Preparing animals for change

Many of my animal appointments in recent weeks have been focused on helping prepare them for upcoming changes, whether it is a foster dog going to a new home or a family moving to a new house.  I am always happy to assist with these types of communication sessions because I know how much easier it is on animals when we set their expectations and help them mentally prepare for how things are going to be different.

The animals always appreciate knowing how things are going to change and often times, they have very sweet requests, like the dog who was moving from a house with two other dogs to a new house where she would be the only dog.  Her mom wanted to make sure she understood and that she would be OK not having the other dogs to play with while she was at work.  This sweet little girl asked if her mom could buy her a stuffed dog that she could hang out with, so that she wouldn't be lonely.

With one of the foster dogs, we needed to explain that his new family didn't want to have a dog sleeping in the bedroom with them, as he had been at his foster home and asked him if he would be alright with the different sleeping arrangements.  His question was "But will it mean they don't love me as much as my current mom if I am not sleeping in the bedroom with them?"  I assured him that it was no indication of how much they cared about him and reminded him of how excited they were to have finally found the perfect dog for their family.  That seemed to calm his concerns and he said he would be OK with the new sleeping arrangement.

Helping them understand how things are going to be different - from the lay out of the house, to the sounds they may hear in their new neighborhood, to how their daily routines may take shape - all help them make their transition go more smoothly.

Over the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of receiving updates from all of these clients and it warms my heart to hear how smoothly all these transitions have gone.  The animals are adjusting quickly to their new surroundings and new circumstances and there hasn't been any problems at all.  It reaffirms my belief that the more we can do to manage an animals expectations about upcoming changes, the easier it is on everyone.

And as a bonus, my client whose foster dog was initially concerned about not sleeping in the bedroom with his new parents emailed me the other day to tell me that the adopters were so touched when they heard about his concern, they decided to change their rule of "no dogs in the bedroom at night" and their new boy is now happily sleeping in the bedroom with them.