May 6, 2019 • 9 mins
Kim Saunders, author of "The Adopted Dog Bible" on choosing, training and caring for your sheltered or rescued dog.Adopted dogs generally arrive with baggage, so one should be prepared and never make an impulsive decision when adopting a rescued or sheltered dog. Of course, it always makes sense to know what you're in for before getting a pup. Kim Saunders, VP of Shelter Outreach and PR for Petfinder.com has written "The Adopted Dog Bible" and on this episode of the Good Dog Podcast, Joanne speaks with her about the kind of up front research that really helps to insure that you make the right decisions. It helps to realistically consider your time and money constraints before you take the leap, as well as the kind of environment and exercise you'll be able to provide for your new family member.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Smarter Podcasts dot Com delivering sound advice. It only makes sense to give a
dog a home who needs one.Shelters make sure that all dogs who have
been abused or neglected are ready tobe placed before putting them up for adoption.
(00:22):
Hi, I'm joe Anne Green andtoday's Good Dog Podcast episode is focused
on choosing, training and caring foryour sheltered or rescue dog with Kim Saunders,
vice president of Shelter Outreach for Petfinderdot Com and author of Petfinder dot
com The Adopted Dog Bible. WelcomeKim, Hi, Joe Anne, Thanks
(00:42):
for having me. Absolutely I understandthat petfinder dot com receives nearly five million
visitors each month is a true.In fact, last month we crossed the
five million visitor mark, which isvery exciting for me because I consider each
one of those visitors a potential adopter, no question about it. What is
everybody looking for? Well, youknow, people come looking for a variety
(01:02):
of things. Some of those folksare people who already have a pet and
are coming to see a lot ofthe resources we have available library articles and
videos on training and behavior and nutrition. But the vast majority of them are
coming because they're thinking about adding anew pet to their family. So adopted
dogs generally arrive with baggage right ofsome sort, and I'm not talking about
(01:23):
a bag of toys. They canarrive fearful or skittish. Some of them
are particularly sensitive to men, forinstance, if they've had bad experiences or
frightened of and as a result inappropriatewith children. So as such, it
would seem you'd have to really beprepared. What kind of advice do you
offer families or individuals who are interestedin adopting or rescuing pups. I think
(01:47):
that the most important thing is toget to know yourself a little bit.
First, look at yourself and yourfamily and decide what's important to you and
what you can offer to a dog. So if somebody has the time and
the resources and wants to go alittle above and beyond and take in a
dog with a lot of special needs, that's admirable and we certainly encourage that.
But if you're not, if you'regoing to be a first time dog
(02:10):
parent, or if you just don'thave the time that allows, then you
need to make sure when you're goingto your shelters and rescue groups that you're
looking for a dog that's a littlebit more plug and play, ready to
sort of slide into your family withless complications. That doesn't mean that a
dog that you adopt might not stillhave a particular issue if they were abused,
or even if they just weren't socializedproperly. Some things might be frightening
(02:35):
to them, like the sound ofthe vacuum cleaner or you know, a
doorbell ringing, And so as youlearn those things about your dog, then
you'll be able to address each oneand help them make the transition more smoothly.
But being realistic with yourself and takinga serious look at what your lifestyle
is like, what your needs are, how much time you have to devote,
how much money you have available fortraining and everything else. I mean
(02:59):
those are really questions people should askthemselves, right absolutely, yeah, Because
you know you're adopting a pet.Hopefully you're going to get to have that
new family member for if you're lucky, maybe fourteen fifteen years. So it
really is important that it be agood match for both the pet and for
you, and you need to lookat things like your energy level. You
know, I'm a couch potato.I'm not going to want the same dog
(03:19):
that someone who runs three miles aday would want. Do you have small
children? Is having a lot ofhair in the house an issue for you?
Size of the animal just you know, logistically, do you need to
be able to pick the animal upand take it with you? Do you
live in a small area. Allthose things are really important. It's all
about your lifestyle. There are rightnow. I'm Petfinder. We have over
(03:40):
two hundred and seventy five thousand petsavailable for adoption, so there's no question
that the right one is out therefor everyone. It's just a matter of
making that right match. Do yourecommend, Kim that people rescue a dog
within driving distance of their home sothat the dog doesn't have to be shipped,
Well, we certainly recommend. Wehave long distance adoptions on Petfinder.
