Adopting a Rescue Pet: What to Expect in the First Month
If you’re looking to bring a furry friend to a family home, a fantastic way of doing so is adopting a rescue pet. Adoption benefits all parties involved, on one hand, you get yourself a loyal furry companion, and on the other hand, you’re giving an animal a second chance of finding their forever home, whilst also easing the pressure on animal shelters.
Rehoming a rescue pet is a rewarding, yet possibly a challenging experience, and it’s important to ensure that you’re prepared to be a responsible owner in order for your new pet to settle in. It’s important to remember that adopting a pet will become easier in time, and you will more than likely begin to strengthen the bond with your pet.
While not experience is the same for every owner rehoming a pet, there are different things that you should come to expect within the first month of adoption. In this article, we’ll be exploring these potential challenges, and how to overcome them. Keep reading to learn more!
What Are The Initial Expectations When Adopting a Rescue Pet?
When adopting a pet, it is very important to ensure that you are patient, and that you understand the commitment you are making. While you will be made aware of your duties and responsibilities when it comes to rehoming the pet, we’re here to help you understand what to expect initially, so that you’re prepared to give your new furry friend a life of happiness, and comfort.
Timidness and Fear
At first, something that you may notice is that your new companion appears to be holding back a little bit. This is completely normal, and they may take a little adjusting to their new home. Particularly with rescue pets, a new environment may be daunting; it’s important to respect their boundaries. General signs that your pet is nervous can include hiding, avoiding you and others in the house, and not eating at meal times. Ensure they have a safe space in your home that they can take themselves too should they become overwhelmed.
Initial Behaviour Issues
Most shelter pets will be well-behaved. However, in the initial stages, your furry friend may misbehave a little more than usual, which will likely become less frequent as you train them, and strengthen your relationship with them.
Adopting a rescue pet comes with the risk of a poor past, which can be the cause of anxiety. These animals may take a little longer to settle down, and initially, you may find that they misbehave more than other pets might. However, once you show them that they can trust you, best done through positive reinforcement and care, they will most likely begin to behave better.
Misunderstanding Commands
Commands won’t stick immediately, it will take time for your pet to be able to fully trust you, and to pick up on your signals. In time, when adopting a rescue pet, you should see them start to follow your lead as your relationship grows, which sets the groundwork for training, or recalling.
When you bring a rescue pet to your home, the initial stages will involve a lot of learning for your pet. In this time period, we would always recommend that you spend as much time as you can with them. It’s important not to get frustrated at your pet for not grasping your commands, keep persisting, and they should pick them up.
What Should You See During The First Month?
During the first month, you should see your pet begin to come into their own as they start to become accustomed to their new life! Your adopted pet will see great change during this time, and their true character should slowly start to be unveiled.
Curiosity and Boundary Testing
During the first month, you’ll start to see your pet playing around, and testing the waters. As they start to become more comfortable, you will see them start to engage more with you, however this may take longer to occur depending on the pet’s nature.
It’s generally said that it is most likely that your pet will continue to test their boundaries for roughly a month, or three months at most for them to fully settle in. If they don’t seem to be comfortable after this duration, it may be worthwhile seeking professional advice from your vet.
Gradual Adjustment
In time, your pet will simply adjust to their daily routines, and to your household in general. They should feel more relaxed around you, and will likely follow your lead far easier as a result. When adopting a rescue pet, during the first month they will start to understand when meal times are, when walk times are, and will have a better sleeping pattern.
However, it is your responsibility as an owner to ensure that your pet has a balanced daily routine. If you’re looking for guidance on this, please consult with your vet.
Potential For Training
It’s important not to be misconstrued by the idea that adopted pets can’t learn new tricks, or don’t form bonds with new owners. The truth is in fact likely the opposite, where you’ll find that pets are excellent at adapting to new situations, and as your relationship strengthens over time, so will the possibility of teaching your adopted pet new tricks.
We advise again that you must be patient with rescue pets, it may take them a little longer to learn, but within the first month, you should be able to train your dog basic commands.
Personality Expression
Something that all owners want to see is their pet’s personality come to life, as they wag their tail, and show their happy personality. Within the first month, you should see your adopted pet’s personality transform as they become more comfortable, and adjusted to their new lifestyle, and owners. After all, there’s nothing like feeling the love reciprocated that you show to your pet!
If you feel that you aren’t seeing any progression at all, it is important to consult with your vet, and potentially the shelter you adopted your rescue pet from, in order to find out why. For dog owners, you can also check out this article by Dogs Trust for tips on how to help a rescue dog get settled into your home- click here to read it.
Summary
When taking in any pet, it is crucial to ensure that you’re prepared with the essentials to keep them safe, happy, and healthy. If you are adopting a dog, one of the things to look out for is the Control of Dogs Order 1992, which clarifies that all dogs in a public domain must be equipped with a legible ID tag clearly showing your name, address, and optionally your phone number.
Your new pet will have many journeys ahead, that’s why we stress the importance of ensuring your pet’s tag is built to last through any adventure. If you’re looking to treat your new companion to a tag of quality, make sure to view our range of reinforced tags, bringing outstanding durability for years to come.
If you’re looking to adopt a horse, or cat, we’ve got options for you too! If you’re looking to view our bespoke horse nameplates, click here. To check out our cat tags, click here.