One of A Kind Education

It is exciting to adopt a furry friend. You walk into an Adoption Center or rescue shelter and see the precious eyes, wagging tails, tilted heads, and hear the purring voices- but there are things to keep in mind before you take a furry friend home.

Each furry friend has a unique personality and needs. It is best to work with Adoption Counselors or shelter staff to gain an understanding of the pet’s personality, quirks, and needs to determine if it is a fit for your lifestyle and living conditions.

No two rescue animals are alike – as we say they are all “one of a kind.” One of A Kind Pet Rescue evaluates pets for their behavior and health. Most pets don’t end up in shelters or rescues because they are bad. There are many reasons they have landed at a rescue shelter- these range from being abandoned, surrendered, taken from an unsafe location and many more.

It is important that members of the family are on board to bring a new member into their home. And, to realize that our furry friends take time, patience, and money to properly care for them.

That said, they will most likely have some anxiety when you take them home. Experts will tell you not to “trigger-stack,” which means to not put them in anxiety-inducing situations when you are first introducing them into your home. Trigger-stackers can be taking them to a dog park, inviting people over to meet them, going to a groomer.

Not exclusive to rescues, be aware of separation anxiety, as we might not know why they have been re-homed. They need to understand that they are not going to lose their new home – your home.

Steps that are recommended to reduce separation anxiety with your new furry friend:

• Leave music on when you leave the house
• Give a dog a food-filled puzzle toy to keep them happy and occupied
• Slowly and diligently work on the length of time you leave your pet alone – so that they begin to understand that you come home every time you leave them.

If you have other pets in the house, give it time and introduce them slowly. If there are children in the home, be sure to supervise their interactions until you get to know your pet’s personality better and how they will react to them. And, be sure to include training, they might not come into your home with the best manners.

Pets can bring us love, joy, companionship and years of happiness. But, you will want to be sure that you are up for the challenges you might face. When your pet has been rehomed with you – be sure it is permanent and that it is truly their forever home!