Southeast Texas

Homeless Pet Adoption Center

Adoptable Rescued Dogs
Waiting for Their Loving New Homes

 


Tips for Helping Rescues

Rescues most often make the most wonderful pets. But, their special circumstance can require knowledge to help them adjust to their situations. Here are some tips for helping them in their new lives.

New Arrivals

Arriving at a new home is an exciting experience for a rescue. It also involves a lot of new stimulie that can frighten even the most well adjusted animal. How can you help your new friend be comfortable and feel secure in his new surroundings? Here are some tips:

1. Keep the first hours quiet. Give the new pet its own place for sleeping and its own feed and water bowl for the first few days. Speak calmly and gently to him or her. Give time for taking in the new surroundings and getting aquainted. Establish a routine right away to help her feel secure.

2. If there are other pets already established in the home, first meetings should be carefully planned. Experts suggest dogs be introduced at a new, neutral location. This prevents the possibility of one dog seeing the other as an intrusion. But, be sure to keep both animals secured on a leash or in an enclosed area.
Cats should be introduced in the home, but with a door between them. As they sniff under the door, they have their first meeting without serious confrontation.

3. Keep foods and feeding times as similar to their previous ones as possible. Then, gradually adjust to the new patterns.

 


Housebreaking

All pets need guidance to become housebroken. The following are tips to speed the process along:

Dogs

1. Establish a routine.

2. Choose a specific spot for "going" and always take him/her to that spot.

3. Choose a specific phrase such as "Go potty." and repeat it calmly each time your pet is "going".

4. Lavish praise on your pet each time he/she goes in the appropriate place.

5. Consider using create training in conjunction with potty training.

These tips and others can be found at Purina Dog Chow's web site. For more information from Purina on this subject click here.

 

Cats

1. Ideally, your cat will have a quiet area of the house to himself at first. A litter box should be in this location with him.

2. Place the litter box in a quiet area where kitty will be less likely to get frightened. Getting frightened near the litter box can scare him/her into not approaching the box when needed.

3. Kittens expecially can benefit from being shown how to use the litter. In clean litter, using your fingers, "paw" at the litter. This can stir kitty's insticts to cover elimination.

4. Take kitty to the box after each meal.

5. Praise kitty lavishly each time you see him/her use the litterbox. 

These tips and others can be found at Purina Cat Chow's web site.  For more information from Purina on this subject click here.


Other Helpful Information

The following sites give detailed information on animal behavior:

Purina Dog Chow: http://www.dogchow.com/

Purina Cat Chow: http://www.catchow.com/
 



For more information, e-mail us at info@adoptarescue.com.