(04:01):
What we do recommend is that folksmeet the dog in person before they commit
to the adoption. So, whilecertainly I think it's easier on everyone if
you're able to adopt from your localshelter, for whatever reason, some people
fall in love with a dog that'sfarther away, and that's okay if they're
willing to travel to meet the dogand then to help the dog get back
home with them in a safe andhumane way. But you say it's really
(04:25):
important to meet the dog and notjust make this deal from a distance.
Absolutely, you have to meet thedog. You're committing to a new family
member that you're going to live with, Like we said, for maybe up
to fifteen years. Mail order brideis not the way to go. Not
good with people, not good withanimals. That's correct. So what are
some of the mistakes that people makeby being too impulsive in making these decisions.
(04:47):
You know, for a variety ofreasons people are impulsive. I know
that if I walked into a shelter, I could have in my mind the
idea of what would be an appropriatepet for me. I want to take
them, all right, But I'ma sucker. I was just gonna say
it's a sucker across my forehead.And so while I may know that for
my lifestyle, an adult, fairlycalm dog is the answer. If I
walk in and in the first kennelthere is a Jack Russell puppy jumping up
(05:11):
and down, you know that's goingto tug at my heart and I'm gonna
want to take him home. Buttime out, right, that's right,
good match for me. So that'sreally it. And the other thing.
A lot of times people see adog and have an idea in their head.
They see it in a movie orthey see it in a commercial,
and they think that that's the dogfor them. They love the look of
the dog, but they don't realizewhat that dog is really all about.
(05:34):
So it's important if you're looking ata particular breed or a mixed breed that's
made up of particular breeds, thatyou get a sense of what those breeds
really are all about and see,besides the look of the dog, does
the personality and temperament really suit you? Now? What kinds of expectations should
people have about the length of timethat it's going to take to acclimate their
(05:55):
new adopted dog or rescued dog totheir home and their family. I think
people should really manage their expectations.There are some dogs who you bring them
home, they slide in it's likethey've been there forever, and that's terrific,
But I don't think you can counton that. I think you have
to assume that there's going to bea period of transition, which could range
from a few weeks to even afew months, where the dog becomes used
(06:16):
to you and your rules and yourfamily and vice versa. You become used
to the dog and you help themtransition in Most dogs are going to need
some sort of training, right,absolutely, yeah, So how soon should
you embark on that. Do youbond first and make the dog feel safe
and comfortable or do you just jumpright in to enrolling the dog in some
(06:36):
sort of class, for instance,at your local humane society or somewhere in
the community with a responsible and wellreputed dog trainer. I think it's important
that you bond with your dog,but there's no reason that part of that
bonding process isn't training, and youcan start that at home with really simple
things like even things a dog mayalready know, but reinforcing the dog,
(06:58):
sitting the dog, waiting the dog, leaving things that you ask him to,
and then enrolling in a class aslong as you don't have a dog
that's particularly fearful or facing any specificissues, getting them out into a class
where you can socialize them with otherdogs and work with a local trainer.
Like you said, your local shelterrescue group are tremendous resources and you should
really rely on them. That's goingto be really good for the dog and
(07:20):
really good for you as you getto see that everybody else is going through
the same sort of things that youare. Really the advice that you offer
in the Adopted Dog Bible is goodfor people who purchase dogs as well.
You don't have to adopt a dognecessarily for all this information to be useful
to you. It's true, alot of the information is going to be
(07:40):
useful for any dog. And unfortunately, a lot of people purchasing dogs from
puppy mills, from puppy mill suppliedpet stores are going to face a lot
of behavioral issues themselves. So ifthis book can be of use to them,
that would be great, And thenmy advice to them would be,
next time around, adopt a dog, and you can adopt a puppy to
So many people want to be thesole family of their dog, and of
(08:03):
course we all love puppies. They'reso adorable. There are plenty of adoptable
puppies right absolutely, you know,I've done the puppy thing and I'm not
going to go back there. Onceis enough. It is a lot of
work, and yet it's totally worthit and for people who really want that
experience by all means they should.There are tons of puppies available in shelters
and rescue groups, the same waythat there's tons of pure bread dogs also
(08:26):
available if that's what someone's looking for, right, and there are particular rescue
groups for each breed. Absolutely,we have over twenty five percent of the
dogs available from shelters and breed rescuesare in fact pure bread dogs. Well,
people don't realize that overall. Kim, what would you say are the
greatest advantages to adopting or rescuing adog? I think having a dog is
(08:46):
a companion is one of the greatestgifts that we can have. The ability
to rescue a dog and adopt onejust adds another layer to that. And
that you know that you've been ableto save a life and the relationship that
you have with that dog. Theyseem to know it too. It really
seems to add to that bonding.Excellent. Once again, it's Kim Saunders,
(09:07):
author of the Adopted Dog Bible andvice president of shelter Outreach and public
Relations for petfinder dot Com. Greatspeaking with you today, Kim. Thanks
thanks for having me Smarter podcasts dotcom delivering sound advice
Smarter Podcasts dot Com delivering sound advice. It only makes sense to give a
dog a home who needs one.Shelters make sure that all dogs who have
been abused or neglected are ready tobe placed before putting them up for adoption.
