Is a Shelter Dog Right for You?

How to Choose the RIGHT Shelter Dog for You

[00:00:00] Announcer: Welcome to the Starlight Pet Talk podcast, where we'll talk about and explore ways to help pet parents and future pet parents learn everything they need to know, do have a happy and healthy relationship with their pet. So sit up and stay for Starlight Pet Talk Rescue Adoption and pet Parenting done right.

[00:00:25] Amy Castro: Hello and welcome to Starlight Pet Talk. I'm your host Amy Castro, and this week's episode is one that I've been looking forward to since before I even started this podcast. I had volunteered for 10 years at a city animal shelter, and I experienced firsthand the mistakes that people make and also the mistakes that shelter employees and volunteers make when helping people try to find a right fit animal for them.

[00:00:50] Amy Castro: So my guest today is here to help us talk about how do you find a right fit shelter or rescue dog for your, for yourself, [00:01:00] or for your family. So my guest is Ricky. Otherwise known as that dog guy, and he is a dog trainer with more than 15 years experience, as well as an experienced dog rescuer and an administrator on the West Texas Pet Detective Facebook page.

[00:01:15] Amy Castro: He's also served as a mentor at the Animal Behavior College. So Ricky, thank you so much for being here with me today.  

[00:01:23] Ricky Bedient: Thank you for having me. 

[00:01:23] Amy Castro: I know that you've been training dogs and rescuing dogs for more than 15 years, but I also, I, I just wanted to kind of bring this up because I think it's an awesome thing that you do.

[00:01:33] Amy Castro: You also trained service animals for veterans; is that correct? Yes, ma'am. Yeah, that's, that's awesome. I'm, I read a lot of articles about you doing that and a lot of saw a lot of news coverage. So as a veteran who thankfully doesn't eat a service, I Definitely thank you so much for doing that because it's a much-needed service for our veterans who are, you know, suffering from P T S D and other, other situations based on their service.

[00:01:57] Amy Castro: So for your average person, [00:02:00] before they jump in the car and decide, you know, and, and head to a shelter or a rescue, what a, what should people be doing when they're thinking about looking for a dog before they start actually looking at those cute faces and making decisions based on pictures? 

[00:02:17] Ricky Bedient: So I think probably the biggest thing to do before you even start looking at the pictures when you decide you want to get a dog is set your home up for a dog.

[00:02:25] Ricky Bedient: Think about things the dog's going to get into. Your work schedule, your life schedule. Are you an active person that is out all the time on the go? If you're outdoorsy, the dog you're going to look for, it's going to be a lot different than the dog you're going to look for. If you want to lay around on the couch, and if you get to lay around on the couch dog, chances are you're not going to take this dog on a 15-mile hike.

[00:02:46] Ricky Bedient: So tho those would be big things. Think about the housebreaking, the food expenses. I would get into contact with a veterinarian. I would also even talk to a local trainer before you even pick a dog. Sometimes if they're going to help you work with your [00:03:00] dog, they can give you suggestions on what kind of dog and what kind of temperament and, and things of that nature you're looking for.

[00:03:05] Ricky Bedient: And, I know me as well as a few other dog trainers that I know, if you call me before you're looking for a dog, I'll say, Hey, let me go with you and help you. I wouldn't even charge you for my time. And and I know quite a few trainers won't. That way, you can get a dog that's going to fit your lifestyle. A lot of people go to the shelter or rescue, and they find the dog with the right sad-looking face and they get what I call the sympathy dog.

[00:03:29] Ricky Bedient: And then they end up with a dog that's not even close to the dog they need and a bunch of problems on their hands and spend the first six months with a dog working on building harmony in the house with the dog. So those would definitely be things that I would think. 

[00:03:44] Amy Castro: about. Yeah. That’s, that's so important.

[00:03:46] Amy Castro: I know that when I was volunteering at the shelter, and many shelters do a good job of at least asking questions, uh, about what somebody's looking for in a dog. And sometimes people would look at me a little funny [00:04:00] like, Why are you interrogating me? I just want to look at the dogs. And so I'd say, you know, I'm not, I'm not trying to nose into your business, but if you give me an idea of what you're looking for in a dog and what your lifestyle is, then when we go back to look at the dogs, I can, based on my experience with the animals here, can at least help point you in the right direction.

[00:04:18] Amy Castro: But that's awesome as a trainer that you would be willing because obviously you're much better able to assess that animal than a lay person would be. And it just, you know, helps. I think it helps set. Relationships up for success when you make those good choices up front, and then there's not so much work or fixing of things down the road.

[00:04:37] Amy Castro: Well, and you know, another 

[00:04:38] Ricky Bedient: the thing is I've had people contact me where they're like, I had a Jack Russell Terrier for 18 years, and it passed away a year ago, and now I'm going, I just got another one. And this, I don't remember my dog being this terrible. Well, first, first off, you're not going to remember the first year or two of that dog when you've had 18 years of good.

