Adopt Homeless Puppies On March 23rd
Looking to adopt homeless puppies in your area? March 23, 2024, is National Puppy Day. Our friends over at Best Friends Animal Society, always steer us in the right direction when adopting a furry friend. They are the leading national animal welfare organization on a mission to end the killing of shelter pets in 2025. Recent data from Petfinder.com shows more than 47,000 puppies are up for adoption at shelters and rescue groups across the country. In case you were wondering, the largest number of adoptable puppies are located in California, Texas, Washington, New York, and Illinois.
To celebrate National Puppy Day, Best Friends is offering the following tips to new puppy parents that will set both parent and puppy a successful outcome. Exposing puppies to a variety of sounds, scents, surfaces, and objects is a great place to start. This makes puppies more comfortable with typical experiences they will continue to encounter as adult dogs. Other tips mention the following:
Watch the puppy’s body language to determine whether they are feeling safe and happy during new interactions. Let puppies take things one day at a time and allow puppies to learn on their own, versus doing things by force.
In all cases, interrupt play if a dog appears to be stressed.
Keep interactions as positive as possible during this crucial learning time.
It’s good practice to allow adult dogs to give appropriate and necessary feedback to puppies, such as correction for biting. This will help puppies become socially appropriate adults.
Because puppies are vulnerable to certain diseases (such as parvo, distemper, and hepatitis), avoid public places like sidewalks and parks frequented by other dogs until the puppy is fully vaccinated. It is a good idea, however, to take puppies on car rides and carry them around in public, so they can experience the world while having minimal exposure to pathogens.
After receiving a veterinarian’s blessing to take the new pup out into the world, introduce them to the delights of going for walks, to the park, or to someone’s home.
Lots of positive exposure to people is the most important part of puppy socialization. Ensure that people are interacting appropriately as well—no crowding, no over-petting or handling, petting a dog from the side, etc.
Puppies need to know what is and isn’t appropriate play behavior. They should be taught that playing with toys is fun and rewarding while biting or mouthing people never results in an encouraging response from a human.
To teach them that it is normal and appropriate to be left alone at times, puppies over 8 weeks old should have some “alone time” every day.
After giving your pup enough exercise to tire them out, leave them alone in a puppy-safe enclosure or crate. You can also put puppies in the kitchen with a baby gate preventing access to the rest of the house. Provide toys and pee pads. Gradually work up to leaving the pup alone for longer periods.
Adopt Homeless Puppies
About Best Friends: Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the country “no-kill” in 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to 380,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 4,500 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.
