[PetLover6]

I don't post on this forum much but I truly enjoy reading about everyone's experiences and I am so excited about my upcoming addition (and trying not to panic about it) that I wanted to share and hopefully get any tips/advice you seasoned, awesome, experienced people have.

I volunteer at my animal shelter and really love working with the shy/nervous dogs. Back in April, I fell in love with a 30ish lb retriever mix girl named Ribbon. Ribbon had cage aggression, was nervous around strangers, and nervous around other dogs. I worked with her for about 3 months (well until the end of May) and she was able to go downtown on a shelter walk, come into doggy playgroup, and we bonded. I was toying with the idea of adopting her but I have a hard time committing and I don't do well with change so I wanted to take her as a weekend foster first (a program my shelter has) to be sure she'd fit in with my cat and not be super crazy in a house. Before I could do that, she got rescued (which was great). Her rescue was awesome and kept me updated.

Long story short, I very much regret not keeping her and so I emailed her rescue and asked if I could adopt her back from them. I wasn't sure if they'd say yes since they'd already transported her up there and would have to transport her back but they did say yes and so she is coming back to me!

I'm very excited and happy but also panicking somewhat. I've never had a dog of my own and I don't have a fenced in yard. I get overwhelmed with the "what ifs" and worrying about what could go wrong so any advice from seasoned dog owners or new dog owners who've gone through the new dog phase would be greatly appreciated! I'm trying not to panic and remember that I know how to take care of a dog and I truly love this one.

I will now begin perusing threads in earnest to get all the tips I can!

 

[LilAussieBeans]

Congratulations! She's got such a nice face and very smart eyes!

Since she has cage aggression, maybe instead designate a dog bed for her to sleep on at night so she doesn't get more aggressive. You can work on her aggression with behavior modification when she gets a bit more comfortable in your new home!
Be sure to ease into introducing new people and taking her on walks where there are other people. Those are things to keep in mind when people come over as well!
Since you don't have a fenced in yard I'd walk her at least twice a day, and maybe go hiking for a longer amount of time once or twice a week. Make sure you also stimulate her mentally! Playing with kong toys and things that the dog has to work for also help exercise the dog's mind!

Good luck with your new addition, and I hope everything goes awesomely!

 

[LexiBarkus]

She's soo pretty! I got my rescue, Lexi two years ago. The best thing you can do for her is treat her like family, which it sounds like you already do Lexi was an anxious and really timid dog, but she has come out of her shell because we treated her like family. Don't be nervous; you may have the best days when she is with you, after all!

 

[Laco]

Congratulation, looks like a perfect match, and one you will not regret. One of the best things we ever did, was adopting Samantha. Everyone involved won.

 

[alexmercer]

The moment you decided to adopt her sure is the best decision you've ever made. You don't need to overthink things and stop on your "what ifs" and you should just spend time with your beautiful dog. Pet adoption organizations like wagspetadoption.org always have the best services. I do think that the shelter where you got her sure is awesome also. I bid you the best of luck having lots of fun together!

 

[Ratchet7117]

Aw congrats and what a beauty. One thing that popped for me is not having a fenced in yard, well I dont either, and I have several dogs. All that means is making sure you have a good fitting harness or collar and you can buy long leads for play and stuff like that.