Rex
If you’re already a pet owner then the answer to our first question: do household pets have personalities? Will have you saying a resounding: YES. And research is ongoing to see how many animals have personalities, or are sentient, to ensure we protect every kind.
While you might not have a cow as your BFF or be up for tickling a rat, knowing how to find your perfect match in a dog or cat can help you rehome one of our animals.
Spotting the personalities of our dogs and cats
Every animal that comes into the RSPCA Coventry and District centre is cared for in a number of ways. As well as a health check, we start to assess how each dog or cat that comes into us is feeling and how that then affects their behaviour. For example, we want to make sure we don’t rehome a cat who is afraid of children in a house full of noisy kids!
But it goes deeper than that. We spend time in our socialisation pods with the dogs and cats in our care to understand what they like. Whether they like a lot of fuss, or love to run around, or have a particular toy that is their favourite. That time enables us to identify their personalities and whether they can get along with almost everyone in any way or might be more of an introvert.
While research into neurodivergence into animals isn’t the same as for humans, there are indicators that there are dogs and cats with sparkly brains too. We aren’t experts in neurodivergence for animals (or humans!) but we do spend a lot of time with the dogs and cats in our centre. Sometimes we can see that some of the animals that come into our care have traits that we see in humans.
A few of our sparkly personalities: Rex and Missy
This might be the case for two of our long-stayers: Rex and Missy. Both have been with us for nearly a year and while being older dogs they are all fit, healthy and looking for a comfortable home for the remainder of their lives. We think that people might be less interested in these two due to their personalities.
Rex is full of energy that he wants to show immediately but can also be a little clingy and insecure. He needs reassurance and to not be left alone too long when you first take him home. His big, bouncy nature might be off-putting at first but he will show you a calmer, gentler side with the right kindness: https://www.rspca-coventryanddistrict.org.uk/pet/view/rex.
Missy can be wary of strangers initially, as we all can be. She needs someone who will look past her stand-offishness on first meeting to want to commit to her. Missy needs someone who understands she might need space to feel safe before showing you her loyal side. If you’re a pet owner who needs instant gratification from a pet then Missy isn’t for you, but if you’re someone who takes time to get to know someone first then Missy might be the lurcher for you: https://www.rspca-coventryanddistrict.org.uk/pet/view/missy-2.
What personality do you need for Rex and Missy?
Both of these dogs needs a slightly different personality from their human. Ultimately though, they need someone who understands that animals have their own personalities and will all need to settle in through different ways. They also need someone who can look past their behaviour on initial meeting, which might be a bit shy, scared or standoffish, and see how, with time, they will behave with love and affection.
We always show potential new owners, photos and videos of our animals so that they can see they normal behaviour when at ease. This isn’t always what they display on first, second or third meeting in a socialisation pod at our centre. But let’s face it, how many people do you feel comfortable with after three meetings? You would also need time to settle into a new environment and these two beautiful dogs need owners that understand that. If that could be you then please get in touch with us by ringing 02476 336 616 or emailing [email protected]
