long in the shelter than they deserve, which causes their behaviour and mental health to deteriorate.

For more on what to expect, and how to help an adopted dog settle in, read my article HERE.

There are also many other articles and videos to help with common dog behaviour problems in our Training & Behaviour section. There are tips on how to keep cats entertained and happy as well, as they too need plenty of exercise and enrichment. You can read about cats as pets HERE.

How to find animals to foster or adopt?

There are a number of ways to foster or adopt a pet, the first being through your local animal shelter or pound.

You can also find a national database of dogs up for adoption on the Petrescue website.

The Petstock Foundation also runs National Pet Adoption Month annually, with many stores linking up with the local animal shelter at this time, or even throughout the year to help find their animals homes.  Learn more about the Petstock Foundation and NPAM HERE.

About the Author: Lara Shannon is a certified dog behaviourist and trainer, pet food nutrition specialist, Executive Producer and Host of Pooches at Play on Channel 10 and editor of Poochesatplay.com. Lara also runs her own dog training business in Melbourne’s Bayside area and is the Author of World of Dogs and Eat, Play, Love Your Dog