Dog adoption expert Dennis Owens offers simple, safe pointers for a successful close encounter with the adorable, eligible adoptables at your local animal shelter
To approach a dog in a cage:
Lateral and low is the way to go. If the dog appears afraid or aggressive, don’t crowd the front of the cage. Make indirect eye contact—look above or below the dog’s eyes, not right into them.
Here’s how NOT to approach a dog in a cage: Full frontal and with a hard or direct stare, raised voice, or rapid, jerky, or teasing movements.
To know which dogs you should approach, remember the acronym SAFE: always approach the Social, Alert, Friendly, and Engaging dogs.
Keep hands out of the cage—Always remember that dogs are animals that have teeth. Your local shelter makes an effort to present friendly, appropriate dogs for your consideration, but it’s impossible to guarantee any dog’s (or person’s) behavior. The shelter is not a familiar home to the dog, and you too are unfamiliar. Even though your intentions are not to frighten, it’s possible that you could scare and provoke aggression from a caged dog.
Wash your hands—Another reason to avoid reaching into cages… It’s best for the dogs to keep their germs to themselves! After handling each dog, use sanitizing hand gel (sometimes provided by the shelter), or wash your hands to reduce the likelihood of spreading germs amongst the dogs you meet. You’ve learned about the importance of washing your hands, right? (I spoke with your Mom…) At a shelter, it’s especially important because just as people catch colds, dogs have their own upper respiratory infections that can be spread by contact with people that haven’t been careful to clean up between each dog they meet.
If you are meeting a dog outside of his cage:
Turn laterally toward the dog, make indirect eye contact (see above), and speak using a calm tone of voice. If the dog approaches you (not the reverse) and is willing to sniff the back of your loosely curled hand to initiate friendly, social interaction, calmly, slowly—maintaining concentration on the dog—pet the dog on the chest or under the chin.
Do not reach, step toward, or stand over the dog. Ensure that the dog ALWAYS has the freedom to withdraw from the interaction - don’t crowd or corner the dog. Do not hug, kiss, or lie on the floor with an unfamiliar dog. Hugging is a primate’s (i.e. humans, monkeys, apes) way of showing camaraderie and affection. Our pet dogs do a masterful job of interpreting human behavior, and typically learn to accept hugging and kissing from the people they know and love, but you don’t have the level of familiarity that makes this a prudent move just yet. In a dog’s world, wrapping one’s front arms around another dog’s body is a status-seeking behavior. You could be bitten for being rude and obnoxious.
If you are going to give a dog biscuit or other dog treat, please be aware that significantly anxious dogs won’t always eat. If the dog spits out the treat, dispose of it—after the dog has moved away from it. Some dogs guard food and if there’s food on the floor and there are multiple dogs that decide to claim it … a word to the wise should suffice.
Before You Bring Home a New Dog:
Say PLEASE –
Plan for success—You are the authority on your schedule and what resources you have available. You are going to need to provide for the physical and mental exercise of your new buddy, as well as taking the necessary steps to foster excellent elimination habits. Without information to the contrary, you should assume, for instance, that you are going to need to instill the behaviors that you desire for your home environment, such as obedience training, socialization, house training, etc. Before you bring your buddy home, give it some thought and know what you’re going to do to address these necessary steps.
Learn about canine and human body language (the non-verbal cues that help people and dogs relate better), as well as about dogs’ basic needs and creating an environment that’s conducive to a happy life with your dog)
Execute your well-thought-out plan—See above.
Assess what’s working for you and what needs to be adjusted
Engage your Support team—Are all the relevant people that you count on to support you willing and prepared to help? Veterinarian, groomer, dog trainer, dog walker, pet sitter, pet supply store … Do you know whom to speak to and where to go to access these pet professionals?
There’s another E … Excel—If you’ve said PLEASE, your dog will excel because you’ve taken action that’s designed to position your newly adopted dog for success in your home.
You already know the traffic signals for the rules of the road - here are some similar tips that show you how to proceed with your initial date:
Green light = Proceed respectfully
Yellow light = Be alert
Red light = Stop
Green light
- Eyes appear soft, possibly squinting
- Mouth relaxed, possibly slightly open
- Ears neutral or back
- Weight distribution equal over all four paws
- Tail relaxed, possibly gentle wagging
Yellow light
- Eyes wide, possibly whale eyed (showing considerable whites of the eyes), staring off as though trying to ignore you
- Hair raised along back, across shoulders, or along tail (piloerection)—suggests increased arousal
- Tail raised, possibly bristled or puffed up, possibly stiffly wagging
- Tense muzzle, lip lifted—perhaps displaying teeth
- Posture leaning forward, stiff legged
- Barking, along with the above
Red light
- Ears erect and/or forward
- Direct, hard stare
- Freezing
- Sidelong glances
- Lip curl
- Growling
- Snarling
- Charging
- Lunging
- Tail held stiff and erect
Just as you should stay aware of a dog’s body language, as it communicates the dog’s emotional state, be aware that your own body postures and gestures have meaning to dogs, as well. Let’s outline what our postures and gestures may communicate to a dog. Be aware of your glance and your stance.
Green light
- Soft, indirect eye contact—non-threatening
- Calmly sitting still—gives a dog a chance to approach on his own terms, gain trust
- Speak calmly and quietly—gives a dog a chance to approach on his own terms, gain trust
- Allow the dog to approach you—gives a dog a chance to approach on its own terms, gain trust
- Stand, kneel or sit laterally to the dog—full frontal meetings may be intimidating or considered threatening.
- Once the dog has approached, slowly stroke the dog’s chest—friendly, non-threatening physical contact
Red light
- Direct, hard eye contact (staring)—threatening
- Forward-leaning body posture—could be interpreted as threatening
- Reaching toward a dog—if the dog is afraid, cornered or doesn’t want to be touched, reaching could be interpreted as threatening
- Hugging and kissing an unfamiliar dog— may be interpreted as an attempt to assert your social status over the dog, may provoke a bite (and how close is your face, right now?)
- Reaching, standing or stepping over an unfamiliar or uncomfortable dog—this includes reaching over a dog to pet its head or back, which may be interpreted as rude or threatening
- Blowing in a dog’s face—irritates some dogs and is best avoided, since your face is likely to be close to the dog’s teeth
- Restraining an unfamiliar or uncomfortable dog’s head or body—dogs may feel cornered or trapped and possibly aggress
Your Children at the Animal Shelter—The Ultimate in Marketing Your Potential Adoptive Home
You should, of course, bring your children to the shelter. The shelter staff may even require it because, given an opportunity to meet the whole family, they may be better positioned to counsel you and guide you toward the right dog for your situation.
Children are expected to be children and not perfectly behaved little robots. No one is looking for perfection, but it’s helpful to get a read on how adults manage their children through observing their interactions, including how parents deal with "instructional moments."
Your consultation may touch upon certain useful areas, such as how to help give confidence to a child who’s not quite as comfortable around dogs. Expect to be guided toward the dogs that are believed to be a good fit for your household.
Shelter Staff/Volunteers
When you arrive at the shelter, come armed with a pleasant attitude and a smile, as the shelter staff and volunteers are committed to helping you, as well as facilitating the permanent placement of the shelter dogs in their care. BE NICE TO THESE PEOPLE! The person counseling you may know more about the dogs in the adoptions area than anyone else in the building—a good contact to make, no?
