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Cathy is the lead instructor at Pupstanding Academy and a Preventive Vets dog behavior expert. She focuses on fostering strong bonds between people and their pets through open communication, positive reinforcement, and the use of non-coercive training techniques. She has had the chance to work with hundreds of dogs on a variety of training and behavior issues over the course of her more than 13 years of experience. Dog aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, and puppy socialization are some of her areas of expertise.
Cathy holds the CPDT-KA and CBCC-KA certifications from the Certification Council of Professional Dog Trainers. Cathy is a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, the Pet Professional Guild, and the Dog Writers Association of America. She is also a Fear Free Certified Certified Professional.
She enjoys reading, hiking with her two Cardigan Welsh Corgis, and paddleboarding when she’s not obsessing over dogs.
An unavoidable change in life circumstances precludes keeping the dog.
Stuff happens. Even if you have the strongest bond with your dog in the world, rehoming him if your circumstances change and you can no longer care for him is the ethical thing to do. I’m not referring to straightforward prioritization decisions (e.g., “We want to go to Europe this summer but we can’t afford the dog’s ACL surgery”); rather, I’m referring to unavoidable life events like heart attacks, strokes, foreclosure, moving into a long-term care facility, and other traumatic incidents. Tragically, there are times when you simply cannot care for your beloved dog any longer.
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However, you don’t have to give up your dog because of the new baby; congrats on your happy news. For kids, having a dog as a pet is a wonderful experience. In fact, research indicates that exposing children to dogs early in life may help them avoid developing allergies.
If handled properly, dogs and children can be a great combination. Prior to the birth of your child, it is critical that your dog receive proper training and socialization with infants and young children. Afterward, make sure to properly introduce the child to the dog. Additionally, it’s crucial to teach your children to respect dogs.
Make sure your dog attends as many family activities, outings, and gatherings as you can. You can have a safer, more tranquil family unit if your dog understands its place in the family. Your dog and children must be aware of proper behavior around one another. Growing up with a dog is one of the best gifts you can give your child if you do it right.
The dog is a danger to someone in the household, or to the community.
This often entails aggressive behavior, but not always. When a beloved senior dog has recently passed away, it’s common for an elderly dog lover to make the error of replacing him or her with a puppy of the same breed, forgetting that she was 15 years younger the last time she had a bouncing adolescent dog underfoot. Rehoming may be the best choice if the human’s dexterity and balance are starting to fail her and/or if she is physically unable to meet the dog’s activity needs.
Even though daycare facilities, pet walkers, and understanding family members and friends may be able to assist with some of the exercise, the dog may still pose a threat to the owner’s safety that is too great. If that’s the case, rehoming is the right choice.
Small children living in the house run the risk of being physically hurt by a rambunctious dog. While the child develops and the dog matures and picks up good manners behaviors, good management can frequently reduce the danger. Aggression, however, is another matter.
Aggression is not always a reason to put your dog down. However, it is negligent dog ownership and parenting to keep a dog that has demonstrated a willingness to bite children in a house with children. Small children’s safety in homes with dogs is seriously jeopardized if the dogs don’t adore the kids. If the response is anything less than “adore,” the dog needs to be rehomed or at the very least sent to stay with family members until the child is old enough to no longer be in danger or the dog has developed a love for kids. Rehoming a dog is much simpler before he bites a child.
If the owner is unwilling or unable to take the necessary management measures to keep the community (and the dog) safe, an aggressive dog poses a risk to it. While this may be attributable to a lack of concern on the part of the human, it may also be the result of denial and/or ignorance. When a dog exhibits aggressive behaviors, it is imperative that the owners prevent the animal from getting the chance to bite and enlist the help of a qualified positive behavior specialist to help manage and modify the behavior.
FAQ
Should I feel bad for giving up my dog?
If you have used up all of your other options before rehoming your dog, you shouldn’t feel bad about it. You’ve done everything you possibly could have done if you’ve worked with a trainer, discussed concerns with your veterinarian, and sought advice from trained behavior consultants.
Do dogs miss you when you give them away?
When they are adopted by new people, many dogs go through a period of missing their previous owners. Depending on how strong their bond was, your dog may miss them more or less. When you first bring them home, you should think about this. It may take some time for your dog to process what is happening, so be patient.
Is it cruel to abandon a dog?
A pet going through this would likely become very confused and scared. Additionally, you have no way of knowing how long they’ll live or what kind of care they’ll receive. Animal abuse, which is a crime in nearly all 50 states, is defined as “abandoning” a pet.
Is it awful to rehome a dog?
You shouldn’t feel bad about having to find a new home for your dog if you’ve done everything you can to prepare physically, emotionally, and financially. But make an effort to put him in a suitable environment so that his final residence will be his new one.