We often receive questions from interested people who want to know everything about the dog they have seen on our website or in the advertisement. Questions like:

• Does the dog bark a lot?
• When the dog is alone, does it bark?
• Can the dog be alone?
• Is the dog potty trained?
• Does the dog get along with other dogs or cats?
• Does the dog walk nicely on a leash?
• Does the dog know the commands?
• What language does the dog understand?

We often cannot give a clear answer to these questions. Why?

For example, these dogs end up in the Hope for Homeless shelter because they:

• Found in the wild;
• They have been rescued from an extremely bad situation, locked up or on a heavy chain or lying in their own excrement without further care;
• They have simply been dumped, because they are not good for hunting, for example;
• They stray get a litter of puppies;
• If they are already used to a domestic situation, they are simply discarded as old garbage when they move house or lack of time;
• The puppy gets too big and is no longer fun:
• The owner dies and no one wants to take care of the dog.

Where your cradle is has an influence on the opportunities in your life, not only for people but also for dogs.

We do not always know anything about the previous history, just as we do not know what people’s experience is. Were these positive or not, were they functional, does the dog trust people?

Are humans a safe haven or creatures that you shouldn’t get close to?

Did anyone love the dog as a puppy or was he kept chasing away or worse? What life experiences has the dog already gained in the months/years he has been on earth, and how does this affect his further life?

We make sure that we get to know the dog as much as possible, what is the behavior, how does the dog react.

We look at the behavior towards the other dogs in the shelter, the behavior towards the volunteers, but also how the dog treats children.

Does the dog like to be petted, does the dog want to be with the volunteers, does he come himself or do we have to call.

Does he like to play, or does he hide when he is outside. Is the dog on his own or is he also looking for the attention of the other dogs to play with.

We study these kinds of matters and we can advise on this.

What is difficult for us to give a clear answer to:

• Cleanliness: if the dog has already lived in a domestic situation, it can be an advantage when training, but the dogs are in a pen with several and cannot be walked 5 or 6 times a day, so they naturally do their business the shelters. Dogs are not litter polluters by nature.
• Does he bark a lot: we can see whether a dog is calmer or not, but remember, when one dog starts barking, several will soon start barking (with enthusiasm because someone is coming or because they want attention).
• Being home alone: ​​the dogs are not in a similar situation, but when you notice that practice by only being away for very short moments and rewarding very much when you are back.
• With other dogs or cats: we can test this at the shelter, but then you have a general picture. We cannot test with the dog or cat that already lives with you.
• Walking on a leash: we practice this, but with so many dogs in the shelter it is not always possible to train this with the right frequency. We remain dependent on the time and amount of volunteers.
• Commands: some will quickly learn some basic things like sit or down but this also needs to be repeated frequently.
• Language: it is often the pitch of the voice or speaking softly/loudly that they respond to. This poses no problem. Use 1 syllable and a clear sound as much as possible with commands.

What should you take into account with a dog from a foreign shelter:

• Get used to, give the dog the chance and time to get used to it. The first two weeks are reserved for you and your family, after which you can easily receive some visitors.
• Make sure you are clear to the dog, so provide predictability.
• Do not take the dog for a long walk yet, and always walk it in a safety harness. Also in your garden!
• Double leash your dog, so both on the safety harness and on a well-fitting collar, so that he really cannot escape. (For example, do one of the lines on your body, by wearing a hip belt)
• It is also possible to attach a GPS tracker to the collar or harness. If, despite all your precautions, he does escape, you can at least follow him and trace his exact location.
• Keep the walks, especially in the beginning, short and predictable. This gives the dog more peace to absorb its surroundings. Only when he feels visibly relaxed in his familiar surroundings is there the possibility to expand this area and/or to make longer walks.
• Don’t go for a walk at the busiest time of the day, but go for a walk when it’s quieter / quieter, or find areas where you don’t encounter too many people or dogs.
• Support your dog with (natural) resources, which means that he is mentally less stressed. If necessary, ask a veterinarian or a pet shop for advice.
• Don’t pet the dog all the time, but give it the chance to interact at its own pace.
• Don’t expect anything in the beginning and give your dog time.
• Also, don’t expect the dog to understand commands yet.
• Ask for advice (experience experts, dog trainers and/or behavioral therapists) when the dog shows behavior that you don’t know what to do with.
• Rest and stability in the first weeks is really important, don’t put pressure on the dog, it needs time.
• Make the dog feel safe. A sleeping place in the middle of the living room may be less convenient than a sleeping place in a quieter place, for example next to the couch. Too many stimuli can also cause stress. The dog must be able to sleep and rest to process all these stimuli and that is easier in a quiet place than in a place that is stimulating.
• Put an extra blanket or sheet on that sleeping place that you can use as a scent sample for a search team, in case of running away…

Finally:

Anyone who adopts a dog from a shelter must assume that it is a dog with a past. Whether it’s neglect, violence, homelessness or something else, it’s a scar that they carry with them all their lives. We, as adopters, can make sure that they feel safe, loved and valuable again. This goes faster with one dog than the other (not necessarily depending on age), but give them the time and space to trust you and build on you. When that happens there are no more loyal dogs than rescued dogs!

What should also be emphasized is that it is not always known with these dogs whether and which diseases they carry. There are diseases that they can carry from a puppy, but that only emerge very late in life (such as Leishmania). All dogs are thoroughly examined when they arrive at the shelter and also before they are allowed to fly there is a vet who tests the health and only after the dog has been approved can he fly.

It is good to know that there are special insurance policies for dogs. This means that the costs do not become so high when they have to visit a vet more often or need expensive medicines.

Fear is the biggest problem with adopted dogs, especially after the whole journey from Cyprus to the Netherlands. Therefore, make sure that your dog is registered before he lands in the Netherlands. You won’t be the first to lose the dog at Schiphol!

If you’ve done all of the advice above, but the dog continues to find it difficult to be alone, don’t wait to call in a professional. There is certainly one in your area and otherwise your vet knows someone. You better invest in that (also financially) than keep trying and see that it doesn’t work, which can only make the dog more insecure.