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How Do I Find a Good Home for My Pug?

You find a good home for your Pug by making sure that you put in the effort needed to choose the best new owner. You’ll want to take the time needed to sort through the potential owners and ensure that they have the qualities needed to provide your dog with the best possible life once you give her up.

Consider What Your Pug Needs

You never thought you’d have to give up your dog, but life can throw many twists at you that you can’t control. Regardless of the reason that you can no longer keep your Pug, you need to be sure that you help her go to a home where she’ll be adored and live a safe and happy life.

The first thing you have to do is make sure that you consider all of the most important parts of what makes your dog special. This includes all of the wonderful things about her and some of the things that you wish were different. For example, does she have any dietary restrictions or health problems? Does she dislike small children after having a bad experience with them? Consider all of the things that the new owners would need to know before they decide to bring her home, and always be honest with those who are considering adopting. Otherwise, they might end up having to give her up if she has issues that you didn’t disclose.

Talk with Your Circle of Family and Friends

You might be fortunate enough to have people you already know who are looking for a dog to adopt. They might love the idea of bringing home your adorable Pug when you’re no longer able to keep her. Of course, you still need to be sure that they have the means and ability to provide her with everything she needs to have a good and happy life.

When you allow someone that you know to adopt your dog, it gives you a nice sense of security. You can be sure they’ll treat her well. You also won’t need to charge a rehoming fee if you know them. These fees are used to ensure that the dogs don’t go to people that will turn around and sell them to labs or use them as bait/training dogs for fighting.

Online Services Help Find Good Homes for Dogs

Pet adoption sites on the Internet can be a good option for finding a new home for your Pug, too. You should be sure to use sites that are made specifically for pet adoption, though, rather than simple want-ad sites. Rehome from Adopt-a-Pet.com is a good option to consider. It’s easy to use, it’s reputable, and it makes it easier for owners and adopters to find one another.

The site is free for owners to use, and the adopters will pay a rehoming fee similar to what they would pay to adopt at a shelter. You’ll have control over who gets to become the new owner of your dog, making it an ideal way to ensure that she goes to a loving home.

Can I Crate My Dog for 8 Hours?

You can crate your dog for 8 hours per day total, but should be offered a potty break every 4-6 hours. If your dog is older or still a puppy, that time will be shorter as they may not be able to hold it as long between potty breaks.

What Should I Do If I’m Gone Longer Than 8 Hours?  

Many people’s work schedules require that they be away for longer than 8 hours. If you’re away longer than 8 hours, here are some things to consider:

  • Instead of crating, consider letting your house-trained dog be loose during the day or confined to a pet-safe area inside your home, with access to a potty area be that potty pads or outside
  • Enroll your dog in doggy day care.
  • Hire a dog walker to stop by in the middle of the day to let your dog out and to give him a little play time.
  • If you work close to home, use your lunch break to let your dog out.
  • See if a family member who stays home during the day would like some canine company. 

Crating for 8 hours is fine for most dogs, but he must get a potty break every 4-6 hours. If it gets much longer than that, you may have to find an alternative to ensure your pet is happy and healthy. 

What Should You Do If Your Dog Bites Someone?

If your dog bites someone, immediately remove your dog from the situation and be prepared to follow the laws in your jurisdiction. This may include quarantining the dog, especially if you cannot produce proof of current vaccines. Depending on your jurisdiction and the circumstances surrounding the bite, you may be subject to civil and criminal liability and, in some cases, the dog could be removed from your home.

Dog Bite Laws and Owners’ Liability 

It’s a situation no dog owner ever wants to face, but if your dog bites someone, you’ll need to be prepared for what could happen next. Some things to consider: 

Your Jurisdiction’s Laws

Some jurisdictions have a one-bite law rule which minimizes or eliminates the owners’ liability for a dog that has not previously shown signs of aggression. Other places have strict liability laws which make owners fully liable even if the owner could not have prevented the incident. 

The Circumstances

A bite from a dog who was allowed to roam free will carry different consequences than a bite that occurred during a break in. How and why the bite happened will have a major impact on your liability and on what will happen to the dog. 

Victims Liability

Was the dog-bite victim taunting your dog, attacking you, or entering your yard or home without permission? In cases like that, the victim will share or bear full responsibility for the incident. 

Previous Incidents

If your dog has bitten someone in the past, there is a more of a chance you’ll be liable and, in some cases, more of a chance that the dog will be seized and possibly euthanized.
Following a dog bite incident, contact a lawyer who specializes in such cases. Even if it’s clear the victim was at fault, you’ll still want a lawyer to help you navigate the process that is to come.  

How Do I Find a Good Home for My Shih Tzu?

