Adopting a Dog from a Shelter or Rescue Group

"To err is human; to forgive is canine"

Note:  The opinions expressed herein are solely mine, and are not necessarily those of any organizations referred to here.  My comments are based on personal knowledge and what I have learned researching the subject.

FACT:  According to the ASPCA, 60% of animals that enter shelters are euthanized.  By buying a puppy as a consumer, you are helping to perpetuate this problem.  For every puppy purchased, another homeless dog loses his chance at a home.  I'm not trying to be sensationalistic, just pointing out the truth.

Adopt vs. Buy:  The first thing you need to learn is to use the term 'adopt'.  Anyone can go to a pet store and purchase a dog.  If you plan on treating your dog as just another posession like a car or TV, then you are buying a dog.  If you plan on the animal being a member of you family and sharing in your life, then you are adopting.  This is not just semantics; these terms really do distinguish how you will look at your relationship with your pet. 

It is important you understand that adopting a dog is a committment for life.  Once that dog enters your home it is there to stay.  You cannot change your mind if you don't like the dog, if he does not fulfill your fantasy of what a dog should be like, or if he doesn't match the furniture.  It is excrutiatingly stressful for most dogs to enter a new environment.  There are new smells, new rules, new people.  The dog cannot be expected to learn all about them in a week.  It just won't happen. Most dogs lifespan is 10-15 years.  If you are not prepared to care for it for that length of time, then do not get a dog!  The shelters are full of people who dumped their pet for the same reasons you could come up with.  This is very serious business.

Dogs are Individuals:  This is what makes them unique, and so different than the rest of the animal kingdom.  Each dog has seperate personality traits and quirks that makes him or her special.  Some of these features are cute; others are incredibly annoying.  They are no different in this regard to people you may be related to or work with.  The difference is, more often than not the dog will be willing to curb the annoying habits and amplify the good ones to please you.  This is why dogs are so special.  Remember this when you begin browsing the shelters, or contacting the rescue groups.

FAQs and Phobias:  If you have accepted the responsibility of lifetime pet ownership, then we can move on to the actual selection and adoption process.  Many people are hesitant to go to a shelter for fear of what they might see.  Folks, I'm here to tell you, it isn't as bad as you think. The majority of animal shelters in existence today are clean, well-run and eager to help.  As an example, check out the shelter we adopted both of our dogs from here.  There is little difference in looking at cages of barking dogs of every description in a shelter and puppies in a pet store.  The only difference is the mental attitude you take with you.  Break the rules mentally and pretend the shelter is a pet store.  In this light you will be better able to select a dog that fits you.

Will there be pathetic, frightened creatures cowering in the back of their cages?  Absolutely.  They are pathetic, and they will tug at your heartstrings.  These are not the dogs you want, however.  I'll get into why a little further along.  The majority of animals you see will be clean, docile or rambunctious, eager to please and usually healthy.  So, herewith the first falsehood of shelter dogs:

If a dog is in the shelter there is something wrong with it.

Wrong.  The vast majority of dogs in the shelter are strays, lost in the world either intentionally or by accident thanks to uncaring prior owners.  However, a large percentage are also turned over to shelters by their owners.  The reasons for these surrenders border on the ridiculous, but here are a few of the more popular comments I have read on kennel cards:

"Not enough time for dog"  (usually means "I got bored with it")

"Moving"  (what, no room in the moving van for a dog?)

"Allergic"  (a seemingly legitimate excuse, but I wonder if they saw a specialist for a possible cure?)

"Too energetic"  (translation: I'm too lazy to take it to training classes or walk it)

"Barks too much"  (there is usually a reason for this, and it can be corrected with training)

"New baby on the way"  (this is my personal teeth grinder.  Why a baby means you can't have a dog is beyond me.  I hope they aren't so quick to dump the kid in day care when it becomes a burden too)

I won't tell you there aren't dogs in the shelter that have problems.  Aggressive dogs, fear biters, dogs that freak out when the UPS truck drives down the street, they are there too.  But with some careful (and usually easy) screening of the candidates, you should be able to pick a dog as level-headed as any you'd find elsewhere.

A great web page I recently found elaborates even more. Click here to check it out.

There are no purebred dogs at the shelter, only mutts.

Boy, are you wrong!  Every shelter has 'purebred' dogs, the result of too many greedy breeders and puppy mills serving an uneducated public.  We adopted a (normally very expensive) Australian Shepherd at our shelter.  Shelters cringe every time a new dog movie comes out such as '101 Dalmations', because they can be assured in six months they will be flooded with the dog flavor of the month.  The main difference between the shelter and the pet store is the shelter doesn't know exactly when they may get a particular breed, but if it's anything slightly popular you can be assured they will have something eventually.  If you are searching for a particular breed, some shelters keep a list of people interested in certain types and will notify you if one comes in.  This is very hit-or-miss, though, and I think this is where the breed rescue groups come in.  I'll discuss them more later.

