Hi friends,
I’m back from my trip and happy to be with my pup again. I missed her so much.
This week, I’m excited to tell you about Three Paws Rescue. Three Paws was founded by Kelvin Ling in 2018, naming the organization after his dog, Sammy, who had lost a leg to cancer. Kelvin saw senior and special needs dogs and cats not getting a lot of adoption interests and want to make sure all furry friends get the love and care they deserve. I learned so much from Kelvin and have a new appreciation for my quirky dog since meeting him.
Here’s my interview with Kelvin:
Three Paws has a “no dog/cat turned away” philosophy. Can you share what that means to you personally?
If a dog or cat was adopted from us and the adopter no longer wants the animal, we will welcome the animal back with open arms. However, we don’t have a facility and are a foster based rescue, which means we can’t take every dog/cat that people no longer want. We get asked to take in animals and have said “no” many times.
For someone thinking about adopting a rescue dog, what’s one mindset or habit you think makes the biggest difference in helping that dog thrive in a new home?
Your experience will vary. Nine out of 10 times, the rescue dog (or cat) is going to have a quirk that no one would have told you about. It is never like the movies or the story of your friend and their perfect rescue or what you see on Instagram. Time, patience, and understanding are key. Go slow and give the dog a chance to decompress and settle in.
As I am typing this, I got a text from a potential adopter saying the dog they are in a trial adoption with for less than a day isn’t going to work out because the adopter has a migraine and the dog "just got a LOT of energy”. The dog is a sweet 17-lb dog who gets nervous in new environments and situations and this anxiousness turns into a bit of energy. The dog is likely unsure of where their “safe” spot is, which is why we provided a crate for them to use as the dog is comfortable being in a crate for it is their “safe spot” but they did not use the crate and misinterpreted the dog’s nervousness as being hyper.
The dog should have been given time to adjust and settle. Potential adopters often come in with the mindset that the dog they pick is going to be well behaved from the moment they meet. The dog is going to sit perfectly while the applicant pets them, will shake their hands as if to say “nice to meet you”, a perfect passenger in the car on the way home, and knows exactly just where to go to the bathroom in their yard and not inside the house. Not to mention the dog is the perfect role model for dogs in a dog park. Not every dog is a “dog park” dog and that has to be ok with the potential adopter. Not every dog is okay chasing that one tennis ball while 20 other dogs are doing the same thing and some will try to steal the ball from another dog’s mouth.
You’ve seen so many different dogs and families come together. Can you share your favorite moment or match?
The one that comes to mind is Ollie and her adopter Sydney, who sends us updates regularly. We love to keep in touch with adopters but we understand everyone is living their best life and we’d rather time is spent spoiling the dog than sending us updates.
Ollie was born into the rescue and we estimated her to be a large puppy. Looking for an adopter we weren’t so sure about an apartment environment. We thought she was going to grow to be in the 70-75lbs range. We also knew bathroom training for a puppy is tough in an apartment and how strict some apartments are about giving the deposit back.
For Ollie, we were looking for adopters with previous puppy raising experience or having an existing dog that Ollie can learn socialization from. Sydney grew up around dogs but didn’t have one of her own. We received over 100 applications for Ollie and her siblings, as the team was reviewing the applications we prioritized ones that were in a single family home with a fenced in yard and/or have an existing friendly dog in the household. But Sydney’s application kept coming up in my mind, no matter how the team ranked the applications, something kept drawing me to her application so we reached out and had a meet between Sydney and Ollie.
Sydney and Ollie are so perfect for each other. It was a love at first sight moment, Ollie is such a good dog and Sydney is a wonderful dog mom. They enjoy spending time with other dogs and just living the best life going on adventures. Sydney would later tell us that having Ollie in her life has been great for her mental health and brought her much joy and happiness.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Don’t give up so quickly and easily on a rescue dog. Dogs need time to adjust to a new environment and situation in the same way humans have trouble falling asleep in a hotel bed or unfamiliar environment.
Adopters are excited to welcome a new dog but they try to fit a lot of activities on the first day. They want to go to PetSmart to get new toys and treats, go hiking, go for walks around the neighborhood, show off their new dog to all their friends and families, go eat at a dog friend restaurant with their new four legged family member, go get puppuccino at Starbucks, the list of activities go on and on. What’s the rush? You have a dog’s lifetime to spoil them and show them the world, why fit everything into one day or a weekend?
The quickest we have had an adopter give up on a dog is 10 minutes because the dog had too much energy. I haven’t even made it onto the highway yet. The dog is excited at the prospect of a forever life with you and, of course, they will be excited and happy to be a part of your family. There are plenty of training resources online to help with any dog issue. Unless a person’s life or health is in jeopardy, take the time to explore ways of understanding and helping the dog through the situation.
Don’t just pick a dog based on looks. Not all pit bulls are bad and not all chihuahua are good dogs. Sometimes we will get applicants that say they don’t want a pit bull because of what they have heard on the news. Dogs are not born aggressive, in the same way humans are not born serial killers; we are the way we are because people happen and it is through life experiences that we are who we are. Dogs might fear men/women because at some point in their life, they were mistreated by them. Or dogs might fear a crate because at some point in their life, they associated a crate with bad experience. We have known some amazing pit bulls that were support dogs to humans, teachers to shy and fearful dogs. They were the best rescue helpers, helping us evaluate dogs and showed dogs how to be.
Don’t just be a dog’s friend. Be a dog’s best friend but also be the dog’s teacher. People send their kids to school to learn the skills needed to be a better human being but they just expect dogs to learn on their own or be born with the knowledge. An adopter might be returning their dog because the dog barks uncontrollably when left outside on their own. We asked why the dog was outside unsupervised and they said they “thought a dog is happy being outside.” Not all dogs want to be outside when their human is not outside. We said, maybe she is telling you that she wants to be let back inside the house. If you locked yourself out of your house and you knew someone was inside, wouldn’t you be shouting as loud as you can so someone can open the door?
If resources allow, seek the assistance of a professional dog trainer. Or use the resources available online such as YouTube or dog training blogs or training apps that will guide you through building a better relationship with your four legged companion.
Don’t get a dog if you are going to have a baby and realize you won’t have the time for a dog anymore.
Don’t get a dog if after 5 years you are going to “exchange” for a younger dog. People are so used to a “new” version of a product being released every year or every couple of years, and sadly, this type of thinking extends to animals for some people. We have had adopters who adopted a puppy or young dog (2 years or younger) and after some time (5 years) they will return the dog because “they no longer have time” or “are moving and can not take the dog” or some behavior issue the adopter does not want to manage. In one instance, an adopter returned a dog after years saying they didn’t have time anymore, but they let slip they “just got a seven-month-old puppy”.
Don’t get a dog or cat if you think an animal is going to “fix” the relationship. We have had adopters return an animal because they are getting a divorce and neither wants the animal. If only relationships were that easily solved, what ends up happening most of the time is one person resents the animal because of what it reminds them or they never really wanted said animal in the first place and now they are “stuck” with him/her. It is rare but there are amazing adopters who will say the dog helped them heal from the relationship and they are happy to have been the one to keep the dog.
Despite all these “do not”s, do rescue a dog (or cat) and commit to something bigger than yourself. It will be the best decision you have ever made.
That’s it for now! If you have a story or experience you’d like to share in a future newsletter, please reach out!
— Joni and Dolly 🐕