[00:04:57] Ricky Bedient: But the other thing is just because it's a Jack Russell terrier doesn't mean it's [00:05:00] going to be the same dog. And, and another thing is, you know, 18 years ago, you were a lot younger, and your lifestyle was a lot different. And so dealing with a high-energy dog, , it was a whole lot easier than 20 years later. You know, if, if you were in your early twenties, 18 years, you're in your late thirties or forties, there, there's a big difference in lifestyle and, and where you're at in life.

[00:05:19] Ricky Bedient: So, you know, the dog you had before doesn't necessarily fit the lifestyle that you have. Like it would before. 

[00:05:26] Amy Castro: I was thinking that exact thought because you do change over time, and like you said, energy levels change. You don't remember. It's, it's kind of like when people have a baby, if they, you know, if anyone truly remembered the birthing process as it happened, they probably wouldn't have another kid.

[00:05:41] Amy Castro: But you know, nature has its way of making you forget that. So you do forget what it was like to have that rowdy, rowdy puppy or even just having a puppy. Oh 

[00:05:51] Ricky Bedient: yeah. For. You know, I, I, I haven't had a puppy in years and, recently I lost two of my dogs and got a puppy. And I always tell people, puppies aren't that [00:06:00] bad.

[00:06:00] Ricky Bedient: And I'm like, holy crap, I'm eating my words now. It took a minute to settle into a lifestyle with a puppy. Most of the dogs I get have been older, and they've already been trained. Or not trained, they've just been older, and they're set in their ways a little bit, so they're a little bit easier to deal with.

[00:06:13] Ricky Bedient: The puppy's definitely a handful. 

[00:06:15] Amy Castro: Yeah, so that's another thing that people need to consider. I think we could do a whole episode on whether you should get an adult dog or get a puppy, but I think that for some reason, people tend to lean toward getting a puppy because they want to. Mold it in their own image, or they want to raise it themselves.

[00:06:31] Amy Castro: And I think that's awesome if you've got the time and energy and money to put into properly training and raising that dog. Whereas if you don't have that time and energy, especially the time and energy part, then you'd be better off probably looking for an adult dog that maybe has some of those skills, or at least is housebroken, that kind of thing.

[00:06:53] Ricky Bedient: Or you know what, even something six or seven months old that's passed a really crazy puppy, My, one of my favorite ones too [00:07:00] is, is the people that call me up and they're like, we just had a baby, and we want a dog to grow up with our baby. So we got a puppy, and you're changing diapers and up all night feeding and changing diapers and cleaning, and hormones are all off, and there's a lot of crazy in the house.

[00:07:15] Ricky Bedient: And then you want to bring a puppy in. It's, it's a terrible, terrible idea. Yeah. 

[00:07:21] Amy Castro: Yeah. So, agreed, agreed. In a previous episode, we talked, uh, I talked with a, uh, longtime AKC judge, breeder, you know, somebody that shows about, you know, we talked about the benefits of, of purebred dogs, but when people are looking for a shelter dog, obvious.

[00:07:40] Amy Castro: We don't know the breeds. Am I better off going to a shelter? Do you think like a municipal city shelter or, you know, the traditional animal control facility? Or am I better off going to a rescue, or do you think it matters? 

[00:07:54] Ricky Bedient: You know what, there, there, I have a couple of mixed emotions on that. I think going to a shelter there, there's [00:08:00] definitely benefits to it.

[00:08:01] Ricky Bedient: You know? I mean, either way you're going to get a dog that's fully vetted, spayed, neu. It's healthy, you know, everything is good. The shelter, it's a little bit easier to get a dog typically than a rescue. However, you don't necessarily know what you're getting, but it's not hard to visit. Visit a shelter over and over and over and get to know a dog, and wait for the right dog.

[00:08:19] Ricky Bedient: I know, I don't know what shelters are doing this, but I know I've been reading articles where some shelters are giving you like a ten day foster period where you can foster the dog for ten days with no commitment, so you can make sure it fits and, and something else. I tell people like, oh my gosh, I've never given up a dog in my life.

[00:08:33] Ricky Bedient: But if you go get a dog and it absolutely does not fit in your life, you're not doing any, you're not doing that dog of good service, and you're not doing yourself a good service, you're, you're going to, you're going to be battling forever, and you know, People will put the time in, but most people will not put the time in.

[00:08:47] Ricky Bedient: So that's a benefit to a shelter. The other thing is. Usually, the shelters have workers that know the dogs. And another thing is mm-hmm. You're saving a dog from sitting in the kennel forever. Um, you know, right. Kennel time too much. Kennel time for a dog can be bad. [00:09:00] Um, rescues, on the other hand, they tend to know the backstory a little better on a dog than the shelter.

[00:09:06] Ricky Bedient: The shelter does sometimes, but the rescues really do quite a bit. A lot of times, rescues are fostered in homes. The person who has the dog can tell you more about the dog. You know more about what you're getting usually. And the vetting is usually more ex extensive. They’ve put more time in to make sure the dog gets healthy, where the shelter, you know, shots, spay, neuter, send them on their way, right on.

[00:09:26] Ricky Bedient: On the same token, a shelter's a lot less expensive, and there are definitely some good dogs in the shelter. You know, I mean, there are quite a few good dogs in a shelter. I think my best dogs have been dogs that I picked up off the side of the road that didn't come from a shelter. I, I feel like there, there are benefits to.

