u/GanacheZealousideal

Edit: Bloody hell, I adopted him today! Smh lol I walked up up to the shelter office and they all looked at me and I said... umm I'll adopt him ...and everyone screamed😭

Hey everyone! I’ve been fostering a ridgeback mix for 7 months. He's 5. I helped him through restricted exercise and heartworm treatment and trained him as he recovered. This Monday, we hopefully make it official—he’s healthy, heartworm-negative, and officially my forever bestie?! :")

I'm terrified not because I've never had a dog but I've never owned one alone as an adult, we always had family dogs growing up which I was responsible for training and taking care of, but this is different and I take adoption very seriously as his life and wellbeing will be in my hands for the rest of his life and I don't know if I'm ready for this kind of commitment.

My friends and family love him. My sister lives in another state but she's willing to send $50 a month towards his upkeep, she said that's her aunty fee... and my neighbours kidnap him 2-3x a week for playdates with their dog (even without me asking because I told them its fine) and the shelter staff all want us to be together.

My heart says yes and everyone in my support system all love him too, but my brain is panicking as it's such a massive commitment and I'm so used to being on my own.

He’s 32kg now. He was quite underweight when I got him and his ribs were protruding and not in the good way, but he's built a lot of fat and muscle since then (doggy tax, see pics).

I’ve spent the last 7 months building his confidence and vocabulary. He was scared and anxious when he first arrived, afraid of the door, yelling or loud talking, the fridge, any noise at all and he was on restricted exercise.

Since October 2025 when he could start exercising again, we've been doing 3km walks nightly and 6–10km "bush bashing" on weekends. When I’m not nursing an injury, we run 5km daily.

To name some things he's learned so far: different toy identifications, excellent recall, sit, paw (both left/right), sit, sleep, side sleep, excellent off leash recall, stop, mid walk stop, stop from a far, find it games (scent), closing the door, go to bed, side sleep on lap for ear/nail clean, wait before eating, wait at the gate, wait anywhere really and he will patiently wait even when I've walked outside to the veranda and back he will be waiting exactly in the living room sitting waiting where I told him to, no begging for food, he's now confident in getting in my car freely, cars/noises don't bother him except when its windy(!) and I've socialised him with a hyperactive puppy and an older dog so far.

I swear I'm not being bias, but I think he's really smart as he learnt many of these tricks in only 6-7 weeks. I'm so proud of him.

If I do adopt him, these are some things I've already thought about and are ready to do on Monday if I end up signing the papers:

- Pet insurance (thankfully it's the same company as my car insurance (RACQ) and they'll give me 3 months free!) <I got 3 quotes and found out my insurer actually partners with the shelter he's from and its cheaper than the other 2, so very lucky find!

- Vets/health food stores - discounted consultations and 40% kibble on first orders

-His shelter gives out a free pack with him because he's a big dog and apparently big dogs are harder to place so they give some free doggy stuff (collar, lead, harness, small bag of kibble etc)

-Planning on buying him a big orthopedic bed and 4CYTE gel for his joints

-I've made him his own savings account, and I've deposited $300 in there and am hoping to link all his insurance/food expenses from that account and I'll continue to deposit $100 into it monthly

However, I would love more tips as I feel I'm missing some breed-specific tips and dog preparedness tips on:

1. Prey drive: To manage his prey drive, I call all wildlife by a certain name, for example, Birdy. If we see a magpie, cat or a possum, I say, "Hi Birdy," and am friendly with them, especially birds as different types of birds visit me almost daily for seeds/oats. He was a lil nuts at first but now he disengages which is great, they even steal his food and he doesn't care... Is there any other technique you've used that I can possibly use to make this even more concrete?
2. Lactose Intolerance: He is strictly dairy-free (no pup cups!). I know dogs can have sensitive stomachs—is lactose intolerance common in the breed, or should I be looking out for other food sensitivities (like grains or specific proteins)?
3. Diet: He’s on kibble + boiled chicken or scrambled eggs + kibble for breakfast and dinner. Twice a week he has either a raw beef marrow bone, roo tail or chicken carcasses for gum health and special treat because he's so obedient. He thrives on it, but I’d love to know if there are any "superfoods" you swear by for coat and joint health?
4. At what age do you recommend starting preventative joint support (Glucosamine/Condroitin), and have any of you dealt with Hypothyroidism (common in the breed) which can mimic 'laziness' or skin issues?
5. Weather: Since they have such short coats and almost no undercoat, how do yours handle the cold once the sun goes down? Do you find they actually need coats for evening walks or bedtime during winter, or are they tougher than they look?
6. Enrichment: We do indoor scent games, but is it worth transitioning to outdoor tracking or scent articles? Has anyone found that scent-work is more tiring for a Ridgeback than a 5km run?
7. Enrichment: He's learnt a lot of vocabulary. Do they ever get bored of standard tricks? How do you keep the mental challenge high once they’ve 'beaten' the basics?
8. Will I regret getting a dog as a single person? I've never been tied to anyone or thing ever so I'm freaking out. Anyone ever been the same boat? How do you even know you're ready for this kind of commitment?

If you have any more tips pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee I beg you share, please and thank you very much in advance

xx

potential new dog mum

ps: sorry for the long post

4 days ago

 

week 1

day 1

2 weeks ago, April 2026

November 2025

December 2025