Call Me Tio — A Dog’s Perspective On Adoption.
By: Tricia Chadwick
Tags: Animals, Dog Tales, Adoption, Family, Dogs

We welcomed a new member to the family last night. I use the term “welcomed” loosely. Somewhere around 9pm, I’m eyeing the crate, thinking about heading to bed, when in comes my human sister with what I can only describe as a tiny version of myself. A tiny white terrier they call Prudence.

Out of nowhere.

Seriously! No one told me. Or my pup sister-wife, Lola.

Okay, I get that we don’t speak English. We certainly understand it, though! Don’t we deserve the same respect as the rest of the household?

We are now 5 people and 3 dogs sharing a 1200 square foot house. I really think we should have been consulted. We at least deserved a head’s up. I am now an uncle. It’s kind of exciting, really. Maybe a little too exciting, which is why Prudence keeps yelling at me.

Author’s niece, Prudence

In the spirit of the holidays and making the best of things, I want to offer some advice to others that might be thinking of adding to their own families, in the hopes of making even just one family aware of the importance of including your dog in big family decisions.

Hold a family meeting.

Tell all family members. I repeat this again because it bears repeating. No one even mentioned that we would be getting a new housemate the week of Christmas. I mean, what will Santa think? Does he even know? With the way my family operates, I wouldn’t be surprised if they even forgot to tell him. Hold a family meeting. Make sure the dogs are included. We might seem like we aren’t paying attention, but trust me, we are. Even if your family members can’t answer you, they should be told of your plans. Especially if they will be expected to share a bathroom.

Although my human family didn’t think to mention the new family member to me, they did some preparations themselves. I guess I should have been expecting something when they put away my toys, put out an extra dish, and a new crate appeared next to my sister’s bed.

Tell the new family member she is being adopted.

I swear I don’t even think anyone told her she was moving to a new home! On top of that, once she stopped grumbling at me, she said she had been driving all day from Chicago.

No wonder she was crabby.

I tried not to let it get to me. I was trying to be welcoming, even though taken off guard. And she was a complete grump!

At the end of the day, I was the mature, bigger man. I gave her some space and figured we’d work things out later. I couldn’t help but feel bad for her, she was trembling she was so scared!

As I said before, all parties involved need to be told of the change in living arrangements, whether they can speak or not.

Prudence let it be known that she was stressed on her first night in our home. Some dogs might not be as vocal about it.

You want to watch for signs of stress on a dog that might not be obvious. Here are some things to watch out for:

barking

growling

raised fur on the back of the neck

stare-downs, snarling, displaying teeth

a hunched back

If you see any of these signs, it should be clear that the pup needs some space.

Make the Introduction Early in the Day when all are fresh.

By 9pm, everyone was tired! Poor Prue had spent the day traveling and was in no mood for a meet and greet. Lola and I were well past our regular bedtimes, and our feelings were more easily hurt because of it. Plus, this set us up for a poor meeting the next morning. Everyone was hungry and had to use the bathroom. Not really our best moods at that moment either. Things calmed down quickly, but the transition could have been smoother if done, say mid-morning on the weekend. Obviously, rescues can’t always work that way, but opt for a daytime pickup if given a choice.

In my family’s defense, there are several things they did right. Including this list of good practices from rover.com that you should include in your plans when bringing home a new pup.

Do allow them to get used to one another at their own pace

allow them to get used to one another at their own pace Do introduce them in a neutral area

introduce them in a neutral area Do allow them to escape to their crate if desired

allow them to escape to their crate if desired Do feed them in separate areas

feed them in separate areas Do spend quality time with them separately

spend quality time with them separately Do allow them to interact positively if desired

allow them to interact positively if desired Do allow them to play with supervision

allow them to play with supervision Do supervise them at all times for the first several weeks

Adding a new member of the family is a blessing, I suppose. It’s only been a short time, and Prudence is already starting to warm up to me.

She also shares her toys, which has really made me warm up to her! You can make the process smoother and less awkward for your family by following the simple, common-sense strategies mentioned above to bringing home your new family member. Make sure you tell all parties involved that a new personality will be joining the household, and make the introductions early in the day when everyone is feeling their most pleasant and welcoming.

Good luck with your new family!