Let's adopt a dog and a cat: things to know

Adopting a dog or cat could change your life for the better. Let's see what are the things to know in order not to be caught off guard.

A dog or a cat in the family? Why not. And why not choose the way of adopting a foundling instead of a noble (and certainly luckier) specimen well kept in a shop or in a farm? In any case, the benefits are undoubted: with an animal at home we breathe a sense of tranquillity; they help us strengthen family ties, support us in difficult times. Basically, an animal lengthens life and makes it better. But of course there is a flip side. Even the animal has needs: it is not an ornament, but a living being. Our comfortable and often repetitive daily routine will undergo changes. But the benefits of this upheaval will not be long in coming. Especially if the magnificent exchange of attention, of affection, and even of active (and more than demonstrated) collaboration in the emotional management of our family, begins its journey with a good point in our favor: the redemption of an abandoned being, perhaps estranged , often mistreated, will be able to reward us with gratitude that is sometimes unexpected.

In short, if you want to change your reality for the better, adopting an animal is the right choice. But what are the things to know?

How to adopt a dog or a cat

There are two possible ways that a person can undertake to adopt a dog or cat. The first possibility is to contact a structure that houses stray animals, such as a kennel or a shelter; in this case there are practices to follow which may, however, vary from facility to facility. The second possibility is to adopt an animal thanks to one's knowledge. Perhaps your friend's dog has just had a litter and you have the opportunity to get one of the puppies. Before seeing the two procedures in detail, let's remember that it is possible to adopt both puppies and animals that are already of a certain age. In the first case, keep in mind that it is advisable and recommended to adopt a puppy after about 2/3 months (75 – 90 days) from their birth.

Adoption from kennel/cat shelter – If anyone is interested in adopting an animal from a kennel, they will have to go there. Before being able to visit the property, the aspiring owner will have to fill out an questionnaire, or undergo ainterview, to be evaluated by the kennel. The aspiring owner will have to answer questions that will mainly concern his family situation and his experiences with animals, such as: Is this your first experience with a dog, or have you already had pets at home? Does the whole family agree with the adoption and would they be happy to have a dog? Are there small children at home? Do you have an apartment or a house with a garden? If you have an apartment, will you be able to give the dog the right time to go out and do his business outside? Are you in favor of sterilization?

After passing the first "exam", you get the opportunity to visit the kennel and find an animal that suits your needs. But before bringing the dog home, two other obstacles must be overcome: the pre-foster visit and the adoption procedure.

La pre-reliance visit it is essential for the welfare and protection of the animal; a collaborator of the structure will have to verify if the environment in which the dog will live is adequate and suitable. After the pre-reliance visit, the aspiring owner will have to go to the kennel, equipped with a photocopy of the identity card and tax code, to sign the loan form in which, among other things, he undertakes to sterilize the dog when it reaches childbearing age.

Once this is done, the dog will be dewormed, vaccinated, microchipped and registered in the canine registry and the facility will remain in contact with the dog's owner to ascertain its long-term state of health.

Adoption through acquaintances – At first it might seem like the easiest and most direct way to adopt. It's really like this? The aspiring owner avoids various bureaucratic issues, such as the questionnaire, the pre-trust visit, but creates others, especially in the case of a dog. To better protect the animal, it must be vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed. If you go to the kennel, all this is done by the facility (but obviously it depends on the facility you go to. The cost always varies depending on the facility). If you adopt a puppy dog through an acquaintance, the matter is different. It is the aspiring owner who has to provide everything by contacting a veterinarian.

There is no better way than another to adopt a pet. It depends on your needs. The fact is that the two adoption paths, especially in recent years, have been aided by social networks. Pages and groups for the adoption of animals on Facebook are swarming. A reality that has improved contact between people and between people and structures, as well as the possibility of adoptions. Just type in the search bar "adopt" (at most "adopt") to find a myriad of dedicated groups and pages. The right animal for you could be there.

Microchip and registration in the registry office

Il microchip, a miniaturized electrical circuit about the size of a grain of rice (about 11 millimeters), and theregistration in the registry they are essential for animal identificationespecially in case of loss. The microchip contains the data necessary to recognize “your pet ownership” and uses RFID technology. (Radio Frequency Identification). For the record, it is not possible to geolocate the animal thanks to the microchip because they are not equipped with , even if there are GPS devices dedicated to dogs and cats to guarantee their safety and location at any time with our smartphone; an example is the Kippy collar, offered in Italy by Vodafone. Before the advent of the microchip, it was customary to use a tattoo, positioned on the animal's inner thigh or on the inner face of the auricle, which had exactly the same function.

