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How to adopt a dog advice from Animal Planet's Victoria Stilwell
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Victoria Stilwell Host of Animal Planet's "It's Me or the Dog"
"Don't be frightened of adopting a rescued dog," Victoria Stilwell told me as we sat in the lobby of San Francisco's Kensington Park Hotel last week. I was asking her what her advice would be to anyone thinking of bringing a new dog into their family.
"Don't think that all dogs from shelters have social baggage and behavior problems. Even pure bred puppies can have behavioral problems." Stilwell suggested that we should ask questions of ourselves too: "What do you have to offer a dog?"
Stilwell did not mince words with her advice on how to approach animal shelter employees and volunteers, "Don't worry about being a pain in the ass. Ask them questions. The shelter staff knows about the dogs and their histories."
And most importantly, Stilwell advises that once you have zeroed in on a potential canine family member, spend time with the dog. "If you feel a connection with a dog, then the two of you go home, realize there will be teething problems. The dog is in a new environment, it's weird for you, weird for the dog. Give it time and be patient."
I asked Stilwell how she was "discovered" and given her own TV show. "I had just put my daughter to bed and was watching the first episode of Supernanny. I went, oh my god, her techniques are very similar to mine. I started to shake and I ran down to my computer to find the address of the production company. I was so keyed up even my husband asked me if I was alright. I wrote to the producers telling them I am a dog trainer and that I had a great idea for a show. When they called me back, I was in disbelief."
Shelley Frost and Victoria Stilwell
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