(00:22):
Hi, I'm joe Anne Green andtoday's Good Dog Podcast episode is focused
on choosing, training and caring foryour sheltered or rescue dog with Kim Saunders,
vice president of Shelter Outreach for Petfinderdot Com and author of Petfinder dot
com The Adopted Dog Bible. WelcomeKim, Hi, Joe Anne, Thanks
(00:42):
for having me. Absolutely I understandthat petfinder dot com receives nearly five million
visitors each month is a true.In fact, last month we crossed the
five million visitor mark, which isvery exciting for me because I consider each
one of those visitors a potential adopter, no question about it. What is
everybody looking for? Well, youknow, people come looking for a variety
(01:02):
of things. Some of those folksare people who already have a pet and
are coming to see a lot ofthe resources we have available library articles and
videos on training and behavior and nutrition. But the vast majority of them are
coming because they're thinking about adding anew pet to their family. So adopted
dogs generally arrive with baggage right ofsome sort, and I'm not talking about
(01:23):
a bag of toys. They canarrive fearful or skittish. Some of them
are particularly sensitive to men, forinstance, if they've had bad experiences or
frightened of and as a result inappropriatewith children. So as such, it
would seem you'd have to really beprepared. What kind of advice do you
offer families or individuals who are interestedin adopting or rescuing pups. I think
(01:47):
that the most important thing is toget to know yourself a little bit.
First, look at yourself and yourfamily and decide what's important to you and
what you can offer to a dog. So if somebody has the time and
the resources and wants to go alittle above and beyond and take in a
dog with a lot of special needs, that's admirable and we certainly encourage that.
But if you're not, if you'regoing to be a first time dog
(02:10):
parent, or if you just don'thave the time that allows, then you
need to make sure when you're goingto your shelters and rescue groups that you're
looking for a dog that's a littlebit more plug and play, ready to
sort of slide into your family withless complications. That doesn't mean that a
dog that you adopt might not stillhave a particular issue if they were abused,
or even if they just weren't socializedproperly. Some things might be frightening
(02:35):
to them, like the sound ofthe vacuum cleaner or you know, a
doorbell ringing, And so as youlearn those things about your dog, then
you'll be able to address each oneand help them make the transition more smoothly.
But being realistic with yourself and takinga serious look at what your lifestyle
is like, what your needs are, how much time you have to devote,
how much money you have available fortraining and everything else. I mean
(02:59):
those are really questions people should askthemselves, right absolutely, yeah, Because
you know you're adopting a pet.Hopefully you're going to get to have that
new family member for if you're lucky, maybe fourteen fifteen years. So it
really is important that it be agood match for both the pet and for
you, and you need to lookat things like your energy level. You
know, I'm a couch potato.I'm not going to want the same dog
(03:19):
that someone who runs three miles aday would want. Do you have small
children? Is having a lot ofhair in the house an issue for you?
Size of the animal just you know, logistically, do you need to
be able to pick the animal upand take it with you? Do you
live in a small area. Allthose things are really important. It's all
about your lifestyle. There are rightnow. I'm Petfinder. We have over
(03:40):
two hundred and seventy five thousand petsavailable for adoption, so there's no question
that the right one is out therefor everyone. It's just a matter of
making that right match. Do yourecommend, Kim that people rescue a dog
within driving distance of their home sothat the dog doesn't have to be shipped,
Well, we certainly recommend. Wehave long distance adoptions on Petfinder.
(04:01):
What we do recommend is that folksmeet the dog in person before they commit
to the adoption. So, whilecertainly I think it's easier on everyone if
you're able to adopt from your localshelter, for whatever reason, some people
fall in love with a dog that'sfarther away, and that's okay if they're
willing to travel to meet the dogand then to help the dog get back
home with them in a safe andhumane way. But you say it's really
(04:25):
important to meet the dog and notjust make this deal from a distance.