[00:09:42] Ricky Bedient: The price is usually going to be a lot less expensive. Um, you're definitely saving a dog who who needs it. At the same token, you, you might go home with a dog that you've got some quarts to work out, but if you're getting a dog, it's always a good idea to get a, at least get with a trainer once or twice to kind of help you settle the dog in.

[00:09:58] Ricky Bedient: And again, most trainers, if you call me to [00:10:00] help you get a dog settled in, if you say, Hey, I got a dog today. I'm going to say, well, let's talk about housebreaking. Let's talk about chewing. Let's talk about how we will keep things safe when you're not. Let's talk about how not to give this dog separation anxiety.

[00:10:12] Ricky Bedient: Let’s wait two weeks when the dog settles in, and then we can start training that, that I'm, I'm not going to charge somebody for a consult cause they just brought a dog home. Right? And and most trainers won't. They, they should, should be willing to give you time to help with that. That that's definitely a benefit.

[00:10:25] Ricky Bedient: But then again, it's kind of neat to know your dog's story and and things like that. Again, with the, with the rescues. And and the rescues are a little more thorough than the shelters. But on the same token, because they're more thorough, they're going to come to your house, they're going to look at your fence, they.

[00:10:39] Ricky Bedient: Want to know your lifestyle, your schedule, they're going to, they're, they're not necessarily going to let you walk in and say, I want that dog. They're going to probably say, this dog is going to fit your life better than, than the dog. You want it; it’s going to be a better match. 

[00:10:51] Amy Castro: Right, right. Yeah, I think those are excellent points.

[00:10:54] Amy Castro: And I know that for me, another interesting thing I think that comes up, um, [00:11:00] is, is the whole idea. And I've had people say, well, I don't want to adopt from a kill shelter. But in reality, what I always encourage, even in the rescue, um, you know, if you're looking for a dog and you want to save a life, the shelter is the place to go.

[00:11:14] Amy Castro: And the kill shelter is the place to go because that is the place that you know that those animals need you the most. And so start there. And then, you know, as you, as you're continuing to look, if you're not finding something there, then maybe move on to a no-kill shelter and then maybe move on to a rescue.

[00:11:30] Amy Castro: Um, you know that if you're, if you're looking at it, Saving a life perspective. But I think the key point is, go ahead. 

[00:11:37] Ricky Bedient: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. Um, I was also going to say this, there are a lot of rescues now that actually only pull dogs from the shelters. Um, I know in the Midland os, Odessa area, there's at least four rescues that I know of, and they don't really; if you call them and say, I need to find a home for my dog, they won't even take your dog.

[00:11:55] Ricky Bedient: They, they go get them from the shelter. So it just because they're in the shelter doesn't necessarily [00:12:00] mean they're going to die. Right there. There are a lot of rescues pulling dogs out of shelters. Right, right. Or a lot of rescue, Yeah. Rescues. I thought I said re dogs pulling rescues out of shelters. There's a lot of rescues.

[00:12:08] Ricky Bedient: Pulling dogs 

[00:12:09] Amy Castro: out of shelters. Yeah. No, you said it. I think another thing people need to realize when it comes to, um, whether it's looking at a, a shelter or rescue dog in person or, you know, we start, maybe start our search looking online on something like petfinder.com or adopt a pet.com is that those.

[00:12:29] Amy Castro: You know, to pay probably more attention to the description of the animal that's put in there. If there's, if there are details there, then to focus so much on the breeds because, and I think I've said this in previous episodes, you know, nine times outta 10. That breed information is not going to be accurate because a shelter dog, you know, that comes in as a Yeah, they don't have any idea.

[00:12:53] Amy Castro: And so if I put, you know, in the systems, those online systems kind of force you to pick something. And if [00:13:00] you pick mix breed, which would be the most honest answer? And it's not like people are trying to be dishonest, but you know, that would be the most accurate answer is it's some kind of something.

[00:13:10] Amy Castro: People don't go out searching for mixed breed. They search for Labrador; they search for a poodle, they search for Jack Russell Terrier, whatever it is. And so, you know, the tendency is if it looks like it might be this, to at least put that in the mix. So, Yeah, but realize that you know, the odds are if you take that dog home and DNA n test it, it's probably not at all what you thought so well. Maybe paying closer attention to the description of the animal and their behavior and how everything in America, 

[00:13:43] Ricky Bedient: everything to mut in America is going to have Chihuahua, some kind of bully breed, and probably some lab in it.

[00:13:50] Ricky Bedient: When you do a DNA, those are the most common. When they do DNAs, those are the ones that come back the most cuz there's so many. Um, for sure. So, and [00:14:00] I mean that that's just thing, you know, the other thing is I love people that go to the shelter and get a dog, and they'll be like, Hey, can you come out and help with our dog?

[00:14:06] Ricky Bedient: And I'm like, sure, I can help with your dog. And then, uh, I go meet their dog, and they're like, yeah, he's four months old. This is as big as he is going to get. They told me that at the shelter, or they'll go even go to a breeder and get a Yorkie. And they're like, yeah, he's, it's a, he's, he's a pound and a half puppy, and this is as big as he is going to get.

