PAWS Darwin

PAWS Darwin takes unwanted animals and gives them new hope. PAWS Darwin believes in education and training, that helps bond both human and animals.

Adoption Policy: Strict

At PAWS Darwin, we aim to find the best matched home for our pets the first time around. PAWS Darwin encourages a healthy, happy, and balanced relationship between a family and their pet. To achieve this, prior to an adoption of a PAWS pet we have all adopters complete a meet and greet with shelter staff or the foster carer. These meets make sure that animals and family members already in the household will get along with the new family member with minimal disruption. PAWS Darwin discourages the impulse purchasing of domestic pets but not allowing on the spot adoptions and filling in adoption applications which are processed as they come in with consultation with the foster carer or shelter staff who did the meet and greet. Below is some general information you need to be aware of before undertaking an adoption. General age and breed Questions: As an organisation we label dogs age and breed by our best guess, without DNA testing we are unable to guarantee the exact breed of mix breed dogs. While we do get some purebred dogs, they are unlikely to have "papers". Age is determined by the dogs’ teeth, there are many factors which can alter the ageing of teeth, allergies, poor diet, great diet, so although we can "guess", age cannot be exactly determined. Behaviour/temperament assessments: If you want to know whether the dog you are choosing is suitable to you and your environment, then we have some easy assessments that will quickly help you to determine this. Remember, not every dog is the right dog for you and the best dog for you will be the right dog, not the emotional choice. We can tell by your interaction with the dog how well it's going to fit into your home life. Being the pack leader This is important for the health of all animals; someone has to be in charge. Dogs maintain approximately 70% of their wild behaviours and in the wild, they live in a well-managed pack which is necessary for their survival. If you don’t take leadership, your dog will. You can assert you leadership role by attending training classes, always making sure that your dog is the last one in the house to eat, avoid allowing your dog to sleep in your room or on your bed, keeping the dog off the furniture, or making it move off its seat when you sit down, enforcing discipline upon the dog by only issuing commands once and then making sure you follow through. Establish a plan for the behaviours you will and won’t accept before even bringing the dog home. Ensure that everyone in the household agrees to the rules and then follow through; there are no excuses for behaviour outside of what you want from your dog, so don’t give it an excuse. Remember the adage: "If it is not cute when the dog is 12 months old then it’s not cute now!” Meet And Greets Turning up to the shelter location does not guarantee that you will be able to meet the pet of your choice. Most of our pets are kept in foster homes, this helps us and you to know exactly how they respond in a home environment, the foster carers are asked to share everything they know with you as a potential owner. To meet an animal please fill out a meet and greet request so that we can put you in touch with their carer. Classes All our re-homed dogs are eligible for four free behaviour classes. These classes will help you to set the rules straight right from the beginning. Where possible, we encourage you to attend a class before you take your new dog home. Please check our times and locations for these classes on our behaviour and socialisation page, watch our "Train at PAWS Darwin" Facebook page for up-to-date information. Separation Anxiety "More dogs are re-homed or euthanised because of separation anxiety than any other reason." Separation anxiety is the anxiety a dog gets within 30 minutes of the leaving of the dog’s person, it can occur even when there are other people present. It is a visible stress and may include symptoms such as whining, scratching, pacing, barking, soiling in the house, destructive behaviour, dominant behaviour, escaping and not eating. A simple action such as you going outside to say goodbye to guests can bring on an attack. You may come back into the house to find urine or faeces through the house or on the furniture and in some cases, even shredded furniture. Separation anxiety is, however, preventable, and treatable. Dogs are social animals, and they like to be around you. If they have recently moved houses, lost a friend, or lost their humans, they are vulnerable to separation anxiety. The signs of separation anxiety vary; the dog may follow you from room to room if he knows that you are going somewhere, he may pace, salivate excessively, vomit, bark, howl, or whine. When you are absent the dog may destroy things, like doors and windows when he’s trying to escape, or she may aim more at personal destruction and destroy your shoes, clothes, or pillows. They may even toilet inside when they wouldn’t normally do so. Things you can do to help stop or prevent separation anxiety include having a good household structure, obedience training, crate training, separation time while you are at home, avoiding prolonged greetings and farewells, medication, behaviour management and establishing your position as the pack leader. Keep your arrivals and departures as quiet as possible, don’t indulge in long goodbyes; walk out the gate with confidence and the same on your return home. Don’t act like you’re doing wrong. Avoid staying at home for a week to settle in a new dog; all it will learn is that your always there and when it comes time to go back to work, you will have contributed to separation anxiety. By acting as the pack leader and being confident in that role in your household, you give the dog the assurance that it needs that you are in control and that it does not need to worry about you in your absence. Avoid strict departure routines which signal to the dog that it’s time to get stressed such as feeding them or locking them outside. When you are rushing around the house and the dog looks concerned, DO NOT comfort, or reassure the dog, rather put it away or on a mat and continue what you are doing without the dog under your feet, especially in stormy weather. Avoid giving treats when you arrive home. In extreme cases you may need to talk to the Vet about medication, but medications only work with behaviour modification. Veterinary Procedures We make every effort to ensure any pet rehomed is healthy however we do get animals with pre-existing conditions and if they can be re-homed, they will not be re-homed without the informed consent of the possible new owners. Desex: All of our dogs over 6 months will be de-sexed before they become available for adoption. Some puppies under 6 months may not yet be de-sexed but it is a requirement that they be de-sexed after adoption at our vet clinic before they are 7 months old. Vaccinations All animals available for adoption will have had their first vaccination. Any puppies may need further vaccinations after adoption which is at a cost to the new owner. Vaccinations are required annually once they are up to date. What you get for your adoption fee: Your adoption fee includes de-sex, microchip, up to date vaccinations and worming and 4 free training vouchers. Interstate Adoptions: Please check with your state or territory Department of Primary Industries or equivalent if you can transport a dog from the NT to your state/territory due to the Ehrlichiosis disease in dogs. All transport costs fall on the new owner if approved. Dogs under the age of 6 months will not be approved interstate adoption unless de-sexed.