If you are thinking of adopting
Adopting is not just taking a dog home: the first day, food, the vet and training.
The first day, the first week, the first month
A newly arrived dog is not happy the moment it walks in. Roughly: three days of being wary and quiet, three weeks to learn the household, three months to feel that it belongs. It is a rough sketch, but it sets expectations in the right place.
The best thing to do on day one is nothing. No visitors, no outings, no constant petting. Give it water, a bed and a quiet corner, and let it choose when to come to you.
Start with a small area and open the house gradually. Build a routine: meals at the same time, walks at the same time. For a dog off the street, predictability is a need that comes before affection.
The basics
What follows is general information. Vaccination schedules, medication and treatment are decided by the vet who sees your dog; nothing here replaces that.
- What should I feed?
- A good-quality complete food suited to age and size is the practical answer. An adult dog eats twice a day, puppies more often. Water always available and clean. No table scraps: chocolate, grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, anything with xylitol, and alcohol are toxic to dogs. Cooked bones splinter and can injure the gut.
- Vaccines and parasites?
- Core vaccines, rabies, and internal/external parasite protection are basic care; intervals are set by a vet according to the dog’s age, history and where you live. Tick and flea protection matters year-round in Ankara, because ticks carry serious disease.
- Should I neuter?
- Yes. We expect the dogs we rehome to be neutered. There are health benefits, but the main reason is simple: puppies nobody can care for end up on the street, and these pages describe what happens there.
- How much walking?
- For a healthy adult, twice a day, one to two hours in total, is a good baseline. Sniffing matters more than distance: ten minutes of free sniffing tires and settles a dog more than half an hour of brisk walking. On hot days asphalt burns — hold the back of your hand on it for five seconds; if you cannot, neither can your dog.
- House training?
- A dog that lived outdoors is already used to going outside; most work it out in days. Take it out after meals, after sleeping and after play, and praise it the moment it gets it right. Do not punish accidents — the dog learns to hide, which makes everything harder.
- What works in training?
- Reward. Dogs learn from what pays off, not from punishment. Short sessions (five minutes), repeated often; one-word cues; everyone in the house using the same word. Shouting, rubbing a nose in it, or yanking a lead teaches fear, not behaviour.
- Can it be left alone?
- Yes, but it has to be taught. Start with a few minutes and build up; keep arrivals and departures undramatic. Constant barking, scratching at the door or self-harm when alone is anxiety, not stubbornness, and needs help.
- When should I go straight to the vet?
- Vomiting or diarrhoea with blood or that keeps repeating; no appetite for more than a day; difficulty breathing; a tight, swollen abdomen; swallowing something known to be toxic; collapse or a seizure; and any road accident, even if the dog looks fine. When in doubt, phone — asking costs nothing, arriving late does.
If you feel ready
Meet the dogs we are rehoming. Let’s talk about which one suits you — the right match matters more than good intentions.
More in this guide
Dog advice- When you find a dog in the streetLost, abandoned, or living there already? Stop and look first — let the dog come to you.Read
- How you can help street dogsNot every kind of help is taking a dog home: clean water, the right call, a safe feeding spot.Read
- When you come across puppiesPicking up a puppy you find alone is usually not a kindness. The mother is probably close by.Read
- When a dog is injured or illYour safety first, then the right phone call. A dog in pain may bite, and that is not its fault.Read
- If a dog goes for you, or bitesDo not run, do not shout, do not stare. If you are bitten, wash the wound and see a doctor without delay.Read