A recently-adopted rescue dog found a heartwarming way of letting her new human companion know she’s beginning to feel at home.
It takes time for rescue dogs to adjust to their new surroundings. Every dog is different, but as a rule it’s recommended that people keep the 3-3-3 rule in mind when it comes to caring for a newly-adopted dog.
The idea is simple, within the first three days following their arrival, it’s important to give dogs space and time to get used to their home. By the end of three weeks, they should feel comfortable in the home and with family members, so branch out a little with new experiences and interactions. Use praise, treats, toys and positive reinforcement for good behavior.
By three months, it’s about trying new things and exploring options like obedience training. Establishing a routine for training and exercise is also key to this final stage. Not every dog sticks rigidly to the 3-3-3 rule of course. You may even be lucky enough to encounter a dog who skips through those stages with relative ease.
That seems to be the case for Anna, from Florida, who took to TikTok to share footage of how she’s getting on with Bella, the rescue dog she adopted just three weeks ago.
Anna, who chose not to share her last name, told Newsweek she had been on the lookout for a dog who would be “good with my young child” when she happened to encounter Bella by chance during a visit to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
“I had actually gone to look at a different dog who was listed at the shelter! When I saw Bella and how sweet and sad she looked, I had to bring her home with us,” she said.
There was something about Bella’s story that touched Anna. “They told me she was found with a fresh c section wound and had obviously been used as a breeder,” she said.
When she brought Bella home, there was some initial apprehension on her new canine companion’s part, which was understandable given everything she had been through.
“She was very hesitant to get on any furniture, so I would use treats to entice her up to sit with me,” Anna said.
There was a clear hesitancy on Bella’s part to get up onto the couch, but Anna was determined to change that.
“She would only get up on the sofa if nobody was around, and then act like she thought she was in trouble if someone saw her,” she said. “I started reassuring her and giving her treats to make her comfortable jumping up on it, and she’s happy to be on the sofa now.”
Proof of that can be found in the video she shared to TikTok under the handle annabananan5783, showing the sight that greeted her in the living room one day: Bella spread out relaxing on the couch.
“I had been in my room putting the baby down and when I came out she was on the sofa but just looked so sad and guilty, I had to tell her it was ok,” Anna said.
“I hope she’s starting to realize she’s home for good,” she wrote alongside the footage. From the looks of things, the answer is almost certainly a yes, though there is still work to be done with Anna admitting Bella is “still too nervous to sleep on my bed.”
There is plenty she does enjoy doing with Anna though. “She loves playing fetch , even though she’s still learning to bring things back, and she loves car rides and trips to Petco,” Anna said. I’m a mom so she is in the car with me a lot driving the kids around!”
Though Bella has Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome, a condition common in bulldogs that affects her breathing sometimes making it harder for her to breathe and could require surgery to fix, it’s clear to anyone watching that she’s found the home she so desperately deserved and isn’t shy about letting Anna know that.
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