In May, my fiancé and I adopted an adorable Bichon Friese from the Eau Claire County Humane Society. She had spent most of her life in a puppy mill and was shy, reserved, and anxious. With lots of love, time, and socialization she has blossomed into an energetic, cuddly, fun loving companion for us and our other dog. She still has a long way to go and may never forget the things that happened to her in her past life, but one thing is for sure, she will spend the rest of her life in her forever home with owners who love her lots!
1. Adopting a dog is an adventureLike getting to know someone, you learn something new about your dog every day. What makes them excited, what scares them, even what their favorite kind of treats are. Some things may surprise you!
2. Adopting a dog is a challengeIn our case, the dog we adopted had no formal obedience training, was not housebroken, and was very shy. We had to start from scratch as far as training – as if she was a puppy. This was even harder than having an actual puppy, since everything now was so different than what she had experienced before. She didn’t catch on to commands as quickly as a puppy would because of that.
3. Adopting a dog is rewardingThere is nothing better than coming home from school to a dog who is happy to see you and will cuddle up by you while you work on homework (or watch Netflix when you should be doing said homework).
4. Adopting a dog is excitingThere is nothing more fun than buying your dog cute little accessories and toys to go with their personality! Plus, the fun of showing them off to your family and friends as if they were your own child.
5. Adopting a dog is the best decision you could ever makeNo matter how hard it gets sometimes, or how frustrating, if you are in a position to be able to adopt a dog, go for it! It will be the best adventure you could ever take.