Mary Allen
Do you want to rescue an animal from the home? These seven tips will help you before and during your search for a new companion.
Which animal suits you?
Before visiting the animal shelter, it is important to think about what kind of animal suits you and your premises and what characteristics your new family member should bring with him. So it makes sense to make a list of all the character traits you want beforehand, but not to get too caught up on them. Pleading dog eyes, a pleasant purr when petted or a lick on the face can throw many resolutions overboard, and the new house occupant will then become a completely different animal. After all, no one is immune to “love at first sight”. Make sure you give yourself enough time to search and involve the whole family.
When choosing your new pet, also pay attention to the cost, space, and time requirements of your new animal roommate and check in advance whether your landlord allows pets.
The animal shelter you trust
If you have decided to rescue a shelter animal, do your research on reputable shelters in your area. A well-maintained and trustworthy shelter will have clean, sanitized premises and a quarantine facility for new arrivals. Pay a visit to several animal shelters in your area and choose the animal shelter you trust.
In the beginning, a detailed consultation is always advisable. If you have therefore decided on a home, let an animal shelter employee actively support you in choosing the right animal. They know their protégés best and can tell you whether the dog or cat you want is the right fit for you or your living and living conditions.
Extra tip: Make an appointment with the homes in question, because there is rarely time for a detailed discussion during ongoing operations.
Be very frank
Usually, the shelter will ask you to fill out a self-disclosure form. Don’t worry: this isn’t about interrogating you. Rather, the animal shelter employees would like to know whether their protégé will be in an environment suitable for the four-legged friend, what your ideas of living with a pet are like, and who can look after the animal in an emergency.
The core idea of the self-disclosure form is that the selected animal shelter resident is placed with a family that is really suitable for him. Many of the little animal souls have already had bad experiences, had to fight their way through, or were deported. Now your four-legged friend should be fine with you and the many questions should be helpful for both sides.
The history of “your” animal
If you have an animal in mind, ask why your chosen animal friend came to the home. Animals are often given up because the living conditions of the previous owners have changed. Rarely do four-legged friends end up in animal welfare due to behavioral problems? Find out about the character traits, the social behavior, and the level of the upbringing of the future family member, because the more you can find out, the fewer surprises threaten and the faster the later coexistence in your home will work.
The animal carers usually know your wards very well and are happy if you show a lot of interest so that they can give you the best advice.
Getting to know each other
Have you found “your” special fur nose? Wonderful! Now it’s time for you and your new companion to get to know each other better. Give yourself plenty of time for this. Visit the animal shelter more often and visit your beloved animal. Once you have chosen a dog, you should take it for a walk and get closer while playing together. If you have chosen a cat, make friends with it by cuddling and petting it.
It will quickly become clear to you whether the chemistry between you is right or whether your animal shows traits that do not suit you. Detailed discussions with the staff can also help you with the decision.
Your living situation
If, after several visits, you are still interested in this one special four-legged friend and the animal shelter is also convinced of this mediation, a preliminary inspection will take place at your home. This means that an animal welfare worker will visit you at home and get a picture of you and your four walls. The primary concern here is that the employees check whether the questions in the self-disclosure form have been answered truthfully.
You can, therefore, rest assured that you have filled out the questionnaire conscientiously beforehand. So don’t feel pressured. Rather, you can see this appointment as an opportunity to clarify final questions and perhaps get a few good tips regarding your future animal husbandry.
Your acquisition costs
Most animal shelter animals have already been examined by a vet, vaccinated and dewormed, microchipped, and often even castrated. If you decide to have a young animal, a castration voucher is often given so that you can have your animal castrated when it is the right age for the procedure. If you take your little darling with you, you pay a fee (for dogs between 200 and 300 euros, for cats usually between 70 and 100 euros).
Strictly speaking, this fee is not a purchase price but is intended to compensate for the costs incurred by the animal shelter. In addition, you must conclude a sales contract with the animal shelter with obligations such as species-appropriate husbandry and the breeding barn. This is mainly used to deter traders.