Only for the dog there is themandatory obligation to provide him with a microchip and to enroll him in the canine registry (L. 281/1991); cats and ferrets can be registered in the registry office at the voluntary request of the owner, but registration is also mandatory for them in case of commercial purposes. But at the moment we are in a phase of evolution on the subject, so the compulsory registration in the registry office and the microchip could soon come into force for them too. However, microchipping for cats and ferrets is required for international travel to obtain a passport.

In order to register an animal in the registry office, it is necessary to be of legal age. The registry data bank records the 15-digit code contained in the microchip and the owner's data (name and surname, residence, etc.). Any type of variation, such as a change of residence or a transfer of ownership, must be communicated to the registry office to ensure the traceability of the animal and easily identify the owner.

When and where? - Theregistration in the registry, for anyone who owns a dog, it must be carried out within 2 months of life or within 30 days of possession, if the animal is more than 2 months old. You can register your dog in the registry office by contacting any ASL in your region or by contacting a veterinarian accredited in the Region.

Remember what you might run into fines of a pecuniary nature in case of not registration the animal.

Health card and Vaccinations

Just like us, dogs and cats also have a health card. A precious booklet because encompasses their clinical life. In fact, inside it, in addition to finding general data on the animal (name, microchip code, coat color, etc.), all the vaccinations it has been subjected to are reported. Next to each vaccination there must be the veterinarian's signature, the stamp of the veterinary company, the date of vaccination and the date on which to do the next vaccination.

If you travel often, the health card is required, because it is a real document. A sort of identity card for animals. Like us, they too should go around with an identification document. The only difference is that we always bring it. You may need it on a train, an airplane, in a hotel, but also if your pet bites another animal or a stranger. You must show the booklet to ensure that the pet has been vaccinated.

Canine Registry Registration Form — Canine registry registration

Dog veterinary booklet — Canine registry registration

The health booklet will be given to you by the vet on your first visit or by the kennel/cat shelter.

What vaccinations? – Dogs and cats are like children. We want to know everything, even what doesn't belong to us because we care about their health. You don't need to know which vaccines to get, that's why there's a vet. However, a general smattering never hurts.

When it comes to vaccines, the first thing to understand is that there is no single vaccination protocol that applies to all animals. Just like us they are different and need different vaccination approaches, calibrated on their lifestyle, their habits.

Indeed, one guideline there is to follow. A basic vaccination schedule, Named core vaccines, can be applied to most animals, according to geographical areas. Among the basic vaccinations are those against: distemper, infectious hepatitis, parvovirus, panleukopenia and feline respiratory disease.

Example basic vaccination for cats – Nobivac Tricat Trio: immunizes against feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type 1 and feline panleukopenia virus. Core vaccination. The vaccine is to be administered subcutaneously.

Vaccination schedule:

first administration, starting from 8 – 9 weeks of age;
second administration, at 12 weeks of age;
annual boosters against feline calicivirus and feline herpes virus type 1;
recalls every 3 years against Feline Panleukopenia Virus.

Example basic vaccination for dog – Nobivac STRAINS: immunizes against canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine parvovirus (CPV) and canine parainfluenza virus (CPi). Core vaccination. The vaccine is to be administered subcutaneously.

Vaccination schedule:

administration of an active vaccine against canine parvovirus and canine distemper virus at 9 weeks of age;
administration of Nobivac CEPPi vaccine, 3 weeks after the first vaccination;
booster of Nobivac CEPPi vaccine, 3 weeks after previous administration;
annual calls.

Non-core vaccinations – In addition to the core vaccinations, it could be useful to know about the exceptional vaccinations. Among the "non-core" vaccines we find: the vaccine for rabies (for dogs and cats), the vaccine for leishmaniasis and leptospirosis (for dogs) and the FelV vaccine (for cats).

Deworming

Deworming it is not a vaccine, be clear, but a sanitary practice required and necessary for the animal. It is a treatment, which is mainly performed on puppies, which consists in the oral administration of a tablet. Deworming it serves to eliminate the internal parasites present in the animal. We remind you that the veterinarian you will contact knows perfectly how to proceed; to give us an idea, however, a possible deworming program for a puppy could be the following: