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Tips for New Pet Paw-rents: How to Help Your New Dog Feel At Home

You’ve signed the adoption papers– now what? It’s time to welcome your new dog into your family! If you’re a first-time dog owner, then we realize that may mean you have a lot of questions. That’s normal! We’re here to help guide you through some of the basics of this process and how you can help your new best fur-riend get comfortable as a part of your family.

1. Get your home ready.

That’s right, your preparation starts before you even bring your new furry friend home! Make sure your home is ready for them. This may start with cleaning and tidying up, but there’s even more to consider. To start, make sure your current pets are up-to-date with their shots. Then, you’ll want to establish a specific space in your home for your dog– often times, this will be where you’ll want to keep a pet bed, crate, toys, and maybe even their food and water supply. If you’re adopting a puppy, you’ll also want to puppy-proof your home, hiding away anything that they may be able to reach or destroy. You’ll also want to ensure you know what house rules you want the dogs to abide by, so that you can start with them right away.

2. Buy any necessary supplies.

It may not come as a surprise that you’ll need to make a trip to the store for your new dog. We recommend getting this part done before trying to bring it home! Your first trip to the store should include things like: food, a collar and leash, food and water bowls, a dog bed and crate, poop bags, treats, and some toys. These items will help you move seamlessly into dog ownership, with the ability to help make your dog comfortable.

3. Bring your new dog home and introduce them to your space!

It’s best to bring your new dog home on a day that you have free, so that you can take some time to make them feel comfortable. They may want to explore their new surroundings and meet their new friends – make sure you’re there to accompany them, especially while meeting the rest of your family and any other pets you may have. Now is the right time to start implementing those house rules you’ve created! This will help avoid confusion for your dog later on.

4. Visit the vet.

Set up a vet appointment, preferably right away! This will establish someone to help with your pet’s healthcare, which is a crucial responsibility of dog ownership. The first visit will include some important discussions, including vaccinations, spaying or neutering, microchipping, and parasite prevention for fleas, ticks, mosquitos and heartworms.

5. Give your new family member plenty of time to adjust.

Your dog will need time and understanding while it’s getting used to its new home. Your new dog may want some space if it’s nervous or uncertain about it’s new life and it’s important that you be patient. When we adopt a dog, we don’t always know what their lives were like before us. In any case, a new home is a big adjustment and they may need plenty of extra sleep to ease the stress. You may also notice potty accidents, even if your dog is trained to go outside. Try to be understanding and focus on helping your dog get feel truly at home.

If you have any more questions, you can contact us through our pet paw-rent hotline! Give us a call at 520-276-7453 or learn more about this service here: https://friendsofdogstucson.org/get-help/

Our dogs are more than just pets!

They are our children and family. We know you hate the thought of your pet being lonely. The look on your pet’s face when you head out for work or on vacation can leave us feeling guilt-ridden. We get it!

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What our clients are saying.

  • Communication was excellent from the initial contact, meet and greet, during the pet sitting, and after. Got updates throughout our vacation. My animals were well taken care of!

    Jennifer B Avatar Jennifer B
    June 14, 2023
  • We’re so incredibly happy to have found a company and truly genuine people to watch our dogs. We have 3 dogs and we’ve never been able to travel without them unless a family member could help out. Ali, with Working for Wags, was the most incredible sitter! She watched them overnight for 4 nights and even spent a little extra time with them the day we were flying back in. She also helped with a very last minute house issue, which saved the day! The entire process was super professional and friendly, communication was seamless, and we will only be using Working for Wags, moving forward. A huge shout out to Ali!

    Tamar Phillips Avatar Tamar Phillips
    February 16, 2023
  • Everyone from Wags from supper friendly, they are very detailed and communicate super well. Ocean took amazing care of our babies, she also sent frequent updates and pictures that we loved. We will definitely call wags everytime we are away.

    Lorene Stanley Avatar Lorene Stanley
    June 7, 2023
  • Kristy was fantastic! My pets (dogs and cats) quickly warmed up to her and seemed to really feel comfortable with her (and the other sitter that visited too). I have one EXTRA nervous dog and I was shocked how quickly he warmed up to her. I got frequent updates about my pets and pictures even (which made me so happy and get to see how comfortable my pets were). It 100% put my mind as ease knowing my pets were in such good hands. Would definitely recommend.

    Belinda Colleen Morton Avatar Belinda Colleen
    November 20, 2022
  • We have used Working for Wags twice now, one for an overnight stay and this last time for a week long vacation. I am nervous leaving our pups; it helps a lot knowing they are in our home and not in a kennel. The communication was fabulous both times. I loved receiving pictures of our pups while we were away! Isabel was amazing! I have one pup who can be particular with people; she warmed right up to Isabel! We will definitely use Working for Wags in the future! Thank you for helping to make our vacation great!

    Jackie Lemer Avatar Jackie Lemer
    March 23, 2023
  • I'd give them 10 stars if I could! The sitters are wonderful!! They are true animal lovers, and I trust them fully. One of my dogs has epilepsy, so finding sitters comfortable with the risk of a seizure can be tough. But, they came fully prepared and knowledgeable about what to do. If you love your dogs like I do, I highly recommend them!! 🐕💙

    K Bata Avatar K Bata
    June 21, 2023
  • janet bell Avatar janet bell
    February 13, 2023
  • Kristy with Working for Wags was fabulous! She showed up at the agreed times and sent us updates during our trip! This will be our new go to when we need a dog sitter!!

    Christina Duffy Avatar Christina Duffy
    October 16, 2022
  • I recommend 100% the service provided by Working For Wags. I found my 16-year-old cat well and relaxed when I returned from vacation. Frankie made it easy to arrange for someone responsible to attend to all his needs with lots of TLC. I received texts and pictures daily. I would hear back quickly if I had questions or needed to change some of the instructions already given. All my gratitude for their outstanding care.

    Anastasia Avatar Anastasia
    August 28, 2023
  • Angela did such an awesome job with our dogs! This was the first time we have left our dogs in a very long time due to 2 of the 3 being elderly and needing extra care. Angela was very attentive to their needs. We never had to worry about how they were doing because she would send updates via texts with pictures several times a day. Angela also brought up the mail and took care of garbage. I think the house was cleaner when we came home than when we left. I would not hesitate to have Angela back to watch out furry babies.

    Amy Rebmann Avatar Amy Rebmann
    February 19, 2023

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