To find a good home for your Shih Tzu, you’ll want to put in some time and effort. Fortunately, there are many options available, but you need to know what you should be looking for in a new owner. After all, you can’t trust just anyone to take good care of your cherished Shih Tzu. Let’s look at some of the biggest things you’ll need to consider when choosing someone to adopt your dog.

Be Honest About Your Dog

When you’re trying to find a good home for your Shih Tzu, you need to be honest about him. This is where many people falter. They want to find someone who can adopt so they don’t have to surrender their dog to a shelter. However, if you aren’t honest, the new owner might eventually give up the dog to a rescue or a shelter anyway.

Always be clear about your dog’s personality and needs. If he has medical issues, you need to be transparent with potential adopters. They need to know what the costs will be and what the problems are to determine whether it’s a financial responsibility they can handle.

Be honest about your dog’s temperament, too, or it could cause problems. If your Shih Tzu doesn’t get along with kids and snaps at them, this is something the owner needs to know. If they don’t like large dogs or cats, potential adopters need to know this, too.

What’s Their Home Like?

Even though you might be clear in your description of your dog’s personality, quirks, and needs, it doesn’t mean that the adopter is paying attention. Therefore, you want to get a better sense of them as a person, particularly what their home is like. If they have other pets and you specifically said that your Shih Tzu doesn’t get along with other pets, they aren’t the right new owner. If your dog snaps at small children, he shouldn’t be placed in a home with toddlers, including visiting grandchildren.

Learn as much as you can about the potential adopters and then choose the family that will be the best fit for your dog.

Use Rehome to Find the Right Match

While it can be a lot of work to find someone to adopt your dog that you trust and that will provide a great home, it’s possible. It’s even easier when you use the Rehome platform. Rehome is a peer-to-peer adoption service that allows pet owners to post their pets directly on Adopt-a-Pet.com where they can be seen by the millions of adopters who visit the site each month.

You’ll create a detailed profile of your Shih Tzu, so you can add all of the types of information mentioned above. You’ll add images and videos, too, so people can see what your cute Shih Tzu looks like. Interested people can then fill out adoption applications. You’ll go through those applications and determine which of the potential adopters will be the right choice for your dog’s new home.

Using sites like Rehome helps to ensure that your dog has a wonderful, safe place to live. It’s free for owners to use, and adopters only pay a small rehoming fee.

What Does It Mean to Rehome a Great Pyrenees?

When you rehome a Great Pyrenees, you take the time to find your dog a new and loving home when you have to give him up. No one imagines that they’ll ever need to give up their dog, but sometimes there’s no choice. Whether you’re moving to a new location that doesn’t allow pets, or you can’t care for him any longer, you may need to find a new home for your dog. Naturally, you want to make sure that you choose the perfect forever home for your beloved Great Pyrenees.

Rehoming with People You Know

One of the best options for rehoming a dog is to give him to someone that you already know and who has been considering adopting a dog. This means you won’t have to pay a surrender fee to a shelter or rescue, and it means the new owner won’t have to pay an adoption fee. Since it’s someone you already know, you can ensure they’ll be the best choice for your Great Pyrenees.

Rehoming Using Online Services

The Internet has helped to make rehoming easier, as long as you take your time to find the right sites and the right people to adopt. You don’t want to advertise your dog on sites like Facebook Marketplace, though. You never know if the people there have been looking for a dog or if they just saw your dog and want to adopt him on a whim.

Instead, choose an online pet adoption site like Rehome from Adopt-a-Pet.com. This option is safe and easy to use. It connects owners like you with people who want to adopt dogs and who may be good candidates. You’ll create a detailed profile for your Great Pyrenees and interested adopters will fill out an adoption application. You can then check the applications and determine who will be the best new owner for your dog.

Are Shelters and Rescues the Same as Rehoming?

You might have been considering surrendering your dog to a shelter or a rescue. While it’s possible to do this if you don’t have other options, keep in mind that this is not the same thing as rehoming. Although both of these types of facilities want to make sure the dogs are adopted and find wonderful homes, it doesn’t always happen. Adoptions aren’t guaranteed.

Rescues will keep pets indefinitely if needed, which means they tend to be popular places for owners to surrender their dogs. This also means that they’re often full and unable to take on new animals. Shelters have a limited amount of space, as well, and they may have to euthanize dogs to make room for incoming dogs. They don’t like doing this, but they have no other choice.

Always keep these things in mind when you’re looking for a means to give up your dog. Rehoming using the methods mentioned above can be a good option. You’ll feel much better knowing that you have a hand in finding a perfect home for your dog. After all, you want him to have a safe and loving new home and family.

How Do I Stop My Indoor Cat From Escaping?

You can stop your indoor cat from escaping by distracting him before you leave or by adding barriers that make it hard for him to dash. It is also good to get yourself in the habit of always knowing where your cat is before you open a door so he can’t surprise you and dart out. Taking these steps will help your cat stay safely indoors without escaping.

