For many, the idea of adopting or 'rescuing' a dog carries with it a certain image. Some people mistakenly look at dog adoption as if it's buying cheap, discounted or broken goods. But, according to an initiative between national dog adoption website DogsBlog.com and Butcher's Pet Care, a UK family company that prides itself in having fed generations of family dog, with tasty recipes that are free from any artificial colours flavours or preservatives; nothing could be further from the truth.
As more and more dogs find themselves, through no fault of their own, inside the British dog shelter system, the image of the 'rescue dog' is in need of an update.
No longer are shelters the preserve of the 'problem dog', but they are packed with dogs of all types, from all manner of backgrounds. We're in the final stages of our ten part series guiding you through everything you need to know about adopting a dog.
The most important element of successful and responsible dog ownership is accepting the commitment you've made. You have an obligation to the people that you come into contact with to ensure that your dog is well behaved. Making sure that your dog is kept securely in your property, is under control when in public and is well behaved and supervised when interacting with others are all key elements of what you're signing up for as a dog owner. You have an obligation to your dog to teach him or her how to behave in a way that is suited to domestication. Dogs didn't ask to become domesticated, we took that choice away from them so we owe it to them to make it easy for them to live in our world.
It's not all doom and gloom though, training and socialising your dog are fun things to do and are a great way to bond with your new dog as you get to know him and vice versa. This time to build on your relationship cannot be underestimated. Your dog will become an ice breaker whenever you go out, you'll meet new people and have every chance to show off your new pal – just make sure you give your dog the tools, the time and the patience to do you proud!
There are an estimated 100k dogs in adoption centres around Britain. Sometimes dogs arrive in rescue centres through natural causes such as owners passing away. Very often though dogs are simply abandoned for no other reason that poor decisions on behalf of hasty owners. Please, please, please take on board all of the information about what it takes to maintain a dog in a happy home. Dogs really are a lifelong commitment and they deserve the security of a stable home environment. You CAN get a superb, lifelong companion from a rescue…but be absolutely certain you are ready for the challenge. If you are, you will enjoy a relationship like no other!
National Dog Adoption Month is running this September, be part of something special – bring joy, adopt a dog. Visit www.dogsblog.com to find the dog of your dreams.