A most impressive young man
One of the frustrating things about placing an animal in a home is finding a home with children who have been exposed to animals. Many families come into a shelter looking for a perfect dog or cat, and then allow their children to behave like banshees while trying to pick just the right animal. Some have never been exposed to any animals and have no idea how to act or react.
Because we all know our children are angels, (tongue in cheek) this makes for a wild and crazy introduction when children are involved. Even when showing puppies, if the children are undisciplined, the dogs pick up on the wildness and their sense of play heightens. The problem with this scenario is the parent's reaction to the dog when he is following the children's example.
This happens in shelters all over and many will not adopt to families with children under the age of 5 or 6 because they realize in many cases the animal will end up being returned.
I met a young man yesterday who was 12 years old. He was very knowledgeable about animals and it was obvious his mother had done some education in the way of preparing him to adopt a pet. This young man had studied animals, watch every animal show on television and he got to pick the one to take home.
Although in taking him through the shelter, it was obvious he loved all the dogs, he was looking for just the right one to complete the family. He would stop and discuss each animal with his mother and then pose questions to me. The family also included a cat, so he wanted to take home a dog who could live with their cat comfortably. He also wanted one with a little training, although he was very excited to work in training the dog better.
The two dogs he picked to meet could not have been any different in personality or breed. He wanted to meet Murray first. Murray is a purebred chocolate labrador who is 4 years old. He had lived with cats, was housebroken and fit all the young man's criteria.
The second dog he met was Matteo. Matteo was a blond cocker spaniel. He was 8 years old, had lived with cats and seemed to love the young man immediately. I explained Matteo had some hearing loss, but was otherwise in good shape.
After speaking with his mother at length, the young man chose Matteo. He felt a stronger connection with the little cocker spaniel and spoke about training with hand signals instead of voice to help Matteo feel comfortable in his new home. He also liked the fact he was trained to walk well on a leash and did not pull him around.
I felt very comfortable sending this dog home with this young man and his mother. This dog will be a pampered pooch and this young man will not hesistate to call the shelter if he runs into any problems in training or behavior. Matteo will now be able to live out the rest of his life in a happy home.
How refreshing it was to meet him.
Because we all know our children are angels, (tongue in cheek) this makes for a wild and crazy introduction when children are involved. Even when showing puppies, if the children are undisciplined, the dogs pick up on the wildness and their sense of play heightens. The problem with this scenario is the parent's reaction to the dog when he is following the children's example.
This happens in shelters all over and many will not adopt to families with children under the age of 5 or 6 because they realize in many cases the animal will end up being returned.
I met a young man yesterday who was 12 years old. He was very knowledgeable about animals and it was obvious his mother had done some education in the way of preparing him to adopt a pet. This young man had studied animals, watch every animal show on television and he got to pick the one to take home.
Although in taking him through the shelter, it was obvious he loved all the dogs, he was looking for just the right one to complete the family. He would stop and discuss each animal with his mother and then pose questions to me. The family also included a cat, so he wanted to take home a dog who could live with their cat comfortably. He also wanted one with a little training, although he was very excited to work in training the dog better.
The two dogs he picked to meet could not have been any different in personality or breed. He wanted to meet Murray first. Murray is a purebred chocolate labrador who is 4 years old. He had lived with cats, was housebroken and fit all the young man's criteria.
The second dog he met was Matteo. Matteo was a blond cocker spaniel. He was 8 years old, had lived with cats and seemed to love the young man immediately. I explained Matteo had some hearing loss, but was otherwise in good shape.
After speaking with his mother at length, the young man chose Matteo. He felt a stronger connection with the little cocker spaniel and spoke about training with hand signals instead of voice to help Matteo feel comfortable in his new home. He also liked the fact he was trained to walk well on a leash and did not pull him around.
I felt very comfortable sending this dog home with this young man and his mother. This dog will be a pampered pooch and this young man will not hesistate to call the shelter if he runs into any problems in training or behavior. Matteo will now be able to live out the rest of his life in a happy home.
How refreshing it was to meet him.
Comments