What is the Happy Bus?

The Happy Bus is what we call the professional, registered Type 2 transport that the doggy you’ve adopted will travel in to come home to you! (Dogs already in the UK have a slightly different way of going home, as they’ve already been on the Happy Bus, usually some months before, but equal care MUST be taken.) We always bring the dogs right to your doorstep- no scary, noisy or stressful dodgy car park or service station drop offs!

Picking up a dog in a car park or at a service station has far too many risks of the dog escaping for us to ever do this

They will have been on this bus up to 4 days, as the journey home is a staggering 3000km! The buses are clean, with air con, with snuggly blankets and crate beds in the travel crates, and they are well fed. The drivers are experienced and kind. They stop for regular toilet breaks at officially designated stops as they go across Europe, but it can be worrying for the dog to leave their buddies, or their mum, or their human foster mums and dads behind. And the other dogs on board may be noisy and scared so it can be stressful for them… so it may be your Happy Bus as your dog is coming home, but it isn’t always so happy for them!

So extra care must be taken when they get off the bus to make sure they know you are a safe human right away, and get them in the house quickly and quietly, but not so fast that you scare them.

As part of our support service, the rescue shop has a wide range of calming herbs that will help your dog (and you; and your resident pets if you have any!) get settled, acquainted and calm . Ask in your Support Chat which ones would be best for your dog and you’ll get a free tailored advice sheet with your purchase. There are also free detailed large print PDFs on the website of each herb mix that you can save, download or print. The herbs are tried and tested on hundreds of our adopted dogs, and are very good value so we recommend all adopters try some out.

Do not assume they’ll just walk in off the bus (though they sometimes do)… And be prepared to have to carry them in, holding them firmly but gently, speaking in low soft tones, and not surrounded by flashing cameras and/or an excited noisy human and other pet welcoming committee! The drivers take a photo or two when you get the dog as a souvenir for you and for their records.

What do I need to get ready to collect the dog from the bus?

First and foremost, and you cannot collect your dog legally without one- you need a slip lead. Our shop has them and loads of other products for your dog’s ‘landing’ pack, like beds, bowls, blankets, harnesses, healthy treats and more! You give the slip lead to the drivers and they will put it on the dog for you while they are still safely on the bus, as they have made friends with the dogs by now and know what they’re doing. Do not leave the slip lead loose or too tight when you pick up or walk the dog in, and make sure any excess lead is wrapped round your arm but you have control of the loop part. For advice on how to use the slip lead, just ask in your live Support Chat or Happy Bus Chat.

You can also have their collar and/or ID tag ready, and a harness and lead so you can double lead to bring them into the house if they are comfortable with that… though most of our dogs come on the bus with their own collar, lead and harness. If the dog seems relaxed, then you can quickly add the ID tag to the collar your dog comes with, or put the collar on you have bought with the ID tag on, and in the event they do leg it (which we do not want to happen!) then the ID tag will mean people can contact you… of course this is the worst case scenario and this blog should rule out any chance of them escaping, but

fail to prepare- prepare to fail!

We custom make the ID tags for free and send them to you well before your dog arrives; and we register the dog for you with Petlog Premium (you will have created or activated your Petlog account before they arrive as well, with our advice and support) and Petlog have a lost dog service you can activate in one phone call!

Sample pics of ID tags We update our tag designs all the time, but these are typical ones we can custom make for you.

It’s best to get a small bag together the night before the dogs come and hang it by the door you are going to bring the dog back through. The drivers can use the bag to put their passport and other documents in for you as well, so you don’t lose them. Put the slip lead, and their other items (collar, tag, harness, lead, if they’re not coming with their own though as we said, most do have their own). The drivers will scan the dog for you so you can see that everything matches up, and show you on the doggy scanner they have on board.

You will be informed every few hours on your live Skype Support Chat exactly where the dog is throughout the bus journey, and given the ETA plus/minus an hour maximum as soon as the dogs ‘land’ in the UK! We provide maps to help you see precisely where they are, in live time, which can help you keep your own understandable nerves in check…

So you also need to be on your live Happy Bus Chat from when they leave, on Skype, as the team will be there with you 24/7 while your dog comes over, when they arrive, and for the DEFRA quarantine period (48 hours.) They will support and advise you every step of the way.

You must do all of this when your dog comes. It is one of the conditions of adopting that you know how to bring the dog in safely.