[00:14:23] Ricky Bedient: And I'm like, um, he's eight weeks old. He hasn't even begun to grow yet. He, you, you got a lot of growth left in him. Um, , that is another thing. Kind of know that size thing, too for sure. Because they're, if they're a puppy, they're going to grow what, you know, a safe, a safe judgment. To give you an idea, at about four and a half to five, whatever dog weighs on average, not always, but four and a half to five months old is usually about half of their full grown weight, give or take.

[00:14:50] Ricky Bedient: Okay? If it's a 30-pound dog at four months old, four and a half, five months old, it's probably going to be close to 60 pounds, you know, 65, maybe even [00:15:00] 50, something like that. But it, it's going to be in somewhere in that range. Um, that, that's a pretty, pretty safe way 

[00:15:07] Amy Castro: to. Yeah, that's, that's an excellent point too, because in, in addition to guessing the breeds, you know, Age in an adult dog can be hard to assess.

[00:15:19] Amy Castro: And so we, you know, we put down, you know, we look at the teeth, and we say, okay, are they adult teeth? How white are they? And then we take into consideration the, you know, breed. You know, a small dog with more tartar is not the same thing as an adult dog with the same amount of tartar from, as you know, as far as.

[00:15:37] Amy Castro: Because they get issues with their teeth earlier. So, you know, that's also something to be aware of, that, you know, shelters and rescues are estimating those ages. I mean, with puppies, it's a little bit easier because you can get a better gauge based on which teeth are in or not in. Yeah. You know, but, uh, but yeah.

[00:15:55] Amy Castro: And then the other thing is too, the old, uh, People, I, I, people [00:16:00] would say this all the time at the shelter. Oh, that dog, that puppy's feet are really big. That's going to be a big dog. And that's not necessarily the best way to guesstimate the size of the future size of a puppy. Yeah. 

[00:16:10] Ricky Bedient: That's, not always true too.

[00:16:11] Ricky Bedient: That's, that's all that bad information I was talking about from the internet where you, you can't necessarily get honest information. 

[00:16:19] Amy Castro: Right. Okay. So I, uh, have done. Due diligence in looking at my lifestyle and what I'm looking for in a dog, I'm heading to the shelter, and I get there. Um, how do I, how do I assess in a shelter visit whether a dog meets my criteria or, you know, is going to be a good fit for me?

[00:16:39] Amy Castro: You know 

[00:16:39] Ricky Bedient: what? That's a very hard thing in the shelter because the dog is going to act a lot different at the veterinarian's office, at the groomer's office, and in the shelter, you're, the dog you see in the shelter is not necessarily the dog you're going to get. You know, you see the scared timid dog hiding in the corner, and you bring that dog home and that dog thrives.

[00:16:57] Ricky Bedient: And then you see the super friendly dog. And [00:17:00] you're like, oh my gosh, this one's all over. It loves us, la la la, and you get home, and sometimes you end up with a dog that has resource guarding issues or something like that. So, it's very, very hard. I, , it's almost a good idea to go to the shelter with the idea that you want a dog and even make multiple trips.

[00:17:14] Ricky Bedient: Ask them, you know what, I'm very interested in this dog, but I want to get to know this dog a little bit. Um, the other thing is, uh, bring your dog up. Go in the parking lot, and see how your dog, that dog does with your. See how the dog is with your kids a little bit in the play yard. You know, you can't really judge a dog in a kennel or a small room.

[00:17:32] Ricky Bedient: Um, see how the dog does with your kids. Um, you know, you might even bring some snacks up there in your purse so your kids can be eating snacks so you can see how the dog is going to do. That doesn't mean the dog's going to go after their snacks, but you know, you may have a dog that's going to, that's going to be a good judge of, Hey, this dog is going to be okay with my kids walking.

[00:17:49] Ricky Bedient: A snack or a bottle or a soda or something and not be jumping all over them if they're not trying to do it there. And, again, just because they do it doesn't mean they will do it at home. It just means set situations up [00:18:00] that kind of let you see what the dog is like in your normal situations.

[00:18:03] Ricky Bedient: You know, I do a lot of training, and I go into homes, and when I'm in homes and people are like, oh my gosh, my kids are a mess today. Can we reschedule? Because their kids are over the top, and I'm like, this is your life. This is the best time to do it because this is what you live. And, you know, if, if we can do it when it's calm, but it's, you're still, it's going to take twice as much work when when things are crazy.

[00:18:23] Ricky Bedient: So let's do it while it's crazy. Mm. And so that, that's kind of a, a big thing to keep in mind. And and picking a dog. You, should do your due diligence. Don't walk up there and fall in love with the dog just because you're like, oh my gosh, this is the dog. You know, having the dog that looks the way you want and has a little bit of the personality you want.

[00:18:41] Ricky Bedient: I say this all the time, it, it's like, A husband or a wife that, that, you know, kind of takes care of the house, but that's all they do. And there's no; there’s no relationship there and, and no, anything good. I, I liked, your car lot example. Pretty good. The car salesman example pretty good that you told me the other day.