Create A Barrier 

There are many different ways to create a barrier that will disable your cat from escaping. The right solution for you depends on your home. Here are some things you could try:

  • Blocking the front door entrance: If there is a door you can close to keep your cat away from the door you will be exiting, this is an easy solution. Some homes simply do not have this option.
  • Create a barricade: Choose something that your cat can not easily jump over or slip through. You can do this with 36″ or higher folding metal/wire dog exercise pens or extra-tall baby gates or playpens, like the walk through kind designed for stairs.
  • Create a “kitty lock” door: If you’re lucky, your home may already have a hallway or entrance with doors you can keep closed, but you can also build one. If you have a front porch, you could build a second door around that. You could also install a secondary interior door. This may be a more expensive option, but it works 100% of the time as long as one door is closed before opening another. 

Allow For Safe Outdoor Time 

  • A small investment in an outdoor enclosure gives your cat a safe space where he can enjoy fresh air and sunlight. Enclosures are available in many sizes and configurations, so it’s easy to find one that is perfect for your pet. Check out this article from one of our staff members who built her foster cats a “catio”!
  • If you can’t take your cat outside, giving them a wall-mounted shelf by a window can be similarly effective. If you go this route, just make sure that you have secure screens – if you can push on a screen and pop it out, so can your cat. 

Distract and Dash 

  • Try keeping treats by the door for when you are about to leave. Get your cat’s attention and throw the treats as far away from the door as possible. Then, slip out the door as quickly as possible.
  • If your cat tries to escape when you are entering the house, you can also leave treats right outside of your door to give your cat as you are coming in. 

Keeping your cat safe is the first priority, which is why all cats should be microchipped and registered with up-to-date information. That way, should your cat escape, he’ll have the best chance of being reunited with you.  

How Do You Stop A Dog From Whining At Night?

How to stop your dog from whining at night depends on the age of the dog and whether this is a sudden behavior. When you first bring a puppy home, expect whining at night. He’s in a new place and hasn’t yet to figure out if it’s safe. Usually, a puppy will stop whining at night once he becomes comfortable in your home. For older dogs, you may have to change some things about the environment or the dog’s routine. Also consider a possible medical issue if the whining started suddenly.

Puppies! 

New puppies are a welcome addition. They are so cute and cuddly that nighttime whining seems a small price to pay—until you have to go to work with dark circles under your eyes. As mentioned above, most puppies will stop whining once they get used to you and to living in your home, but there are some tips that can help him feel more comfortable. Most of these tips will help with older dogs as well.

  • Give your puppy or dog plenty of exercise before bed.
  • Limit food and water starting about an hour before bedtime.
  • Play soft, calming music.
  • Work on proper crate training so he’ll view the crate as his safe place. Learn more about crate training here.
  • Allow your dog to be in the same room as you. 

Sudden Changes In Behavior 

If your normally quiet dog started whining a lot, make an appointment with your vet. As with any sudden change in how your dog acts, sudden whining could be a sign of a medical condition. Since your dog can’t tell you when he’s not feeling well, it’s important to pick up on signals that something could be wrong.

No pet owner wants to hear their dog whine, but by implementing these tips, you can help them enjoy a peaceful night. 

What Does It Mean to Surrender a Chihuahua?

What does it mean to surrender a Chihuahua? As the word implies, it means that you give up all rights to the pet and no longer have any input as far as what happens to the dog. Surrendering a Chihuahua to a shelter is often the first choice of those who can no longer keep their pets, but there are other options that let you have a say in the final outcome and improve the chances of a smooth transition for your pet.

The Problems with Surrendering Your Chihuahua 

The truth is that most shelters try very hard to find homes for all the dogs in their care, but the sad reality is that it’s just not always possible. When you consider the sheer number of dogs that are surrendered, it’s easy to see why it’s sometimes an impossible task.

Another thing to think about is how your dog will react to shelter life. Chihuahuas (and other small dogs) in particular often have a very hard time. This makes them act fearful and aggressive, and that makes it even more difficult for them to be adopted.

A Better Way 

Instead of surrendering a Chihuahua, more and more pet owners are rehoming dogs themselves. This allows the pet owner to retain control over where the dog ends up, and this gives him the best chance of happiness in his new home.

Not sure where to get started? Most pet owners aren’t. The good news is that there are plenty of resources to help you throughout the process from start to finish.

Since no one can adopt your Chihuahua if they don’t know he’s available, finding ways to advertise is key. Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com is a great resource that provides valuable information and expert advice and also allows you to create a profile for your pet that can be easily found by potential adopters.

While it may take some time to find a great home, the peace of mind you’ll have knowing you did what was best for your pet will be well worth the time and effort! 

Do You Have to Pay to Rehome a Rottweiler?

