2.2.16  How much time are you willing to put into transitioning a new dog into a home?

Thankfully, it doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes an adoption falls through. Unfortunately, after only a week in his new home Snoop is back with us.  We love him and welcome him with open arms.  We are just really disappointed his new home did not work out.  After going through the screening process, several meetings and dog intros/walks, and providing a long list of transition guidelines, the other dog was not happy with a new dog in the home. They said Snoop is a great dog and he is, but they were unwilling to invest more time with it.  We emphasize this repeatedly and we will continue doing so because the cycle of dogs going in and out of homes is not a good one.  There is no question that there are situations when there is no other option and we are not here to judge or condemn, but we do want to educate people on the facts about adoption and reduce the cyle of “re-homing.”  It is not just hard on people, it is hard on dogs.  It takes time to transition a new dog into a home and, guaranteed,  it is not going to happen in a week.  When there are multiple dogs, it can take more time.  It can take a few weeks, a few months or longer, depending on the dog(s) and the people.  It you are not willing or unable to put in more than a week and not consult with outside help to transition a new dog into a home, you are not ready to adopt.  Before you adopt, think about this and have a very clear understanding of what is involved.