Absolutely, you have to meet thedog. You're committing to a new family
member that you're going to live with, Like we said, for maybe up
to fifteen years. Mail order brideis not the way to go. Not
good with people, not good withanimals. That's correct. So what are
some of the mistakes that people makeby being too impulsive in making these decisions.
(04:47):
You know, for a variety ofreasons people are impulsive. I know
that if I walked into a shelter, I could have in my mind the
idea of what would be an appropriatepet for me. I want to take
them, all right, But I'ma sucker. I was just gonna say
it's a sucker across my forehead.And so while I may know that for
my lifestyle, an adult, fairlycalm dog is the answer. If I
walk in and in the first kennelthere is a Jack Russell puppy jumping up
(05:11):
and down, you know that's goingto tug at my heart and I'm gonna
want to take him home. Buttime out, right, that's right,
good match for me. So that'sreally it. And the other thing.
A lot of times people see adog and have an idea in their head.
They see it in a movie orthey see it in a commercial,
and they think that that's the dogfor them. They love the look of
the dog, but they don't realizewhat that dog is really all about.
(05:34):
So it's important if you're looking ata particular breed or a mixed breed that's
made up of particular breeds, thatyou get a sense of what those breeds
really are all about and see,besides the look of the dog, does
the personality and temperament really suit you? Now? What kinds of expectations should
people have about the length of timethat it's going to take to acclimate their
(05:55):
new adopted dog or rescued dog totheir home and their family. I think
people should really manage their expectations.There are some dogs who you bring them
home, they slide in it's likethey've been there forever, and that's terrific,
But I don't think you can counton that. I think you have
to assume that there's going to bea period of transition, which could range
from a few weeks to even afew months, where the dog becomes used
(06:16):
to you and your rules and yourfamily and vice versa. You become used
to the dog and you help themtransition in Most dogs are going to need
some sort of training, right,absolutely, yeah, So how soon should
you embark on that. Do youbond first and make the dog feel safe
and comfortable or do you just jumpright in to enrolling the dog in some
(06:36):
sort of class, for instance,at your local humane society or somewhere in
the community with a responsible and wellreputed dog trainer. I think it's important
that you bond with your dog,but there's no reason that part of that
bonding process isn't training, and youcan start that at home with really simple
things like even things a dog mayalready know, but reinforcing the dog,
(06:58):
sitting the dog, waiting the dog, leaving things that you ask him to,
and then enrolling in a class aslong as you don't have a dog
that's particularly fearful or facing any specificissues, getting them out into a class
where you can socialize them with otherdogs and work with a local trainer.
Like you said, your local shelterrescue group are tremendous resources and you should
really rely on them. That's goingto be really good for the dog and
(07:20):
really good for you as you getto see that everybody else is going through
the same sort of things that youare. Really the advice that you offer
in the Adopted Dog Bible is goodfor people who purchase dogs as well.
You don't have to adopt a dognecessarily for all this information to be useful
to you. It's true, alot of the information is going to be
(07:40):
useful for any dog. And unfortunately, a lot of people purchasing dogs from
puppy mills, from puppy mill suppliedpet stores are going to face a lot
of behavioral issues themselves. So ifthis book can be of use to them,
that would be great, And thenmy advice to them would be,
next time around, adopt a dog, and you can adopt a puppy to
So many people want to be thesole family of their dog, and of
(08:03):
course we all love puppies. They'reso adorable. There are plenty of adoptable
puppies right absolutely, you know,I've done the puppy thing and I'm not
going to go back there. Onceis enough. It is a lot of
work, and yet it's totally worthit and for people who really want that
experience by all means they should.There are tons of puppies available in shelters
and rescue groups, the same waythat there's tons of pure bread dogs also
(08:26):
available if that's what someone's looking for, right, and there are particular rescue
groups for each breed. Absolutely,we have over twenty five percent of the
dogs available from shelters and breed rescuesare in fact pure bread dogs. Well,
people don't realize that overall. Kim, what would you say are the
greatest advantages to adopting or rescuing adog? I think having a dog is
(08:46):
a companion is one of the greatestgifts that we can have. The ability
to rescue a dog and adopt onejust adds another layer to that. And
that you know that you've been ableto save a life and the relationship that
you have with that dog. Theyseem to know it too. It really
seems to add to that bonding.Excellent. Once again, it's Kim Saunders,
(09:07):
author of the Adopted Dog Bible andvice president of shelter Outreach and public
Relations for petfinder dot Com. Greatspeaking with you today, Kim. Thanks
thanks for having me Smarter podcasts dotcom delivering sound advice
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.