Ah, puppies. They are so cute, playful, and make just about everyone smile when you see them. Unless you live with them. Oh sure, there are a few people out there who will tell you that the minute they got their 5 week old puppy home it was housebroken, and slept through the night, and never chewed on anything other than a rawhide. But I live and work in the trenches, and I will tell you that most people that work in animal welfare will tell you that they would take in a 10 year old dog than a 10 week old puppy.
Yesterday, we had a family who adopted a puppy last week come in wanting to return the puppy. The reason? It was being a puppy. This was their first dog. They let the puppy have free roam of the house and it was going potty wherever it wanted to, chasing their cats, and wreaking general havoc. This must have been the happiest puppy in all of Wisconsin last weekend!
We do go over crate-training with potential adopters, but you often meet resistance as people often do not realize what crate training is all about. Most of us grew up with paper training a puppy, in fact, I never even saw a crate in a home until I was in college. Crates were only for travel back in those days. Additionally, I think when most people are falling in love with an animal here at the shelter, they really do not hear anything we are saying as they are just so enamored with this new little family member. Especially puppies.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Puppies are not for everyone. In fact, I have one, and it is really hard work, even for someone who sort of knows what they are doing. You are essentially bringing a baby animal into your home. Not a small dog. My dear friend, and dog trainer, Carol Sumbry often asks people "When were you housebroken? Two or three years old?" Yet, we expect our 3 month old puppies to come home and ask to be let out when they get the urge. They are babies, and need us to teach them everything! Most dogs are not trustworthy in the housebreaking department until they are at least 6 months old, and for some dogs in can take a year! I still remember excitedly calling my husband at his office when our 8 month old black lab puppy, Murphy, finally urinated outside when he was supposed to. I was relating this story to my husband when I looked down to see Murphy pooping on the floor just one foot away from me.
When you bring a puppy home, you should expect the first year of this animal's life to be all about learning where it is acceptable to go potty, where it is acceptable to sit, sleep, and what kind of manners it is expected to have inside and outside of your home. I know it sounds like a lot of work. It is a lot of work. More work than you expect. But, it is worth it in the long run. The reason many people get a puppy in the first place is for the companionship this dog will provide as an adult. You expect a lot of out a little baby animal. Your puppy expects a lot from you, too. Go into bringing a dog into your life with your eyes wide open. If this work is not for you, go for an adult dog. There is often a shorter learning curve, and you can get your instant best friend a lot sooner than you ever thought possible.
Fans of felines are in no easier boat when it comes to deciding on a kitten or cat. Sure, the potty training often takes care of itself, but kittens are capable of gravity defying feats that an adult cat could never pull off due to their size and weight. Our last kitten foster walked up our pant legs (sometimes even our bare legs), climbed houseplants, climbed wooden paneled walls, chewed every cord it could get its mouth on and was a complete maniac in the house. Adult cats can be playful, and even "wild", but kittens seem to have only 2 speeds. Sleeping, and the activity level of a cat on 3 pots of espresso.
Think long and hard before deciding to bring any animal into your life, and about the sacrifices you are willing to make to ensure this animal gets the care and training needed to be a lifelong companion - not a mistake that you will feel guilty about returning to a shelter after a week.
For the little puppy that was returned, we gave her family some new training tips, a crate, and educated them on what life with a little puppy was really like. They took her home again, more confident that they can give her the home she needs. Hopefully in the end, they will be able to make it work. The puppy has really bonded to them, and they really love the puppy.
Happy endings are our specialty, and I am crossing my fingers for just one more for this family.
