Emma's Adoption Adventure - And Tips For Your Own Adventure!

My boyfriend and I have wanted a dog for a very, very long time. We lived together in an apartment with no *new* pets allowed. Those who had pets already when this took place could keep them. So we were basically taunted when we would see them walking their dogs. Finally, we closed on a house in August of this year. One of the first orders of business, I knew, would be to get a dog. After applying through multiple shelters, both local and long distance, we finally got an appointment to see some dogs on Sunday, October 4, 2020.

Emma wasn't the first dog we looked at, but she was the one who melted our hearts the most. She was too scared to go out exploring like the other dogs did. We knew we wanted a more calm dog as well. As we were filling out the paperwork we were told she may have been in a shelter her whole life and was transferred up to Pennsylvania from Texas with her dad and sister. My boyfriend and I were prepared for a dog, but we weren't fully prepared for Emma.

She's now been a part of our home for about a month and we've had some ups and downs, but she's finally starting to relax and trust us. She's come a long way from not being potty-trained at all and having zero socialization skills.

Despite how much research we did preparing for her and how much money we saved, we still had a lot to overcome and tackle. Below are my tips to keep in mind when adopting your own dog!

1) Make Sure Your Savings Account is Ready - Both of our savings accounts and finances took a bit of a bigger hit when we got her than we expected. We obviously knew there were going to be expenses, but she had to go to the vet and receive additional treatment. This, in total, was an extra $500 that we weren't expecting. We were prepared, thankfully, and now we've picked up some insurance.

2) Pet Insurance! - If you're like us, insurance could be an absolute lifesaver. There are multiple options out there. When you find a vet ask what insurances they accept and get on it!

3) Prepare Your Home - Whether you're getting a dog who will shed, destroy toys in seconds or likes to give in to curiosity, dog-proof your home! Make sure you have all the technology you can get to deal with pet hair. Prepare to set up zones in your house for your dog for them to relax in. Think they'll chew on something? Put it out of reach! Emma personally chewed through two of my headsets before she learned it was bad.

4) Put Your Patient Pants On - Both my boyfriend and I grew up with dogs. I grew up with Labradors and he grew up with Terriers. Emma wasn't a huge shake up for us, but I quickly learned how much patience I would need with her. She wasn't potty or house trained so everything scared her. Within ten minutes of bringing her home, she had pooped and peed in our bedroom. She hid in corners and cautiously approached her food. Even a month in we're still not 100% there on the potty training. She's come so far though!

5) Keep a Journal or Records of Improvements - Depending on how old the dog is that you adopt, progress might be hard to gauge. Looking back at how far Emma has come in just a month is astounding! Her socialization improvements makes it feel like she's a whole new dog. Coming from personal experience there will be times where you feel like your dog may never improve or that all your hard work is lost. Keeping a track record will help you realize how far both you and your pet have come together!

6) Remember to Take Things Slow - Emma is a very anxious dog and we had to remember throughout our trainings that even the smallest things could have huge impacts on her. One time I took her leash off a hook we have on the wall and it hit the ground very loudly. She was afraid of her leash for about two days. One of our doors (which is a much shorter route to taking her outside) closes and opens very loudly and she refuses to go out the door or even pass by it. Being ready to observe these quirks and adapting to them is going to be crucial if you have a pet with anxiety. We reintroduced her leash very slowly and she's now fine. I let her sniff it multiple times and placed it around her.

7) Crates Aren't Necessarily Bad (Think Goldilocks too!)- This was the hardest for me to grasp. I always viewed crates as horrible trapping mechanisms for pets that were used as punishment and represented nothing but sadness. After we had Emma for two nights without a crate, we realized she really couldn't be left to roam our house yet by herself. We went and bought a crate and she now loves it. It's a safe space for her when we're sleeping and when she's sleeping. It's crucial to make sure your dog has enough room to turn around and stand up in. Too small of a crate is a bad thing, but also is the crate being too big. If too big, the dog could mark a spot where it's okay to go to the bathroom.

8) Speak with Your Vet - I learned so much from the appointment we had. I asked questions I thought were stupid but they gave me so much information. I wanted her to start going to dog parks and they helped me decide a good timeline that incorporated her anxiety as well as where her health was at. Most of the vet staff are pet owners themselves and can speak from experience!

As I grow with Emma, I'm sure I will have more tips and stories to share. The biggest piece of advice I can leave everyone with is to be patient and loving. And of course - Adopt don't Shop!