Shelters are full of dogs, both purebred and mixed breed, whose original owners didn’t take the time to research what kind of dog would be best for their families. They fell in love with puppies who grew too big or too hairy or too active. If you’re actively looking for a dog, visit your local shelter on a regular basis because new dogs come in frequently. If you’re looking for a specific breed, ask if they’ll call you if they ever get that breed in. A friend of mine did just that and ended up with the Dalmatian he wanted.

      While most dogs in shelters are adults, you may find puppies from time to time. The drawback to getting a mixed-breed puppy from a shelter is that, while you may be able to guess at the puppy’s lineage, you won’t really be able to tell how big or small the dog will be as an adult.

      Another drawback with shelters is that your selection may be limited. Even if you’ll be perfectly happy with a mixed breed, you may still have preferences as to size, coat type, or activity level. Small, cute dogs are the first to get adopted. Black dogs are frequently last. Depending on your region, pit bulls and pit bull crosses may be in the majority at your local shelter. Pit bulls can make wonderful pets for those who want an active, strong, short-coated dog. If you’re looking for something smaller and fluffier, you may have a long wait before the dog of your dreams is at the shelter.

      Look Online

      Many shelters and rescue groups post dogs available for adoption on the Internet. Some popular sites are Petfinder.com, Adoptadog.com, and Petcha.com. Using these sites, you can check out adoptable dogs all across the country. Click on a dog that interests you, and you’ll get more information about that dog, including how to contact the group that has him.

      Some shelters network with other area shelters to help a wider range of dogs find homes. Some shelters may also have foster homes that take in dogs to learn more about their personalities, such as whether they are good with other dogs, with cats, or with children. The shelter itself may work with the dogs to do some temperament testing and learn more about them. Our local shelter has a “test cat” that they use to determine how a dog will react to cats, but not all shelters do that. If you have small children or other pets, you need to consider this before you adopt.

      Animal shelters may not have many adoption requirements, but shelters are typically overcrowded and may not know too much about the available dogs unless they’ve had volunteers spend time with the dogs. Author Caroline Coile, writing in ShowSight magazine (March 2016) says, “While many fine dogs come from shelters, it is truly a case of adopter beware. Adopters should ask about a dog’s history, reason for surrender, and, if possible, should talk to [the] former owner. Caveats such as ‘doesn’t like men/women/children’ or ‘has nipped on occasion’ or ‘must have experienced owner’ may be red flags.”

      Sometimes dogs are surrendered to shelters complete with veterinary records and registration papers, if applicable, but this is not the norm. However, sometimes the shelter can find out something about the dog’s background from the person surrendering the dog.

      In the Mix

      Our first dog came from a shelter, and we were told that she was a St. Bernard/German Shepherd Dog mix. I think that was pretty accurate, but at that time, I didn’t realize that giant breeds like St. Bernards take about two years to fully mature. I thought that, at six months, Ginger was about as big as she’d get. I was wrong. Had I done a little research on giant breeds, I’d have known that Ginger was going to keep growing.

      It didn’t matter to us that she finally topped out at 110 pounds, but someone else might have returned her to the shelter.

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      Rescue Groups

      Dogs end up in rescue for many reasons. One reason may be that the former owners didn’t research the breed. They may have fallen in love with a cute puppy (and what puppy isn’t cute?) and found out as the puppy grew up that the breed was too big or too hairy or too noisy. Sometimes, older people are just not able to care for a dog anymore, and that dog may end up in rescue. Some people just give up on a dog when he reaches adolescence or when he chews up one too many pairs of shoes (which could have been avoided by putting shoes out of the dog’s reach).

      There are many rescue groups who focus solely on one breed or type of dog (e.g., giant breeds, senior dogs) as well as rescues who take in purebreds and mixed breeds, adults and puppies, and large and small alike. A rescue group may cover a large area, such as an entire state or multiple states, and there are also smaller, more local, groups. In my area, there’s a rescue group that takes in only hounds, mainly Beagles and Beagle crosses. Another small rescue takes in all breeds.

      If you’re looking for a purebred, and you don’t know of any local rescues, visit the AKC’s website to find information for that breed’s parent club; almost all AKC parent clubs have a rescue component or can refer you to a breed-specific rescue group. Some parent clubs list all of the rescue organizations connected with their breed; with others, you can contact the national rescue volunteer to find groups in your area. Find the one closest to your home and start there.

      There may be some conditions and will likely be a contract involved with adopting from a rescue group. Most rescue groups start out by having you fill out an application so that the rescue understands what type of dog you’re looking for and learns about what type of home you can provide for a dog. Once you’re approved for adoption, you’ll get into the specifics of what dogs are available for adoption and which one(s) might fit well into your family. If the rescue has no good matches for you at that time, they will contact you when a suitable dog enters their rescue.

      The rescue may ask your preference as to sex, color, and age. If you have a preference. answer honestly. It may seem shallow to say that you want a red Corgi and not a tri-color, but for a successful adoption, both you and the dog have to be happy.

      On one rescue application I saw, potential adopters were asked how they would handle a specific behavior problem. If questions like this come up, don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know or that you’d find a professional trainer to help. Professional trainers are professional for a reason. They’ve seen, and dealt with, many problems, some of which may be beyond the knowledge of the average pet owner.

      A basic question that is on all rescue questionnaires (and shelter applications, too) is whether you rent or own your home. If you rent, you may be asked to provide a letter from your landlord stating that you are allowed to have a dog and that no restrictions would prevent you from having the particular type of dog in which you are interested.

      With many rescue groups, the dogs awaiting adoption spend time in foster homes, allowing the rescue volunteers to evaluate them in a home environment. You’ll know before you adopt if the dog likes other animals, is good with children, or is a couch potato. Rescue groups want their charges to go to forever homes, and they work hard to make the best matches possible.

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      Docking and Cropping

      Adult Doberman Pinscher with cropped ears.

      Many dog breeds traditionally have their tails docked and/or their ears cropped, with reasons rooted in history. Centuries ago, people thought that docked tails prevented rabies. In the 1700s, in Great Britain, there was a tax on working dogs with tails, so many breeds were docked

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