[00:18:57] Ricky Bedient: I shared that with a few people. That was pretty, uh, 

[00:18:59] Amy Castro: [00:19:00] Pretty neat. Yeah. What, and what I basically said, was, you wouldn't go to a car lot without some, you know, criteria of what you're looking for. And just say, Hey, can you sell me a car? Um, you go, and you, you know, you go with a list of things. You're looking for something that has a certain amount of seating for your family, gets a certain gas mileage, um, has a certain.

[00:19:17] Amy Castro: Reliability, rating, whatever, you know, a price range, obviously there's going to be a price range. And so then you take that to the, whichever car lot and, and even that's going to eliminate some of the car lots you go to. So sometimes when you're looking for a specific, uh, you know, when you've assessed your lifestyle and such, you're going to realize that, Hey, I'm only going to find this at a rescue, or I'm only going to find this at a shelter.

[00:19:38] Amy Castro: So you, it can kind of narrow down where you're looking or maybe. Criteria for certain rescues or shelters doesn't meet, you know, your lifestyle. And that's okay too. But I think that's an excellent point that you made about bringing the whole family when you come. I mean, I, I, a lot of times when people would come to the shelter when I was volunteering, they would come by themselves [00:20:00] and, you know, would make a decision like, oh, I think this is the one.

[00:20:04] Amy Castro: And we would, if they had a dog at home, we actually required them. If they were shopping for a dog, obviously. That we would require them to come back with the dog at least. And you know, if they mentioned that they had kids or put kids on the application, you know, we'd ask them to do that as well because it, you're absolutely right.

[00:20:21] Amy Castro: It is so important that you see how the dog is with. Everybody, um, not just you because it's that, that can be a very different, um, reaction and relationship as well. Um, you know, I want to 

[00:20:33] Ricky Bedient: throw something else in there real quick too. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. Yeah, yeah, go ahead. No, no, go ahead. This is something I'm thinking about too.

[00:20:37] Ricky Bedient: Uh, you know, Huskies are a very active dogs. Water collies are very active dogs, and some people might have a nine-to-five job, but when they're not working, they're hiking and camping and everything else. I don't rule somebody out for one of those dogs just because they have a nine-to-five job and live in an a.

[00:20:53] Ricky Bedient: Because if you have an active lifestyle, you can definitely give that dog what it needs, and it, it can fit your life. So you're both getting [00:21:00] what you need. You all are, y'all are on the same road. So, and you know, if, if, if you have a stay-at-home person who doesn't do anything and you're just home with a big yard, that doesn't qualify you for a Husky because, or a border Col because they need lots of activity and just sit at home is not enough activity for those dogs.

[00:21:17] Ricky Bedient: So, you know, kind of take that into consideration too, just because you're a, you're a. Have a nine to five job. If you're an active, let's go to the lake, let's go to the beach. Let's go camping; let’s go hiking. Go, go, go all the time. If you're a runner, you know, those kind of things. They, don't roll dogs out.

[00:21:33] Ricky Bedient: So you, you hear a lot of people say that, well, you live in an apartment that's a terrible dog for an apartment. It, it's, it's only a terrible dog for an apartment if you don't have the lifestyle away from your normal lifestyle to take care of that. So that that's another huge, huge thing. But, I didn't mean to interrupt.

[00:21:46] Ricky Bedient: I was just thinking about that also because that's a big one, I hear. 

[00:21:49] Amy Castro: No, that's, that's a that's a great point. I, I think that's an excellent point because it's not, it's not about the space, it's about the activity that happens in that space. And that's, you know, [00:22:00] on the flip side of that, I have people that will, that will say, well, I've got a big yard and so therefore, you know, I'm okay to have this husky, or I'm okay to have a Doberman or whatever it might be.

[00:22:10] Amy Castro: And it's, they, what they don't realize is, Letting your dog out to go pee and poop, and you know, yeah, it runs around, chases a squirrel a little bit and comes back in five minutes later. That's not what we're talking about, about activity. You know, these are, you know, if you're looking at dogs like that, you're looking at dogs that need, you know, a.

[00:22:27] Amy Castro: You know, and miles of walking and, you know, or running or whatever it might be. I mean, the only thing that kept us sane when we had a Doberman pincher and I was thinner than I am now, was I had this, this awesome thing called a walkie dog, um, which attached to my bicycle. And that because that, that was the only way that my Doberman was going to get the level.

[00:22:49] Amy Castro: Running an activity that he needed was, when I'm biking, I can't, you know, I'm five foot three, you can keep up. And, um, you know, I, yeah. I can't keep up with him. So, um, and it ma and it has such [00:23:00] an impact on their behavior, and people don't realize that as 

[00:23:02] Ricky Bedient: well. No, and it does. And you know what, I ride electric skateboards, so my dogs, we leash up, and they'll go run with me and, and things of that nature.

[00:23:09] Ricky Bedient: And when I'm, when I'm in the Houston area, I actually live in a big fifth wheel, so, and I've got a Cane Corso and a boxer pit bull mix, which are not typically dogs that could live like that, but. We're out all the time. They, do fine. Right. I, I will tell you, when we had a few days of bad weather, it, it was kind of miserable because they're like, Hey, we're not going for our walk.