The rescue will teach, advise and support you all the way, and you can even ‘practice’ getting the dog off the bus with a soft toy and slip lead. Nobody under the age of 16 can collect the dog from the bus at all, and it has to be an adult over 21/the primary adopter, with any partner close by but not crowding the dog so you can both ‘bus bond’ the second your dog arrives and you (very carefully, and only if you feel you are in total control of the dog) walk them or carry them in!

Safely crated as per long distance travel laws!

If you would prefer the driver brings them in for you, let us know. The drivers would carry the dog in for you, though you will still have to give them the slip lead, collar/ID tag etc and a bag for the dog’s documents first. They will only use a crate to bring them in if they are super scared. We would prefer no crates in the home as they’ve been in one for four days, so for a scared dog use a blanket fort, dog ‘cave’ bed, or doggy teepee instead.

If you have a drive up to your home and/or a porch, immediately close the drive gates and/or porch door the second you are through them with the dog. This will give you the chance, should you drop the dog or lead, to immediately gather in back up and make the dog safe again and give them no obvious escape routes. Sometimes having a drive is good as you can get the dog away from a busy road, but sometimes it means dogs take longer to get in the house, and while the driver will park as close to your front door as they can, sometimes having a home where the door is right on the pavement can make it quicker and easier to get the dog indoors.

DO NOT TRY it like THIS AT HOME! No slip lead and sprawling like this is a recipe for disaster!

When carrying a dog, it's important to support their weight and keep them upright to avoid putting strain on their back or making it hard for them to breathe. So for carrying different sized dogs:

Small dogs: Use both hands, one under the chest and behind the front legs, and the other supporting the rear end. Hold the dog close to your chest.
Medium-sized dogs: Squat and wrap one arm under the front legs, behind the chest.
Large dogs: Bend your knees and wrap one arm across the front of the dog, supporting their chest. Put your other arm around their back legs, supporting their rump. If your dog weighs more than 40 pounds, you might want to get help from a second person. Make sure you have the slip lead wrapped round your arm, not your wrist, in case they do decide to do a runner, else you could hurt your wrist. And try and make sure they’re facing at least part away from you unless they seem to be content to nestle their heads under your chin. Scared dogs can nip and you are new to them…

Go through with the rescue team the kind of entrance you have to your property to get the best tailor made advice to get them over the threshold and safely home.

Imagine you’re carrying your newlywed partner or new baby over the threshold and, while making sure they’re upright, take the same care, and broadcast the same love you would to them, to the dog through your tone of voice, facial expressions and calm confident body language; and especially through your arms around the dog and down the slip lead.

You will be given the time your DEFRA quarantine ends on your Skype Support Chat as soon as you’re in the house- make sure you make a note of it! And stay on your Chat as much as possible through the quarantine time.

What if I’m having to do this with more than one dog?

If you’re adopting two dogs at the same time, then all the above still applies. However, you could bring them in one at a time from the bus if they see quite relaxed, or two legally responsible adults/members of the household could do one each but bring them in together or again, you ask us to request the drivers bring them in. Getting the drivers to do it does prevent ‘bus bonding’ which is the best way to introduce yourself to the dog, as they can smell you better and start ‘learning’ you right away, but there’s nothing wrong in leaving it to the professionals to bring one or more dogs in.

If you are adopting and there’s already resident pets in the home, make sure they are safely away and can’t get out while you’re at the bus. Give the new dog time to check out the area where you want them to be while keeping the area small at first (e.g. lounge and kitchen) then slowly expand it. Don’t expect the dog to get on with other pets immediately, (or your pets to immediately befriend the new dog) as everything will smell different including the pets, plus they still have no idea how your house works, or sometimes what a house is! And don’t let the resident dog go near the new dog’s bed, bowls or toy.

A good general rule for other pets (and your kids!) is to start just after the DEFRA quarantine ends, provided the new dog seems willing, to slowly introduce the most friendly pet and most dog savvy kid, but make sure the new dog can find their safe space immediately and separate all pets again till the new dog seems less stressed if you feel any of the pets don’t feel good about it. Make sure they are both on a slip lead (or for the resident dog, a collar/lead or harness lead combo, depending on what they are used to.) You may need stairgates or similar to cordon off areas so all the pets, old and new, are comfortable. Our rescue team are super experienced with introducing the new dog(s) to resident dogs, cats and kids- so ask them things! There is no such thing as a stupid question! While all this will have been discussed during your application, it’s very easy to forget something in the excitement and stress of a new pup or pups coming home.

