Choosing a New Dog - Shelters and Rescues - Part 3

Over the past several weeks I've been sharing some thoughts regarding sources for finding a new pet based on my own experiences. This is the last article of 3 consecutive threads regarding breeders, pet stores, and shelters/rescues. The purpose of these posts is not to say one source for finding a new pet is best, but to offer some pros and cons of each from my perspective as a trainer. Today I will discuss Rescues and Shelters

Read the other articles in this series...
Choosing a New Dog - Breeders - Part 1
Choosing a New Dog - Pet Stores - Part 2

To start, I think many owners would like to adopt rather than buy a pet. If you've been reading my posts regarding finding a new pup over the past weeks, I also think a lot of people believe that shelter dogs often have behavioral problems or issues. In my own experience, both as an owner and a trainer, this simply is not true. Yes, there are problem dogs that wind up in shelters, but there are also problem dogs that come from breeders. How do you find your perfect pet?

One nice thing about shelters is that you often have many choices. If you can get past choosing a dog based on looks and spend some time getting to know a potential adoptee's personality, you'll be taking the single most important step in choosing a good pet for YOUR family or home. When dogs are in shelter they may not always show their true colors due to the stress of the environment, but a long walk with a pet you are considering can tell a lot about how interested the dog is in pleasing, whether the dog exhibits any problem behaviors, conformation, and many other items.

Shelters also have a distinct advantage in providing choice on age. I always tell clients "puppies are hard work". If you want to take on that work, shelters can provide. But if you choose a dog 8 months or older, you'll generally find more maturity, learning ability, and see a more adult (finished) personality. This means you'll have an even better sense of how well the dog will fit in with your particular home. Many shelters and rescues will also have older dogs needing adoption, often they wind up in these situations due to family changes and no fault of their own. An older dog can provide great, calm companionship, and be a good choice for families or individuals that can enjoy mature dogs.

Finally, if you're looking for a pure breed, almost every shelter has them. There are also numerous breed specific rescues that can help you find a dog of particular breed in need of rescue. But if you're willing to look at a mixed breed dogs, you'll have more genetic diversity which statistically provides better health and vigor. Also, almost every mixed breed is a unique, one-of-a-kind animal - you can't get more individual than that!

Many shelters will provide some level of screening before placing a dog with a new family, Larger shelters/rescues typically have more resources in this regard, although many small rescues do a great job as well, Regardless, if you are exploring adopting a dog, please schedule the time necessary to get a very in depth sense of a dog's personality. When I go to the shelter to pick a new dog I often spend around 4 hours and "interview" 4-6 dogs. All I'm looking for is a sense of their personality. No particular personality is best, but owners should understand every dog is an individual, and you should spend the time making an informed decision vs an emotional one.

Shelter/Rescues
pros: diverse breed and age choices, socially encouraged, mature dogs available, mixed breed vigor
cons: often unknown backgrounds, varied screening programs