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You are here: Home / Blog / The Adjustment Period

The Adjustment Period

February 1, 2018 by CVRR

Adding to your home with any new addition there is a need of an adjustment period. Many people think its love at first sight and it all falls into place. Whether this is a new relationship, baby, or a new dog (or cat). But it’s not gonna be easy. Maybe at first it all feels perfect or maybe from the beginning there’s a learning curve. You are learning the language of the other person/animal.

I’m gonna go with the new baby analogy since we’ll my daughter just 9 days old 😜 I’ve loved this girl for 10 months. But now I get to meet her! I’m learning what her hunger cues are, sleepy cues, Mom change my diaper cues and so much more. Every noise has a meaning. I may not know what it is right away so we work together to discover it.

Much like many adopters they fall in love with the picture now they get to know the dog. We are upfront about personalities to the extent of what we know. But This dog doesn’t know your house rules or your language. My one dog thought down meant “get off” took us forever to discover to teach him lay “down” we had to say “flat”. It’s changing my language but working WITH the dog on good skills.

Just as I’m learning my babies cues you get to learn to learn the cues of the new dog. There can be frustrating times in any new addition, but it’s about working through them. Believe me 3am this morning I wanted to throw in the towel…ok I just cried a little with her when I wasn’t sure what her need was. But instead we worked together to figure it out.

As for adopting an animal with CVRR we believe that animal is ALWAYS a CVRR animal. That means when you feel like giving up reach out. Reach out for help before that point. Those moments that your frustrated ask for help or better yet read the adoption packet (14 pages) of wonderful knowledge written by Laura. It covers potty training, acclimating to a house, leash training, crate training, counter surfing etc!

We want both people and animal to be happy we want this to be a lasting relationship. Learn from each other and know even if the first few days and weeks are perfect both human and dog can mess up and there may be times of frustration. Heck my dog a week or two before I had my daughter decided to counter surf and eat 13 cupcakes!! She’s 8 and hasn’t done that in years, but she decided she needed some funfetti cupcakes to 🤷🏻‍♀️

So learn the language of your new addition. When frustrated seek help. Don’t give up.

If you are adopting from CVRR reach out. We’re here to help!!

-Kalea (if you want an adorable baby pic see below 😍)

Oh this is Bear. He is great with kids and other dogs and gets along with the resident kitty. To see him and more adoptable animals, click here.

Filed Under: Blog

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Central Virginia Regional Rescue

4 hours ago

Central Virginia Regional Rescue
Please. Neuter is cuter. Spay & neuter your Pets. ❤️‍🩹 ... See MoreSee Less

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Central Virginia Regional Rescue

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Central Virginia Regional Rescue
BOLO: LOST DOG - Escaped from house fire. Between Bedford and Franklin ... See MoreSee Less

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Central Virginia Regional Rescue

1 day ago

Central Virginia Regional Rescue
Yesterday alone, CVRR welcomed 22 kittens into our care.We saw the plea for help from a local animal shelter in a neighboring county. Every single cat kennel in their facility was full. They had reached code red (maximum capacity), and with new cats and kittens continuing to arrive, impossible decisions were looming. We knew we had to do what we could.22 tiny lives were transferred into our care, 22 lives saved, 22 lives now have a chance because our community refuses to look away when animals need help.But rescue is truly a team effort, and taking in 22 kittens at once comes with an enormous need for supplies and resources. Our foster homes are filled with hungry little mouths, messy litter boxes, and kittens who will need medical care, vaccinations, and lots of love before they're ready for adoption.Right now, our most urgent needs are:🐾 Wet kitten food🐾 Dry kitten food🐾 Pee pads🐾 Kitten litter**🏠 more kitten foster homes 🏠**If you've been thinking about helping, now is the time. Donations from our kitten wishlist make an immediate impact, and monetary donations help us purchase supplies and cover veterinary care for these little ones. And more foster homes are our only option for being able to continue helping kittens.Kitten season is relentless, and shelters and rescues throughout our region are feeling the strain. Yesterday's transfers may have helped create space for more animals in need, but the crisis is far from over.Thank you for standing with us, supporting local rescue efforts, and helping us give these 22 kittens the future they deserve. Every bag of food, every box of litter, every dollar donated helps save lives.Together, we can make sure these kittens know safety, comfort, and love instead of uncertainty. ❤️🌟 WISHLISTS 🌟 🐈‍⬛ Chewy: bit.ly/cvrr-chewy 🐈‍⬛ Amazon: bit.ly/cvrr-kittens🌟 DONATE 🌟 🐈 Venmo.com/CVRRescue 🐈 PayPal.me/CVRRescue 🐈 cvrrescue.org/donate 🌟 SIGNUP TO FOSTER KITTENS 🌟 cvrrescue.org/foster-application ... See MoreSee Less

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