Once they’re safely through the door, what’s next?

DO NOT take off the slip lead. They’ll need it on for the first ventures they have into your garden. If your garden is communal or open, NEVER leave the house without the dog being double leaded at least! This goes for people with their own/secure gardens as well, when you first start toilet training and walks. Triple leaded is actually the safest, with slip lead, and a combination of collar and lead, and a 2 point harness minimum that is also leaded up so you and the dog feel totally secure. You can twist those leads together for extra strength and control.

Make sure you have your calming music or nature sounds on as advised by the team before you go out to the bus, to reduce noise sensitivity. The dogs won’t know your voice or home or outside noises so having a consistent background noise really helps them to realise your house is safe.

You can gently let the slip lead drop to the floor and trail behind them as you let them investigate the area you want them to decompress in first. Be prepared to pick up the far end of the slip lead again at a moment’s notice, and make sure it’s the far end as grabbing the lead by their necks could stress them out. If you do let them outside to see if they need the toilet, make sure you have the other end of the slip lead securely held in your hand and wrapped at least once round your wrist, but it can be loose enough to let them have a good sniff around the garden, as dogs use smell to make sense of their surroundings.

Simple rule from the second they get off the bus- if they are outside, DO NOT DROP THE LEAD!! (And if you do drop it, immediately pick the lead back up- don’t grab at the dog!)

Make sure their safe space, that contains their soft bed, a blanket, one soft toy and their bowls nearby already, with food and water in, is ready before the dog comes, nowhere near any wires or anything you want chewed. You can enclose the area with a stairgate, blankets or a teepee if the dog seems to need them, and see what your new dog likes best while they aren’t to be left unattended during DEFRA quarantine but also beyond that, as no matter how many times you’ve adopted a dog, there’s always something new to learn about any dog and it’s important you get it right.

Do not overload the dogs with stimuli- so just one toy is fine, or a ticking clock nearby, and they may prefer blankets to a bed at first as well. You may have to move safe spaces about, or have more than one safe space prepared, as the dog may avoid or ignore the place you’ve selected. They do not know you or your home yet and they need time to adjust. Have a washable pad down just in case, but do not rely on pads for toilet training- try and get them to see that outside=toilet as soon as possible and prepare yourself to have to be out there with them day or night, rain or shine, encouraging and praising them when they do go potty.

We have lots of advice blogs on how to decompress your dog, and how and when to introduce toys- see the further reading for links to those! And your team will be available 24/7 with support and advice till you feel comfortable. Only then will we go back to normal hours (12-12 Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays with a fast out of hours service.)

And once they are in the safe space they choose, leave them alone! And let them sleep, all day or night if needs be. We cannot stress this enough! As long as they’re not right by the front door as you need to keep that clear, let them ‘land’ wherever they want, even if that place seems odd to you like under a table or in the disused/decorative fireplace (yes we have had a dog ‘land’ in one of those once…) turn that space into a blanket fort round them and give them time! Do not fuss them if they are in their bed or safe space. Talk to them in happy but soft tones, using their name and short phrases like ‘good dog’, ‘safe now’, ‘time for sleepies’ etc.

Carry on with your normal routine, make a cuppa, keep noisy things like vacuuming and the washing machine to a minimum, and let them learn you. Keep an eye on them, but from a distance, and update your Happy Bus Chat with hourly photo and video updates so the team can advise you in live time on their body language and progress.

And be prepared to have to sleep downstairs near them for at least the 48 hours quarantine period, and beyond if they need it. And of course you’re going to be excited and nervous but keep your movements around the dog slow and steady as the dog won’t realise you’re excited to see them and they may misinterpret that excitement as stress, which will make them more stressed. In dogs, excitement and stress are almost the same thing; they do not know that’s not how humans usually work.

Some dogs seem to settle immediately, some seem scared for longer. BUT ALL dogs are good at ‘faking it’ so they seem cute and non-threatening to the new people, hoping the new people won’t hurt them, so give them time- days, or weeks- for them to work out your home and the house rules, whether they seem to have made themselves at home right away or not. We call this process of settling in decompression and we ask that you re-read all the blogs listed below before, during and after your dog comes home, after a successful application, and ask every question you wish and need to, to your rescue support team, before during and after your dog comes home. For the lifetime of the dog.