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Imagine that one day, out of nowhere, you find yourself in a loud building, with lots of other people. It may be that your family took you for a car ride and seemingly forgot to bring you home with them. Or maybe you got lost a long time ago and have been wandering on your own until a stranger picked you up. Whatever the reason, when you arrive at this building, you are confused. You miss your home. Everything smells strange and your whole world becomes the single room (that looks a lot like a cage). There are lots of people who love you – they take care of you if you get sick, keep you as comfortable as possible, and try to make sure you get lots of outside exercise. You grow comfortable with these people and look forward to being with them. But some days you don’t get to leave your room at all. The days go by one by one, and the world gets smaller.

Then suddenly everything changes. Your people take you out of your room and introduce you to new people. They seem nice, but you don’t know them yet. Everyone is very excited; there are pictures and papers and then the new people are taking you to their car. You’re not sure what is going on, but you hop in because you are excited, too. Before you know it, you are in different place. Just like when you arrived at the building, it’s different. Smells different, looks different, and there are lots of people you don’t know who are touching you. You don’t know where to go; the excitement fades and you are quickly feeling very overwhelmed.

This could be the story of any adopted dog. But it is especially true for dogs who have been sheltered long-term. At the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter, we are currently running a promotion for our longest-term canine residents. These are the dogs who have been with us far longer than they deserve; staff and volunteers love them, but for some reason adopters continually overlook them.

Our dogs included in the promotion include Rusty, a 3-year-old tiny, super-soft and super-lovable Staffie mix; Juelz, a 7-year-old bulldog with an adorable underbite; Picasso, a fun-loving, 2-year-old American Bulldog with an attractive, lopsided face; and Diamond, a 4-year-old sweet-as-can-be pittie who smiles and offers her paw as a sign of goodwill.

Diamond’s story is especially sad. She had a home for years but was fighting with the other female dog in the house (they were both intact females left unsupervised – a recipe for disaster). No interventions were taken to keep either dog safe, and after the last fight they both wound up severely injured and were left with no treatment. Diamond and Pretty Girl were brought to the shelter as cruelty cases, where they recovered with our care. Pretty Girl was adopted, but Diamond has remained with us months later. It’s hard to imagine why; we recommend her to be an only pet, but my goodness you wouldn’t need another with how sweet Diamond is.

Diamond was adopted last weekend, but brought back to the shelter after only two days. Thinking about how she must have felt inspired me to write this column. Before she was adopted, she had been in the shelter for 157 days. Although we’re certain she was excited to be in a home again, she must have felt so overwhelmed. And now that she’s back at the shelter, her clock started once again. She must be feeling even more confused.

Fortunately, there is a lot that adopters can do to make the transition from shelter to home a smoother one. Do an online search for “decompression for an adopted dog” and there will be lots of great information. Look specifically for the article “The First Two Weeks” by Tracy Baldwin, ABCDT for Rebound Hounds. This research-based information will help you help your newly adopted dog and set you up for a successful relationship.

You can also talk to the staff at the shelter for advice before or after brining your adopted dog home. We don’t keep them in the shelter for hundreds of days to forget about them the minute they walk out the door! We are just as committed to their success in their new home as we are to making sure they are kept happy while they are with us at the shelter.

Source: What it feels like to be a shelter pet

Posted in 2018, SJRAS Articles