Choose An Animal Shelter With Strict Adoption Policies
Be aware that some of the dogs that are up for adoption at your local animal shelter are there for reasons that have to do with specific behavior issues. For example, many of these dogs may have had difficulty with housetraining, messy grooming needs, noisiness, not getting along with other pets or children, hyperactivity, biting, or destructiveness.
These are all typical reasons why most dogs are given up for adoption. Should any of these characteristics prove to come to light with the dog that you have selected when he is home, the best advice is to consult with a professional dog trainer who specializes in adopted dogs. He or she will be able to help solve the problem for you.
However, as what happens just as frequently, a dog is routinely placed for adoption simply due to a lack of space when the owner moves from a large home into a smaller apartment or condominium. And there are reasons for children. Oftentimes puppies are purchased as nothing more than a gift for the kids. But what happens when the children get bored and do not want to take care of the dog anymore? You guessed it, off to the animal shelter it goes!
Do Not Be One Of These Owners
When you are ready to take your newly adopted dog home, you should have already asked yourself a ton of questions about how you will take care of the animal.
Will he be an indoor dog or an outdoor dog? Do you have the necessary sleeping equipment for the outside? Do you intend on tying him down or putting up a fence in the yard? Is he fixed already? If not, then do you plan on having him taken care of? Will he be living with other children? How about other animals?
Look For An Animal Shelter With Strict Adoption Policies
Quite often, animal shelters can be extremely selective about the homes in which the dogs will be going to. And it only makes sense to keep a dog at the shelter, or even have it euthanized, instead of it being brought into a destructive home that abuses the animal.
Many animal shelters make occasional visits to the homes to which dogs were brought after being adopted. Some organizations require certificates from a veterinarian that validate vaccinations administered and proof that neutering surgery was performed.
Any dog or other pet that is adopted under these agreements is generally sent to good homes. It is quite obvious that anyone who does not agree with these guidelines would probably not make a good pet owner. As you can probably guess, these types of strict adoption rules send more dogs to better homes over the long haul. In fact, I wish every animal shelter operated in this fashion.
