CHENNAI: Whenever you speak to an true animal lover, he or she would always encourage you to adopt a pet rather than buy one. Adoption of a pet, apart from providing a life of love for the pets taken in, also frees up space for the shelters to take other abandoned pets off the roads.
In this issue, we would try to address some of the ground level concerns which you would need to address once you do decide to adopt a pet.
Medical history
When adopting a pet, this should be at the topmost of your list. Most good shelters maintain detailed medical histories, ask for it and speak to the counselor in detail. Look out for dates on which vaccinations are due, and put a reminder on your phone. Get a complete blood count, liver, thyroid and kidney test done within a week of adoption.
Food related behaviour
You need to speak carefully to your shelter counselor to figure out what food the pet is used to. It is easier if there are other pets already at home and the new one just adjusts to the same food. Please keep in mind that almost all shelter pets have a tendency to guard their resources, so ensure that a separate bowl for food is arranged for before the pet comes home. Designate a place where the new pet would have his food and ensure that you are around so one pet never goes for the food bowl of another. A word of caution: sometimes shelter pets might interpret your touch after food has been given to be one which will take his food away and may snarl or bite.
Leash training
Do not assume that all pets naturally know how to walk on a leash, but if your new pet already knows how to, it’s great! Sometimes, with pets who have suffered trauma, a walk on the roads may be difficult, with loud sounds, animals, human beings and other distractions. Speak to your counselor to figure out whether the pet would need leash training, and if he does, what to do or whether to go to a trainer. Invest in a Martingale collar when on walks, and a normal collar when at home. Invest in a name tag with your pet’s name, your name and phone number on it. This name tag should be on your pet all the time.
General behaviour
When you uproot yourself from a familiar location and travel to an unknown place, you are uneasy for some time before regularity sets in. Imagine the condition of an abandoned pet who has been dumped on the road, hungry, thirsty and ill, put into a shelter with other dogs and is now in a unknown “home” which has no familiar sounds or smells.
Give them space and time to settle in. If you decide to change their name, give them time to adapt to the new name. Sometimes, the stress may cause irregular or loose bowels or bladders. Be patient with them. Ensure that the other pets, if any, do not physically assert their dominance on them right away. That power play can happen when the pet is reasonably satisfied that there will be no physical harm to him.
I will leave you with a famous quote from Karen Davison: “Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” Happy petting!