When adopting a rescue dog, the first seven days will be a little rough. You can expect some turbulence.

The good news is, that once you know what to expect, it will be easier. The following is a guide for the first seven days after adopting a rescue dog:

Expect Whimpering At Night

Unfortunately, your dog or puppy will likely be confused. He/she has just been plucked into a new habitat.

To alleviate the whining, make sure you have a doggy bed ready for the dog. You can close the door and let the dog adjust at night.

Make sure you give him/her a little stuffed animal at night. It will help the do feel comforted.

Enroll them in Obedience School

Obedience school is for owners as it is for the dog. You will learn how to interact with the dog.

Even if you’ve done obedience schools with other dogs, it’s still great to do it with this dog.

Chances are, the dog will have some nervous habits from being rescued from a less than ideal situation. Bringing the dog to a school will assuage some doubt that the dog will be neglected again.

Get a Checkup with the Vet

It’s a good idea to go to the vet and make sure the dog is healthy. You can get all the de-worming medication you need.

Try to sign up for pet insurance too to alleviate some of these costs. Ultimately, just introducing the dog to a veterinarian will help you know what kind of shape the dog is in.

He/she will get treatment for ailments and will start to have a record with the clinic.

After all these tasks, you will really start to feel like the dog is part of the family. After this, just take good advice and soon the dog will feel like it’s a fur-ever home.

Deciding Where to Adopt a New Pet

This will help you to decide about the following terms. Pet Adoption – Pet Stores and Breeders Vs. Pet Shelters and Rescues.

Deciding where to adopt or purchase a new pet can be a difficult decision.

The correct answer depends to a great extent on your personal outlook.

Pet Stores and Pet Breeders as a Source for Adopting or Purchasing a New Pet.

Pet stores and pet breeders are a common source for adoption or purchase of a new pet.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to obtaining a pet from a pet store or pet breeder.

Some of the advantages of purchasing or adopting a pet from a pet store or pet breeder are:

pet stores and pet breeders often offer purebred pets for sale or adoption.

when buying a purebred pet from a pet store or pet breede.

Proper paperwork will be provided to register the new pet with the corresponding breed registry if desired.

Most pet stores or pet breeders are able to provide pedigrees for newly adopted puppies and kittens.

Which may aid in determining whether the puppy or kitten is prone to certain inheritable health issues.

many pet stores and pet breeders provide a health guarantee for the newly purchased or adopted pet.

some pet stores provide pet insurance for the newly adopted or purchased pet for a limited time.

most pet stores or pet breeders offer puppies and kittens for sale as well as other young pets.

Some of the disadvantages of purchasing or adopting a pet from a pet store are:

Pet stores sometimes receive their puppies and other animals from “puppy mills”.

Where the animals may not have been cared for properly.

The price to purchase or adopt a pet is likely to be substantial.

The pet owner may need to do some research to determine whether the pet store or pet breeder is reliable.

And trustworthy (i.e. check with the Better Business Bureau, ask for references from satisfied clients).

Pet Rescues and Pet Shelters as Sources for the Adoption or Purchase of a New Pet

Moreover, pet rescues and pet shelters are also popular locations to adopt or purchase a new pet.

Pet shelters are found in most communities and may be:

Pet rescues exist for almost every dog and cat breed.

As well as for exotic species of animals such as rabbits, ferrets and many others.city-operated pet shelters, privately operated pet shelters, or shelters operated by organizations such as the SPCA or humane society.

There are advantages to adopting a new pet from a pet shelter or pet rescue which include:

The ability to save a life. (Many of these pets will be euthanized if not adopted to a good home.)

The ability to adopt or purchase a more mature animal which may already be house trained.

Many pet rescues and pet shelters perform a thorough behavioral assessment on all animals.

Before allowing the animal to be adopted or purchased.

Some pet rescues and pet shelters provide vaccinations and other essential health care for pets prior to adoption or purchase.

The cost of purchasing or adopting a pet from a pet shelter or pet rescue is likely to be significantly lower than the cost of purchasing from a pet breeder or pet store.

Some of the disadvantages of adopting or purchasing a new pet from a pet shelter or pet rescue may include:

It may be more difficult to locate a puppy or kitten through a pet shelter or pet rescue (if a young animal is what the prospective pet owner prefers).

Adult animals may have behavioral issues which may take time, patience and skill to correct.

Pets adopted from shelters and even those adopted from pet rescues may not have pedigrees available identifying their relatives.

So it may be more difficult to assess the likelihood of inherited disorders for these pets.

Many pet shelters and pet rescues prohibit breeding pets adopted or purchased from them.

(This may not actually be a true disadvantage as it helps to decrease the number of unwanted puppies and kittens but some pet owners would prefer to be able to breed their pets.)

Some pet shelters and pet breeders do a background check on prospective pet owners.

Which some pet owners may object to or may not pass.

(Again, this may not be a true disadvantage as it promotes responsible pet care but it is something some prospective pet owners would rather not undergo.)

In summary, there are advantages and disadvantages to purchasing or adopting pets from pet stores and pet breeders as well as pet shelters and pet rescues.

The correct choice may lie in weighing the pros and cons and deciding. Which decision is the most comfortable for the individual pet owner.