[00:23:25] Ricky Bedient: We're not doing this. It it; it’s miserable. But for the most part, they, we don't have any issues. It, it, it definitely makes a difference, your lifestyle, and the dog you pick for sure. 

[00:23:34] Amy Castro: So you had, and we kind of hit on this a little bit, but I wanted to go back to it, the idea of the, you know, resisting the urge to impulse adopt, whether it's, um, this one's on the, you know, next on the kill list as some shelters do.

[00:23:49] Amy Castro: Push that or, um, I know that there was a lot of impulse shopping during the pandemic Yeah. Shopping, impulse, uh, adopting during the pandemic because people, you [00:24:00] know, wanted to do something for a dog. But hadn't me maybe taken the time to realize that, yes, you are going to be going back to work at some point.

[00:24:08] Amy Castro: Um, How do you, how do you kind of, like, what, what do you tell people about how they can resist that urge or the benefits of waiting, even if you're getting maybe pressured by somebody to take this dog now? Because you know it, it could be adopted by somebody else. You know what, 

[00:24:23] Ricky Bedient: if you're going to marry somebody, it's not an impulsive decision.

[00:24:27] Ricky Bedient: You don't, you don't just go out and say, yeah, let's get married tomorrow. And I mean, if you do and, and, and it works. That's pretty insane. I'm pretty sure that didn't happen often. You know, you're, you're talking about a long commitment depending on the age of the dog. Anywhere from five years to 18 years sometimes, so, right.

[00:24:42] Ricky Bedient: That's kind of a long commitment to making, to go out and impulsively do something. You know, even a car, if you make a, a, a commitment on a car for a six-year note. You're probably not going to keep the car for six years anyway, but, but when you're talking about a life that's a whole, whole, whole lot different, the impulsive thing, you just have to really realize how it's going to fit in your [00:25:00] life.

[00:25:00] Ricky Bedient: And you also have to realize it's not going to fit right away. It's going to take some time to make everything come together. Right. Usually, people call me up and the first week, the first three or four days they have a dog. They're like, this is a perfect dog, and it just lays here. And I'm like, well, it's still settling in.

[00:25:13] Ricky Bedient: Give it, give it about ten days. You're going to see 14 days; you’re definitely going to see a difference. Yeah. And, and that makes a huge, it, it, it's a huge thing, but the impulse thing, it, it's really, really rough. You know, the buyer's remorse is a super, super hard pill to swallow when you go out and just do it just because the situation is there when it's there.

[00:25:32] Ricky Bedient: So, and, and it, it's more common than people think. You know, even I, I. This puppy that was the first time I ever just went and met a puppy and brought it home. And I'm like, oh, what did I do? Because my life is settled. I'm in a good place. I already have a dog. Um, I got this puppy, and for a few days, it was kind of hard to, to, to kind of cope with, but I'm like, this is, it's not that bad.

[00:25:52] Ricky Bedient: But then I'm a dog trainer, so I can handle these kind of problems where a lot of people don't necessarily have the tools, and then they're getting frustrated and getting [00:26:00] upset and struggling with the idea that they, they. So, right. Um, the, the buyer's remorse is, is definitely. And you know what?

[00:26:06] Ricky Bedient: I think everybody has buyer’s remorse. I don't even think you, you get your dream dog, and you go home, and after a couple of days you're like, oh my gosh, what did I do? So it, yeah, it's not a make it or break it thing, it's just that moment when you realize that you put a wedding ring on your finger that's going to be there for the next 18 years. 

[00:26:20] Amy Castro: Potentially.

[00:26:21] Amy Castro: Yeah. So that, that, that brings up a good point. So let's, let's talk a little bit about just to kind of bring things together here. Um, so we mentioned this idea of the possibility that shelters or rescues might allow a, you know, what we refer to it as a, as a foster to adopt so whether it's a uhhuh, you know, kind of a test, a test drive period.

[00:26:42] Amy Castro: Um, one thing I would say is that sometimes shelters don't offer that, but what you can ask is what their return policy is. So, for example, at the shelter that I volunteered at, they didn't do a foster-to-adopt program, but you could return the dog within 30 days. You wouldn't get your adoption feedback, but it [00:27:00] wasn't very high anyway.

[00:27:01] Amy Castro: And although people don't like to think about returning them, it is important that you like you, like you said earlier, that you're not making a mistake for the, you know, for you and the dog. So how does a person know whether, let's say, whether it's on a trial period or not? What is buyer's remorse, and what is something that is something we could work through?

[00:27:22] Amy Castro: Um, you know, so that I, I don't want to jump to conclusions too fast and take a, take a dog back, but at the same time, at what point do I realize, hey, this is something that I either can't fix or can't live with. What are your, what are your thoughts on that? 

[00:27:35] Ricky Bedient: So I think that would be one of the reasons that I would contact a dog trainer first.

[00:27:40] Ricky Bedient: You know, when you first move out of your house and you, your first apartment or small, Right off the bat, you're already like, Hey, I need to find furniture or washer and dryer. I need all these things before I get into this house or when school starts. I need all these things before the school starts.

