If you already know the advantages of adopting a dog, you are probably wondering how to carry out a safe and responsible adoption to share your home with a new best friend. From our site we believe that adopting is an act of love, but it also involves many responsibilities And the first one is to be aware of the steps to follow, the requirements and the fundamental conditions to provide a he althy and dignified life to a sensitive and intelligent being.
Thinking about it, in this article we will tell you how to adopt a dog and we will also share some basic tips to favor the adaptation of your furry to the new home and provide the best care to build a bond of friendship and mutual trust. Don't miss them!
What to consider before adopting a dog?
Before knowing where and how to adopt a dog, you need to reflect and be very honest with yourself about whether you are ready to take responsibility to provide a he althy, dignified and happy life to a furry one. Beyond the legitimate desire to share your home with a puppy, you will need to have the time, patience, dedication and financial solvency necessary to provide complete and balanced nutrition, physical activity and mental stimulation, an enriched environment and adequate medicine. preventive.
If you assess that you are ready to care for a dog, you will need to decide where you will adopt your new best friend. Ideally, you should contact or go to a protectora, a shelter or a shelter for pets, which are responsible for ensuring that dogs up for adoption are in good he alth and have professionals and volunteers who can guide you through the process of adopting and adapting the dog to its new home. In addition, the shelters allow you to make previous visits to get to know the puppies that are up for adoption and learn a little more about their history, temperament and specific needs from each of them.
However, you will also find individuals who give up dogs rescued from the streets, or the puppies of their own furry. In general, this procedure is informal, so you will not have the support of an association or specialized professionals. You will also find alternatives to adopt pets online, through marketplaces or social networks, but these procedures are not safe or recommended, since the origin of the animals is unknown and you could end up fostering breeding pet irregular
Requirements to adopt a dog
The process and requirements for adopting a dog may vary slightly depending on your country or region of residence, or according to the internal procedure of each center or shelter. But generally speaking, you will need to meet the following requirements and steps to adopt a new best friend:
- Coming of age: Depending on the country, you will need to be over 18 or 21 years old to adopt a dog. Do not forget that the adoption process is personal and is only done directly with the adopter, not through third parties.
- Adoption predisposition questionnaire: When communicating your interest in adopting a dog, the shelter will ask you to fill out a pre-adoption questionnaire, to register and learn more about your lifestyle, routine and characteristics. Among other things, this will help guide which dog best suits your personality, the space you have available in your home, the amount of time you could spend with your furry, that is, draw your tutor profile to guide the choice of a new best friend.
- Visit to your home: Although most centers do not do it, this is the first personal contact that the team of the protective of you The purpose of the initial interview and visit to your home is to verify if you have a positive environment to receive the adopted puppy.
- Contact and follow-up information: In the event that the adoption is approved, more data from you will be requested in order to maintain fluid contact and follow up on the adopted dog. In addition to your document and contact information (e-mail and telephone), information about a trusted veterinarian (name, license plate, telephone number, clinic address, etc.) and the data of relatives or close people are also usually requested through which could contact you.
- Signing of the Adoption Contract: with the adoption already approved and all the data verified, it is time to sign the Adoption Contract, a document that formalizes the adoption and must contain the data of the new guardian, the protector and the adopted dog, as well as the basic clauses that guide the delivery of the animal to its new owner and the responsibilities involved in the act of adoption, preventing cases of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
- Pago: in many countries (such as Spain), the adoption process usually has a cost, whose value is symbolic and is destined to the maintenance of the protectors so that they continue helping other animals who are victims of abandonment, loss or mistreatment. The value corresponding to the adoption can vary according to the age of the dog and there are generally benefits for those who decide to adopt adult or elderly dogs. However, there are some countries where it is possible to adopt a dog for free, regardless of her age.
- Transfer of the dog to its new home and follow-up: after making the payment, the delivery of the dog to its new guardian will be coordinated. Most of the protectors assume the transfer of the dog to its new home, to certify that it is delivered and looks good in this new environment. In some cases, during the first months after the adoption, the protector will coordinate periodic visits to verify that the dog is adapting well to its new home and receives the appropriate care. It is also possible that you contact your trusted veterinarian to find out if the dog receives adequate preventive medicine, mainly if it complies with its vaccination and deworming schedule.
In any case, the process may vary depending on the centre, so do not hesitate to request prior information by phone or via e-mail. They will solve all the doubts you have.
Adopt a puppy dog
Most people are still inclined to adopt a puppy dog, largely because of the belief that it is easier to educate and care for a puppy than an adult dog. While it is true that puppies often have a more flexible character that facilitates their learning and socialization, it is always important to emphasize that all dogs can be trained and socialized with the help of positive reinforcement and with the effect and patience of their tutors.
