Dog rescue failure; it happens

 

You want to rescue a dog

Dog rescue failure is when, no matter how hard you try, the dog you rescued just isn’t fitting into your home. This isn’t a goal you choose, but it does happen sometimes. Your goal was to do something good for a dog.

Hopefully, you considered the type of dog you should get, how much time you could give, and all the other things that go into taking care of a dog. You found the dog you wanted to rescue and brought him or her home. It’s supposed to be happily ever after, right?

Sadly, that’s not always the case. The best of intentions aren’t always enough to make it work. Despite your efforts and wishes, sometimes it just doesn’t go as planned. Rescue dog failure happens sometimes.

You want everyone to be happy

Of course, you want to provide the best possible home to any dog you bring into your home. You probably have a good idea of what that looks like in your head. But what does that mean, in real terms?

First, the dog in question needs to be a good fit for your living situation. Bringing a border collie home to your little one-bedroom apartment might not be the best fit for you or your potential family member. If you’ve thought about your situation, you probably already know that.

Second, all involved individuals in your home need to be ok with the new addition. When you get home, your other dogs or people might not be as enthusiastic about it. Any other people or canine family members are likely to have their own opinions and may have issues that need to be addressed before everyone is happy.

Finally, the new dog is going to have needs that need to be met. Are you ready? Do you even know what they are for sure? Chances are pretty good that, because they are in rescue, their first home had issues. Depending on what those were, your dog could have some problems adjusting to life in your home. Can you help them?

When reality hits

Rescue dog failure can happen, even when you do everything you can. As you’ve probably heard many times, it takes a while for a rescued dog to feel comfortable in their new home. They have to get to know the individuals involved, figure out the routine, and learn to trust again.

Most dogs that wind up in a rescue program got there because their previous home wasn’t ideal. Sometimes it was even brutal. Because of that, it’s not uncommon to have issues that take extra patience and help to work through. Sometimes, it can be an insurmountable obstacle.

However, some issues are more than you or the dog can handle. No matter how hard you try or what you do, you can’t seem to get to the ideal situation you were hoping for. Whether it’s a serious dislike between a dog you currently have and the new dog or aggression that shows up that you don’t know how to handle, sometimes there isn’t an easy fix. You have to decide what’s best, not just for the new dog but also for everyone who’s already a part of the family.

How do you fix dog rescue failure?

When you find yourself in a situation that isn’t working as you’d hoped, you can try several things to try to make it better.

• Patience, time, and reassurance can help sometimes
• Contact outside resources, like trainers or vets, to help you come up with a plan
• Make the changes that you can comfortably make if they can help the situation

These strategies can often help your whole family find peace after a while. But sometimes, even these ideas, as well as any others you come up with, are still not enough. Then what?

Doing what’s best

Sometimes, keeping your potential family member in your family is not the best situation for you or for the dog. While this is probably not what you or your ego want to believe, sometimes it can be the kindest, wisest thing to do to rehome your dog. If you’re not happy and they’re not happy, the status quo isn’t ok.

If the changes you’ve been trying haven’t worked and you’ve given it enough time, you need to decide. Likewise, If you find that the dogs you already have are suffering or at risk of injury, you owe them your best effort.

Although you have to admit that this is a rescue dog failure, it doesn’t mean that you have failed. Sometimes, the only way to find out is to try. And being able to recognize that a different home could be better for your dog allows both of you to move on to a successful situation.

The thing to remember is that, no matter what, your intentions were good. In addition,

• You have learned more about how to work with dogs.
• The dog in question has been someplace where they were loved instead of being in the shelter.
• You can provide additional input that can help the next family be even better equipped to give your dog their best home.

Have you rescued a dog? Hopefully, it worked for you both, but that’s not always the case. Tell me about your experiences in the comments below. Another post on rescue dog failure to read is this one from Petful.com.

We love our rescue dogs and have had several over the years. Read Reasons to rescue a dog for more about our stories. If you feel guilty about this or any other issues, read this post. Remember, you’re only human and you can only do your best.