The Arizona Animal Welfare League is the oldest and largest no-kill shelter in the state. Founded in 1971, AAWL has saved the lives of over 100,000 cats and dogs by providing a full range of services for animals and pet owners, including adoptions, behavior training, and low-cost medical care. These life-saving programs are only possible because of the dedicated AAWL community, who support the shelter through volunteering, adopting, fostering, and donating. For more information, visit https://aawl.org
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Welcome back. I've got three words. Puppies, puppies.
00:04 Oh, and puppies. What more do you need?
00:07 You need to know that everything about caring for a puppy comes in threes.
00:12 Kimberly Vermillion from the Arizona Animal Welfare League is here to explain.
00:16 And you brought Fresca first. Tell us about this sweet girl.
00:20 This is Fresca, and she's going to be up for adoption this weekend.
00:23 She's about 11 weeks old, and we think maybe she's a cattle dog mix.
00:27 How can you tell? We don't know for sure.
00:30 That is just a guess when it's, you know, when they're a rescue.
00:33 So such a good girl and so chill.
00:36 She has just been in your arms all morning and she's just looking up at you lovingly.
00:41 So let's talk about the threes. Three days, three weeks, three months.
00:44 What do we need to know in the first three days?
00:46 Yes. So this is for puppies and all adult dogs, too,
00:49 that you just want to make sure that you're giving them enough time to get acclimated to your home.
00:53 Three days to really warm up to you, three weeks until they kind of feel like,
00:58 you know, they're starting to fit in in your home, and three months until they're fully,
01:01 like, settled in and really feel part of your family.
01:05 What should people think about in terms of if they're ready to adopt a dog?
01:09 Because it's a big responsibility. Yes. Puppies especially are a huge responsibility.
01:14 They take a lot of time, patience. You know, there's a lot of training that's involved.
01:17 And that's what we always say. You know, maybe you're not ready for a puppy.
01:20 Maybe adult dogs better because you know what their personality is going to be when you adopt them.
01:25 And, you know, they might not need as much training and that time commitment of always being home like a puppy.
01:30 That's really something something to think about because a mature dog and adult dog,
01:34 you sort of know their temperament and their vibe.
01:37 And if you're going to click with them, whereas a puppy like you're not, you don't really know.
01:41 Although, come on, Fresca, she's chill. I mean, but she could also be saving up all her energy for later.
01:46 We don't know. Right. Good point.
01:49 Now, who might be ready for a puppy?
01:51 So if you're, you know, are able to be home a lot more often, be able to spend that time training them,
01:56 setting them up for success, then maybe a puppy is right for you.
01:59 But, you know, if you have a lot going on, maybe you work a full time job.
02:04 Older dog might be better because they're OK to be left home for, you know, more than a couple hours.
02:09 What did you think about if you already have pets in the home?
02:12 I have two cats and I just don't know if Biggie and Lolo are going to like really get along with Fresca.
02:18 Yeah, you definitely want to take that introduction slow.
02:20 So when you adopt a dog from us, we always suggest that you come and you bring your dog with to do a meet greet to make sure that it's a good fit.
02:30 We also suggest that if you have if you're thinking about adopting a cat to bring them in as well.
02:35 So we can kind of do a cat test. You know, it's very. It's a great idea.
02:38 Yeah. We just walk them through our cattery where we have our cats and kind of just see how they react.
02:42 It's, you know, not a foolproof test. So we definitely make sure to start that introduction slow when you have them in your home.
02:50 I've been to the cattery at Arizona Animal Welfare. That's where I got both my kittens.
02:54 What's it like there right now in terms of dogs and puppies?
02:58 How many do you have that are looking for homes?
03:01 We have a large variety of dogs, puppies, cats and kittens who are looking for their forever home.
03:06 So if you're ready for a furry family member, definitely visit our website at AWL.org to see all the animals we have up for adoption.
03:13 You update that multiple times a day. So keep looking back and seeing if you see when that calls to you.
03:18 I mean, I think this is obvious, but what are some of the benefits to having a puppy or a dog, particularly for people who might live alone?
03:27 They're great companions, right? You know, it's your best friend, right?
03:31 When you adopt a dog or a cat, you know, they become your best friend and they're some family member.
03:36 So it's a great reward to be able to adopt and bring one of them home.
03:40 Also, you know, in my neighborhood, there's been a rash, Kimberly, of ding dong ditchers and teepeers.
03:47 Would a dog protect me from that? Porch pirates?
03:51 I mean, they might bark to let you know, right? Yes.
03:54 You know, keep an eye out. That's a good warning. Yeah. Right.
03:58 How do you know if it's going to be a good watchdog? You tell.
04:01 You don't know for sure. I mean, if they're pretty vocal, they might be a good watchdog.
04:05 Right. So, you know, if you come into our shelter, we can meet with an adoption counselor and they can match you up with a few dogs that might be a good fit.
04:12 And you can beat them and see if that would be a good dog for you.
04:16 So if you're thinking about it, go on into Arizona Animal Welfare League.
04:20 You can meet with a counselor. You can look at the puppies, the kittens.
04:23 You can talk. And if you have a cat at home, you can even bring in your cat to see if it's a match made in heaven.
04:30 A dog, a dog. Yeah. Yeah. Cats don't do well when they're, you know, they're comfortable in their environment.
04:35 So if you are thinking about adopting a dog and you have a cat at home, we do offer a slumber party,
04:41 which is where you can bring the dog home for a short period of time overnight and just see if it's a good fit.
04:45 Take that introduction really slow to make sure that your cat is comfortable and also that the dog is comfortable with cat.
04:51 I have never heard of that. That is so brilliant. A slumber party.
04:55 So if you go down to the animal welfare shelter and you see a dog you like,
05:00 but you're not sure if that dog is really going to fit in with you, your pets, your kids, your house,
05:04 have yourself a little slumber party and look, Fresca here.
05:08 We can get a nice tight shot of this girl.
05:10 She is going to be available in the next week, within the next couple of days, this weekend.
05:16 Definitely keep an eye out for on our website.
05:18 She'll be adoptable at our main shelter at 40th Street in Washington.
05:21 This is a great dog, but they have so many other gorgeous, adorable dogs.
05:25 Thank you so much for bringing in Fresca.
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