The First 48 Hours With Your Rescue Dog
The ride home
Secure them (crate or harness), keep the car calm and quiet, and go straight home — not to the pet store, not to meet friends. For the dog, this is an abduction by kind strangers; reduce the plot twists.
Arrival protocol
Leash walk the garden or street first for a toilet chance, then into one calm room — water, bed, a chew. Give the tour later. No visitors, no dog park, no bath (unless truly needed) in the first days. Boring is therapeutic.
The first night
Decide now where they'll sleep long-term and start there. A crate or bed in your room comforts most rescues; some whining is normal. Take late-night toilet breaks matter-of-factly — lights low, voice soft, straight back to bed.
What not to judge yet
Not eating for a day, pacing, accidents, ignoring toys, or velcro-clinginess — all normal decompression, none of it the real dog. Remember 3-3-3: three days to exhale, three weeks to learn the routine, three months to feel home.
Something with their name on it
We press your pet’s name onto a small paw print keychain by hand, in one of ten colours, and post it anywhere in South Africa. R299 plus R73 delivery, or two for R449 delivered free.
See the keychain →