Considerations before Adopting

Lately at the Humane Society I have encountered a disheartening trend where many good animals are being returned. Granted a potential adopter cannot always predict how well an animal will fit in their family just by visitation at the shelter alone, but returning an animal within in days of adopting does not give adopters an adequate perception if the animal will fit. Animals when they are adopted need time to adapt to their new home which will not happen within a few days. These pets are scared and stressed being in a brand new environment and may not act like themselves for a week or two. This situation can be even more stressful to animals that were once feral (wild) or animals abused by previous owners. Returning an animal for the inability to play well with other animals or that your animals cannot get along with is a valid reason for return in a short period. Major health reasons is another; but returning a pet for being scared and frightened just means that the new owners are too impatient to let the animal adjust. Most of these scared animals are returned within a week making their next adoption even harder as the animals will be even more apprehensive because they will fear coming back to the shelter. Final lesson, if you are considering adopting a pet be absolutely sure you are willing to train, take care of, and be patient with new animals. These animals will not hold all the knowledge of previous training and they will not bond with you as quickly as some would like. Patience and a clear idea of the commitment are needed when adopting a pet and is not something to go into lightly.