[00:27:53] Ricky Bedient: Having all your ducks in a row before you bring a dog home is, is always, always a good idea. And the buyer's remorse, it's just going to be cuz you're [00:28:00] going to have a lifestyle change for sure. And that's going to make it. A little bit rough for a minute, but again, I mean, that's almost anytime you make a big commitment, you’ll have remorse.

[00:28:08] Ricky Bedient: I, I don't know anybody who's made a big commitment to anything and had, had not been like, oh my gosh, why did I make this commitment? Um, but once you, once you get past that, I, and you get settled in, and everything's good, it, it helps. But I honestly believe part of being prepared is talking to somebody who, who is, who is a professional, who, who can, who can kind of guide you in the right direction.

[00:28:26] Ricky Bedient: Let me throw something else at you before you call a dog trainer. Everybody calls me, and they're like, what do you charge? The first question you should ask a dog trainer is, what methods do you use to train? Yeah, really, um, I, it, it's, I hardly ever, in all my time training, I've never been asked that maybe, maybe two or three times.

[00:28:44] Ricky Bedient: I, I, I feel like that should be the first question because another thing is if you, you get the wrong trainer who doesn't have the experience, who has some bad training ideas, you definitely, can put yourself in a bind too that, that guy's or girl knocking depression I'd want to talk to. Right. So I, I would definitely look for somebody [00:29:00] who's got a little credibility and, and want to know what their training ideas are and what their methods are.

[00:29:04] Ricky Bedient: Yeah, that, that would definitely be a huge, huge, huge one. 

[00:29:08] Amy Castro: Yeah. Now that's, that's such an excellent point because there are so many different, um, so many different ways of, training an animal. Some are, you know, appropriate, some are highly inappropriate, and then there's just, sometimes it's just different philosophies, you know, it's not like something is necessarily bad, but just a different approach to things that might fit better with.

[00:29:27] Amy Castro: You and the way that you think, and you know the way that you are, Yeah. Able to follow through on that training, which is, that's the most important thing. I mean, you can, and I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but you could have the best training trainer in the world and the best training methods in the world.

[00:29:42] Amy Castro: And if you're not prepared or don't follow through on what you've learned from the trainer, then it's not going to matter how, how much you spent on that. 

[00:29:52] Ricky Bedient: Well, and if the relationship doesn't click, you know, if, if you have a trainer that that's true, you just can't click with, I, I think that's important too, to have a trainer that your [00:30:00] personalities match.

[00:30:00] Ricky Bedient: Um, or at least you can get on the same level. Right? Um, so, but I, I think probably the best way to, to prepare yourself is to talk to a trainer, um, see what the trainer, you know, even on the phone, talk to him first and say, what do I need to bring home a dog? And that way, you can have that stuff already.

[00:30:18] Ricky Bedient: Right, so you're not, you're not running to the store and rushing to get everything and leaving a dog in your car that's going to chew your car up while you're in there. Or bringing a dog into PetSmart or Petco that can't walk on a leash and wants to growl and bark at other dogs cuz it's so nervous and uncompressed.

[00:30:32] Amy Castro: Right, right. Okay. So, just to kind of, to wrap things up, obviously, you know, the, the key to any of this is knowing yourself and your lifestyle first, getting some professional help in. I think that it’s such an excellent idea to get some professional help in selecting because it's so hard to make a good decision when you're in a shelter and there's dogs barking everywhere.

[00:30:52] Amy Castro: And, you know, you take three or four out, and you're, like you said, in a small room or out in a play yard, at least a trainer can help guide. Go [00:31:00] ahead. But the 

[00:31:00] Ricky Bedient: other. You know, even getting a trainer to come out and help you a couple of times, and I would definitely suggest having a trainer come to your home or having your one-on-one with the trainer.

[00:31:11] Ricky Bedient: I, I, I don't know that I would necessarily want to go to a training facility for that part, but having a trainer come to your house twice after you get a dog, it, there's enough, they can give you enough tools there for success, and you're only talking a couple hundred bucks maybe, maybe a little. Two or 300 bucks, something like that, but two or 300 bucks in an 18 year investment so that you're not struggling.

[00:31:31] Ricky Bedient: You know, I, I tell Bill the time, you can spend a couple hundred dollars there, or you can spend a thousand dollars replacing your couch, right? That they ate up. You know what I'm saying? So just, just getting a little help or worse, getting set out. Right. Yeah. Or it could be worse, for sure. 

[00:31:44] Amy Castro: Yeah. You know, the coming home dog seems great.

[00:31:48] Amy Castro: Or seem great at the shelter you get at home, and you've got food aggression. That's not an easy thing to fix. And, sometimes it's not fixable. So when I get the dog home, again, I'm not seeing that behavior at [00:32:00] first. I've got the trainer that's going to come, um, and kind of do an initial assessment.

[00:32:04] Amy Castro: But at what point, at what point can I say, okay, this is the dog's normal behavior? Like, is it, is it a certain number of days, or how does that usually work? 

[00:32:14] Ricky Bedient: So, you know what, I think I gave you this example when we talked on the phone the other day. You establish what the normal in your house. You know, I, it, it's the, I tell people this all the time.

