06/15/2025
🐾 Patience Makes Perfect: Understanding Rescue Dogs at Meet & Greets 🐾
Adopting a rescue dog is one of the most rewarding experiences — but it’s important to understand that for many of them, the journey to your arms has been anything but easy.
📌 Dogs who spend extended time in rescue care or who have been moved between multiple foster homes often experience emotional and behavioral stress. Living without consistent companionship or stability can lead to anxiety, hyperactivity, or shutdown behaviors. Constant change means they haven’t had the chance to build trust, predictability, or security — all the things a dog needs to thrive.
When you meet a rescue dog for the first time, you’re not always meeting their true self. You’re meeting a pup who’s confused, overstimulated, nervous, or sometimes overly excited. Just like humans in a brand-new situation, they might not know how to act. They may jump, bark, ignore you, hide, or pace. They may seem wild with energy or frozen with fear — both are normal.
❤️ Here’s how you can help:
Be calm, patient, and open-minded. Your energy matters.
Don’t expect instant connection. Relationships take time — even with dogs.
Give them grace. This might be their 5th home, their 2nd chance, or their first time feeling safe.
Ask questions. Foster parents and volunteers know their quirks and comforts.
Don’t judge based on the first few minutes. True personalities come out over days and weeks, not moments.
Rescue dogs aren’t broken — they’ve just lived a life with more twists and turns than most. When you give them a chance to decompress, learn your routine, and finally relax, you’ll see who they really are — loyal, loving, and so worth the wait.
📣 Remember: A meet and greet is the beginning, not the finish line.
Thank you for considering adoption 🧡💛🧡💛
