By Ken Hibbard
La Plata County Humane Society
Looking to add a shelter dog to your family?
Sometimes it’s easy! You just come in, look around, see your new pet and it’s love at first sight. Unfortunately, for most folk, it’s not that simple matching the right dog to the right individual or family and the family dog. It can take some time and not necessarily accomplished in one day.
Almost everyone who comes into the shelter wants the “ready-made,” “easy-peasy” dog. This perfect canine is not too big, but not too small; is great with kids, cats and all other dogs; is house-trained; doesn’t pull on the leash and is crate-trained. It needs to sit, stay and come on command, as well as not bark, chew, dig, destroy furniture or shed. Oh, and it would be really great if it didn’t need to be walked much and is happy being alone.
There are a couple key factors to finding the right dog.
One is being sure to match the compatible energies of human, shelter dog and the family dog. An example of this would be a more sedentary human steering away from an active dog that demands lots of exercise. The same is true between the owner’s pet and the shelter dog.
Another factor is clarifying what the human needs and expects in a pet.
For example, if the adopter wants a hiking buddy, choosing a tiny, cuddly Chihuahua may not be the human’s best bet.
It is important that customers have an appreciation of shelter dogs and how they come to reside at our shelter.
Sometimes, for legitimate reasons, owners must surrender their dogs.
Other times, for no good reasons, owners no longer want their dog and abandon them to the “stray” life of searching for their next meal and a place to get out of the cold.
Other dogs are transferred from shelters where they dodged being euthanized. All of these dogs have one thing in common: They are stressed out and “off their game.”
What every shelter dog needs is a second chance. They need a human who is willing to create a relationship with them based on patience, respect, trust, time and lots of love.
They need the opportunity to be successful and find their forever home.
Ken Hibbard is Education & Adoption counselor for La Plata County Humane Society. Reach him at ken@lpchumanesociety.org.