Fact:  47% of stray dogs in a recent Pennsylvania shelter study were purebred!

Fact:  the most common 'pure' breeds found in shelters are Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, Beagle, Rottweiler and Siberian Husky.

But wait a minute...what do you have against mutts?  ASPCA icon Roger Caras once wrote "A purebred dog is a one night stand away from being a mutt."  Mixed (or random) breed dogs can be gorgeous, intelligent, are usually more healthy and are certainly more unique than anything your neighbor may have.  And mixes are just as welcome at obedience, agility and frisbee competitions as those stuffed-shirt purebreds.  If you study the mutt's probable genetic background, you can usually peg a couple of breeds that contributed, and determine what personality and other traits are likely to be present.  Our husky/shepherd cross has the obedience of a German Shepherd with the vocals and soft fur of a Siberian Husky.  She also loves to retrieve and swim, so there may be a bit of Labrador in there too. Use the probable mix as a starting point, but ultimately the dog itself will tell you what you can expect (more during the selection process).

The Shelter Dog Difference:  I have observed many times in shelter dogs after adoption that they are different.  It is as if they know they escaped the hangman's noose.  Unlike a puppy that comes from a breeder to your home, these dogs have been through something.  On their own, put in a strange place, not knowing what is happening to them or around them.  When dogs leave the shelter and find themselves in a home, they won't soon forget the person who took them away from that place.  You may find the shelter bright and inviting, but to most dogs it is a terribly confusing place they don't understand.  Ask the owners of adopted dogs and see if they agree.

Puppies vs. Adults:  Everyone loves puppies, me included.  Visiting the shelter to adopt an adult, I still can't help but be swayed by the cute innocence of the puppies that get dumped there.  But, I have taught myself not to be fooled.  They are SO much more work and trouble than a young adult dog.  To me it isn't worth it.  For some good reasons to pass on the puppy, visit our dogs page or the senior dog adoption page, which are the highlighted links above.  Can't stand the thought of that puppy being put to death?  I wouldn't worry.  In my experience with my local shelter, the puppies are gone within two days.  People with less smarts and backbone are easily swooned.  Let them have the housetraining, the crying at night, the destroyed furniture.  Adult dogs, until they truly become old (9-15 years) will still be every bit the bouncing playmates you desire.  The difference is they will actually listen to you!  Puppies are new to the world, and unlike us, they can't ask "Why?" about everything.  So, they must teach themselves, which means they are constantly poking their noses into things and running off to check something out or chase it.  You, as a human, are only mildly interesting.  As the puppy becomes an adolescent, however, he becomes acclimated to the world around him.  He realizes what things are and that they basically stay the same, but you, a human are always doing something different.  He becomes fascinated by your abilities and (hopefully) your leadership.  The dog focuses on you and bonds to you. Training becomes much easier thanks to the dog being distracted far less.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

This is the most untrue of old wive's tales.  Any dog can be taught to do things regardless of age.  Dogs inherently want to please you.  Once you have their respect as a leader (or 'alpha'), most any dog will be eager to learn from you.

A word about training:  this may be a whole other page some day, but for now I have a few suggestions.  You must take the dog to training classes.  Unless you are an experienced trainer, the benefits far outweigh any cost or inconvenience.  There are some tremendous books on dog training and even some videos. Some of my favorites (training and otherwise) are by Brian Kilcommons, The Monks of New Skete, Matthew Margolis, Linda Colflesh and Carol Lea Benjamin. But you aren't going to get a trained dog simply by reading these great trainer's words. Training classes are important because:

1)  Usually 8 weeks in length and about an hour long, a regular regimen of training will keep you involved and won't allow you to give up.

2)  You need to be trained by the instructor.  They will show you how to train your dog.

3)  Instructors will spot problems or incorrect habits with both of you that you might never notice.

4)  You must train your dog, not a stranger.  See #2 above.  Dropping off a dog with a trainer and expecting it to listen to you later is a bad plan.

5)  The training process is an exceptional way to get your dog to bond with you.

If you have a good trainer that uses positive reinforcement training, you will be amazed how much your dog will improve in only 8 classes.  I consider myself a competent dog trainer, but we still take all our dogs to classes.  It speeds up training considerably and I learn new skills every time.