It’s totally normal to have moments of doubt about adopting your rescue dog. Moments when it feels overwhelming. Moments their fears are restricting your life. Moments you worry you’re not the right fit for each other. Moments you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. You sometimes wish you could go back in time and not adopt them at all. And then you feel guilty for every thinking those things. But I promise almost every rescue adopter has been there, too! So if you’re feeling that way, it’s ok. You don’t need to feel guilty for it. But what you do next is the important part. You can either take no action, hope things get better on their own and then get stuck in a vicious cycle of frustration and regret and guilt when things inevitably do not get better. Or you can recognise that things can only improve if you take action and you make a pledge to do what is necessary to help your rescue dog and yourself. Learn from free online tutorials, hire an in-person trainer, take an online course. Get access to the knowledge and skills you need to turn your situation around and teach your dog what you want and stop unwanted behaviour. As someone who has been there, promise me when I say the hard work is always so worth it when you start to feel like life with your dog is easy and you could never imagine you day-to-day without them and you never have to have regrets about adopting them again.
