Nearly every shelter animal is a survivor - they all come with a range of traumas and terrors that are unique to them and their life experience. They have survived losing the only home they’ve ever known. They have survived a record breaking hurricane. They have survived a medical condition. They have survived surgical removal of an eye. They have survived being surrendered because their mom wasn’t spayed and produced a litter of kittens. They have survived being a stray put out on the street for unknown reasons.
Each and every shelter animal amazes me at how resilient they are, despite whatever situation has brought them to the shelter. They remain trusting and loving. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity, trauma or tragedy. And like humans, animals vary in how quickly they recover from their negative experiences.
What does a traumatic event entail? Well, just about any event the animal deems it to be. The following are a few examples:
- pets who have been hurt in some way, physically or emotionally
- pets who have been exposed to aversive training methods or who have been punished during their training
- pets who have come in from “backyard breeders”, kept in squalid conditions
- pets who have been kept in isolation from other animals
- pets who have been kept in isolation from human beings
- pets whose owners have been sick or ill for a long time
- pets who have been neglected
- pets whose owners have died
Once an animal has won the adoption jackpot, those who bounce back quickest are those who have a few weeks of limited exposure to sensory overload and who are just left to “be” for a little while in a quiet, unstimulating place. A stress-free, stimuli-free environment is crucial. By slowly introducing your new 4 legged family member to new stimuli and new experiences, you will find your pet will be better able to cope with their new surroundings. We can teach our pets to be resilient, through providing safe and secure environments that do not overwhelm them.