[00:32:23] Ricky Bedient: Beat your husband or wife to bed by 30 minutes tonight and fall asleep in their side of the bed. Are they going to let you lay there, or they're going to make you move? 98% of the time, they're going to make me move is the answer I get. And then I ask them, the first time you crawled in bed together, did you have a conversation over who's going to sleep in what side of the bed?

[00:32:37] Ricky Bedient: And majority of them, I'll say 90% of those say no, we never had that conversation. It naturally happened, and you bring a dog home, and then you pick him up on a Friday. And then you coddle them all weekend, and then you go to work on Monday, and you've already established you're going to be there all the time.

[00:32:53] Ricky Bedient: Like establishing what your normal lifestyle is with that dog right off the bat. Makes a huge, huge difference too. [00:33:00] I don't know if that's the answer you were looking for, but but no, that's yes. So even, even the food aggression and things like that, majority of the time food aggression can be, can be, it's something with some time and effort.

[00:33:12] Ricky Bedient: Um, it can, it can be straightened out. Now the thing is, Do you all want a food-aggressive dog in a house with a toddler that's crawling around with busy parents that can't keep an eye on their toddler? Right. You know, though those are the things that I, I would look at, I, I, you know, I say this all the time.

[00:33:28] Ricky Bedient: Is a dog dangerous? Well, just because they bit, somebody doesn't necessarily make them dangerous if you didn't know they were going to bite and they bite. What makes them dangerous is the point of can you keep this situation safe while, while we work? And so it, it's, it's that whole thing. I kind of went off topic a little bit with that. Still, it, it's one of those things that's, uh, near and dear to my heart because I think a lot of people don't know, but if you have a dog that just doesn't fit, it's just absolutely not a fit, there's nothing there, then it would be better to give them a shot with somebody who would be that person.

[00:33:57] Amy Castro: Right. Yeah. No, and I think we could do a whole other [00:34:00] episode on the whole, uh, you know, some of those behaviors because that's like you. Yeah, because it is, I mean, it's sometimes it's a man, like my, my Doberman was not, uh, not good with kids. It wasn't an issue for us because we don't have little kids, and we don't have people who visit us with little kids.

[00:34:16] Amy Castro: And so, you know, the dog lived 13 years of his life not being good with kids, and it was never a problem. But, you know, if you have little kids or if your kids have friends over, you know that, or you've got nieces and nephews that visit, then, that behavior's more of an issue, and you have to. Certainly, ask yourself whether you are prepared to manage that behavior until it's fixed.

[00:34:36] Amy Castro: I think the challenge for most people is their willingness, especially based on their lifestyle. You know, if I'm a, a mom with two little kids and you know, we want to go out and get that lab mix for the family kind of thing, it's like, do I really have the time and energy to, too. To put that consistency into that, into that training or not.

[00:34:57] Amy Castro: Um, and that's something that people would need to [00:35:00] think about. How are they going to carve that time into their life to make sure that they create cuz that great family dog just doesn't walk in the door? You know, you create that, um, through your training processes. Right. 

[00:35:13] Ricky Bedient: But what you established is normal.

[00:35:14] Ricky Bedient: Exactly. 

[00:35:16] Amy Castro: Yeah. So anything else that you would want to say, um, to kind of wrap things up to, uh, you know, when it comes down to this issue of selecting a a shelter or a rescue dog for yourself or your family? I honestly 

[00:35:31] Ricky Bedient: looking at your lifestyle, looking at the dog, get to know the dog a little bit. You know what, and if, if somebody's got questions, they can always reach out to me on Facebook or wherever.

[00:35:40] Ricky Bedient: I'll, I'll, I'll get back to them as soon as I can. I'm, I'm not, Charge somebody to answer questions they might have to to help them, to help them decide. Um, but I definitely go in with the idea that you're prepared. I mean, obviously, if you don't know what dog you're going to get, things like toys and things like that, you, you can't necessarily get right off the bat because you don't want to get a giant dog, a [00:36:00] small toy and a tiny dog, a giant toy.

[00:36:02] Ricky Bedient: But, you know, those will be my main things. Just be prepared, get some help, you know? And, the other thing is find out when you look on the. There's so much bad information out there. Like everybody's like, I read this on Google; I learned this on YouTube. I've seen some of the worst things, even in other activities that I'm involved with in my life.

[00:36:21] Ricky Bedient: I've seen things that would get somebody killed. Mm-hmm. So make sure you're getting information from a reliable source. Make sure you find a vet that you like. Get all that stuff together. Don't get in a situation where you don't have what you. 

[00:36:32] Amy Castro: need. Yeah. Good, good point. Well, wow, I think we've covered a lot of ground today, and uh, just want to thank you so much for being here with me, Ricky, and we'll put your contact information up on the show notes so that people can get in touch with you if they need to.

[00:36:46] Amy Castro: Um, and just thanks so much for giving us such great information here today. Oh, it was 

[00:36:51] Ricky Bedient: definitely fun. It was definitely a blast. Awesome. 

[00:36:54] Amy Castro: And for those of you out there listening, thank you once again for listening to Starlight Pet Talk. I look forward to having [00:37:00] you listen to our future episodes, and if you don't do anything else great this week, give your pet a hug from us.

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