In the event that there is a payment related to the adoption process, the value may be higher when you want to adopt a puppy, especially if it is less than 6 months old. It is also common that there are some restrictions for the adoption of puppies, with the aim of avoiding accidents and favoring the adaptation of the furry to his new home. For example, some shelters do not adopt puppies less than 5 months old for families with young children (generally under 5 or 6 years old).
If you decide to adopt a puppy, the shelter will probably offer you the possibility of spaying or neutering it when it reaches the most appropriate age with its own veterinarians, at a significantly more affordable cost than in private veterinary clinics. The commitment to the sterilization of the adopted puppy can also be stated in the adoption contract, as a responsibility of the new guardian to avoid unwanted litters and prevent stray overpopulation.
To be well prepared when starting the adoption process, we advise you to find out about how to adopt a puppy in your city of residence. Also, don't forget that here on our site you will find the best tips to educate a puppy and socialize it correctly from its first months of life.
Adopting an adult or elderly dog
Many adult dogs have been rescued from the streets, a terribly inhospitable environment with countless risks to their physical and emotional integrity. Others have been victims of human indifference or cruelty. All of them know pain, hunger and fear well, and have learned to distrust to keep themselves safe. Therefore, when deciding to adopt an adult dog, you should be aware that your new best friend will need time, patience and above all a lot of affection to adapt to his new House.
How long will it take for an adult dog to adjust to a new home? Adaptation is always a slow and gradual process, and each individual will need their own time to go through it completely. And while you can't pinpoint what this time will be when you adopt an adult dog, you can help him feel safe in your home by providing a positive and enriching environment and encouraging him to want to interact with you. Here on our site, we teach you how to gain a dog's trust.
When your furry friend feels comfortable in his new home, it will be time to work on his education and socialization. The protector or shelter should have already informed you about the history of your new best friend, if she has been a victim of abuse, if she has presented behavioral problems and if she needs specific accompaniment with a veterinarian specialized in ethology. In any case, the ideal is that you always have the guidance of a canine educator when it comes to educating and socializing an adopted adult dog, and helping him overcome his fears and bad experiences of the past so that he can enjoy a new life full of joy. darling with you But you can also consult our advice to educate an adopted dog in a safe and positive way.
Also, if you decide to opt for the advantages of adopting an elderly dog, don't miss our complete care guide for elderly dogs.
How to adopt a police dog?
Like any worker, a police dog also "retires" when it reaches a certain age and has fulfilled the extraordinary service it lend to our society. The same goes for other service dogs, such as military dogs, guide dogs and rescue dogs, which usually work alongside firefighters. Generally, the time of retirement comes for a service dog when he reaches about 8 years of life, when he usually begins to show some symptoms of old age, such as loss of muscle mass and sharpness of his senses. Although it can also vary according to your state of he alth, race or if you have suffered some type of injury or accident in the course of your activity.
A retired police dog can be a perfect companion for many families, couples or singles. In addition to having extraordinary physical preparation and receiving veterinary medicine throughout their lives, these dogs are also trained and socialized from an early age to perform their activity optimally, being ideal for those who want an obedient best friend with a balanced behavior.
However, it is essential that you think hard and be prepared to adjust your lifestyle, routine and home to provide a he althy and happy life for your new best friend. A retired police dog will need to maintain a he althy routine of physical activity and mental stimulation, as well as receive appropriate care according to his age and physical condition, especially if he has suffered an injury or accident.
It is also important to inform yourself about the type of training that the dog has received and consult a professional specialized in advanced training to obtain some advice on how to continue the education and physical training of a dog of retired policeman, adapting these activities to his age and physical condition.
But where to adopt a retired police dog?
The exact place you will need to go to adopt a police dog may vary depending on your country or region of residence. In some countries, there are already specialized reception centers or agencies for retired service dogs, where you can get in touch to communicate your interest and register to take the next steps on the way to adoption. With a simple search on the Internet, you will be able to verify if there is this association in the vicinity of your house. If you don't have or can't find these centers in your city, you can contact a local police station or specialized service dog training center for more information on where to go to adopt a retired police dog.
Many times, priority is given to keeping the retired dog with their own co-workers or trainers, in case they are interested or available to welcome them into their homes. Therefore, you may have to put yourself on a waiting list to finalize the adoption of a service dog. But if you are really determined to adopt a police dog, surely the wait will be worth it and, in the meantime, you can prepare your home and learn more about the care your furry dog will need to receive.
In general, the process to adopt a police or service dog is usually more detailed and complex compared to a conventional adoption. Far from being excessive bureaucracy, the criteria established in this special adoption aim to certify that the "candidate" for the new guardian has the necessary conditions and understands theresponsibilities that involves caring for a retired service dog. To do this, interviews are usually carried out with family members and home visits, among other procedures.
Then, we advise you to find out about the conditions and the steps to follow to adopt a police dog in your country or region, before making this decision to be sure that you really want to share your home with these furry ones so special and prepare yourself correctly to meet the requirements to adopt a police dog.