If you need to rehome your rottweiler, you will not have to pay a rehoming fee in most cases, but it really depends on how you go about rehoming your dog. If you take him to a shelter, there is usually a surrender fee that ranges between $50 and $150. If you work with a private rescue, the fees vary from $0 to whatever the rescue chooses to charge. If you rehome your dog yourself, you should actually charge and adoption fee.

It’s important to understand the various options before deciding the best way to rehome your dog.

Paying to Surrender Your Dog

Many people don’t realize that they’ll have to pay a surrender fee when they bring their dog to a shelter or a rescue. These facilities charge these fees to help provide funding to keep their operations running. The cost of the surrender fees will vary based on a range of factors including the location of the facility. You’ll want to get in touch with them to learn the cost.

Paying When Adopting from a Shelter or Rescue

Not only do the shelters and recuses charge surrender fees, but they also charge adoption fees. These can vary just as widely. You can expect fees to be at least $50, but they could be $150 or more. Again, it can be based on factors such as the location, the age of your dog, etc.

Why Are Rehoming and Adoption Fees Needed?

Some might be wondering why fees are charged for rehoming and adoption. After all, they might think that these are dogs that need homes, so they should be given to anyone who will take them. However, this becomes risky for the dogs. The rehoming and adoption fees help to ensure that there aren’t any people with bad intentions getting their hands on the dogs.

Some people look for free animals online so they can use them as bait animals for fighting dogs. Others look for free animals that they can then sell to labs. The fees help to cut down on this because those people won’t be making a profit off the dogs.

When Do You Not Need Fees?

Is there ever a time where you wouldn’t need to charge an adoption fee when you’re finding a new home for your dog? The only time you probably won’t charge a fee for rehoming would be when you already know the people and you’re sure they’ll take great care of her. Just make sure that they’re truly the best home for her.

Consider Using Rehome

If you’re an owner who needs to give up their rottweiler, and you don’t know anyone who is looking to adopt, then look into using Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com. This is a safe and simple platform that allows owners to create profiles for their dog, including photos and videos. You can add all of the most important information about your dog to the profile so adopters can determine whether she might be a good option for them or not. As an owner listing a dog, you won’t have to pay anything. And, when your pet’s profile is complete, it will be uploaded onto the Adopt-a-Pet.com website for millions of potential adopters to see.

Those who want to adopt a dog will pay a small adoption fee that’s similar to what would be paid for adoption at a shelter or a rescue, and your dog will soon be on his way to a loving new home. 

How Do You Calm An Aggressive Dog?

The first step to calm an aggressive dog is understanding what triggers the aggression. It could be anything from pain to frustration or fear to redirected aggression. Just like some humans are more aggressive than others, the same is true for dogs—but one thing is true for all: No matter the size of the dog or the level of aggression, you must find effective ways to stop the behavior in order to protect your dog and the people and animals around him. While you work on finding a solution, keep your dog physically separated from any aggression triggers, other pets, children, and people until the issue can be addressed.

Reasons Dogs Are Aggressive 

In the wild, aggression is necessary for dogs’ survival. An aggressive dog isn’t bad, but that behavior does need to be modified. If you can figure out the reason for your dog’s aggression, you’ll be better able to find a resolution. Some of the reasons for dog aggression include:

  • Protecting Himself or His Pack – Some dogs are extremely protective of the other animals and humans in their pack. While this is good in some circumstances, some dogs become aggressive if anyone even approaches their humans.
  • Protecting His Den – Does your dog run along the fence line barking at passerby in a menacing way? Does the barking stop once the person is past your fence? That is your dog protecting his den. He’s not interested at all in the person—as long as that person moves along.
  • Protecting His Food or Toys – Food aggression is common in dogs who didn’t get enough to eat at some point in their lives. A food-aggressive dog who is normally docile will turn into Cujo if anyone approaches him when he’s eating. This same type of possession aggression can also apply to favorite toys or beds.
  • Redirected Aggression – If a dog can’t reach the target of his aggression, for example a strange dog being walked on a leash, he may turn on whatever dog or human he can reach. This type of aggression often comes as a shock as the dog may attack a dog he has lived with peacefully for years.
    Other reasons for redirected aggression include fear, predatory reasons, and sexual frustration. Another thing to keep in mind is that a normally docile dog who suddenly becomes aggressive could be in pain due to an undetected medical condition, so get your dog to the vet as soon as possible.

Once you figure out the reason for the aggression, you can begin to work with your vet or an animal behaviorist. It is important to note that if your dog displays low levels of aggression, like growling for example, correcting the behavior may lead to more aggressive behavior next time. This is because your dog realized he was punished for growling and could escalate to a more aggressive behavior in the future. Training can still be very helpful to work on mild aggression, but punishment may not be the solution.

Aggression is one of the top reasons pet owners rehome their dogs, but with the right intervention, you can put a stop to this behavior and keep your pet in your home.