When getting a new pet many people are wary or shy away from looking in the dog shelter. They feel that dogs that have ended up in the dog shelter must have behavioral problems or that there is something not right about them. This is generally untrue.

In fact, this is probably a tiny minority of the dogs you will find in the dog shelter. Most often dogs find themselves in a shelter because the circumstances of their owners have changed.

The majority of dogs in the shelter are there because their previous owner has had second thoughts. These could be completely legitimate thoughts. They may be moving overseas with a new job and can’t take their pet. The marriage may have broken down and neither party can look after the animal. There are also many dogs that are sent to the shelter purely because the owner has lost interest in the dog. Sad as it is, many pets are bought for the wrong reasons and once the initial honeymoon period is over the owner doesn’t want the responsibility of looking after an animal. So in reality most dog shelter animals are perfectly normal dogs. This article will cover some of the advantages of adopting a dog from a shelter.

The main advantage of a shelter dog is that it may have already been trained. This may simply be the most basic obedience training and toilet training or it could be quite advanced. This will help greatly for you and the dog as it settles into it’s new environment. It will have the skills to adapt to it’s new surroundings. Contrast this with a new puppy that would require toilet training and all the rest. Again, this depends on how much time you have to care and give your new pet attention. A puppy needs a lot of attention whereas a young or fully grown dog needs less.

Another advantage of a shelter dog is that you will be able to get a good idea of it’s temperament. When you select a pet be sure to take your whole family down to the shelter. Let the kids interact with the animals and see which ones are best suited to your family. It makes the process of selecting a pet more fun too and commits your kids to the dog ensuring that they will help take care of it. Also given the maturity of the dog it is unlikely that it’s temperament will change.

Another way to judge the temperament of the animal is to talk to the people that work at the shelter. In most cases they will have personal experience of the animal they you may be considering as your new family member. They have see it’s behavior with other animals in the shelter and how it reacts to humans. If you describe what you need in a pet then they can no doubt point you in the right direction and help you select the right dog for your family.

A dog from the shelter might not be a show dog and it may not have the cuteness of a puppy but it will be a loved and valued member of your family provided you do your homework about the type of dog that will best suit your family.

Tags: Dogs

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