Adopting a Dog By: Miss Hamilton P. 1

What is Dog Adoption? You don't have to buy a dog to experience true bonding. Ask anybody who has adopted an adult dog, and they'll swear their bond with their rescued pal is as deep as they come. In the process of dog adoption, a caregiver is choosing to assume responsibility over a dog which he/she rescues from an animal shelter.

Animal Shelters Animal shelters provide care and treatment to animals needing protection, attempt to find homes for homeless animals and reunite lost pets with their families. When necessary, animal shelters provide a humane death for homeless or unadoptable animals. Today’s shelters range from single rooms with multiple cages to state-of-the-art facilities with amenities that might rival some hotels. – The “luxury” features, like piped-in music and waterfalls serve to reduce the stress to the animals in the facilities and make the shelter an inviting and positively viewed destination rather than a depressing one to be avoided—thus increasing the chances that the animals at the shelter will find a new home.

Process of Puppy Adoption Shelters have the animals' best interests at heart. They want to see their pets go to loving, permanent homes where they will be properly cared for. To help ensure that their pets are matched with responsible, appropriate owners, shelters often have a screening process in place. The screening process benefits both the pet and the potential adopter; it helps to increase the likelihood that you will go home with a pet that's right for your family, one that fits your lifestyle. The process often varies from shelter to shelter.

Adoption Process Continued... Common Steps to Adoption process: 1.Often the shelter will have you fill in a "lifestyle survey", asking questions on how much time you spend at home, how active you are, whether you have other pets, and other such questions. What they're trying to determine is the type of pet that would fit your lifestyle - they want both you and the pet to go home happy. 2.You may also be asked to attend an interview, fill in an application, and sign a contract. Pet rescue organizations work in much the same way. 3.They may also require a home visit, references from your vet, and possibly other requirements.

Advantages to Adoption You’ll essentially be saving a life. You can adopt a dog that is already trained. You’ll be informed of your dog’s personality and temperament. The cost of adopting a pet at an animal shelter is usually inexpensive compared to buying one from a breeder or pet store. Often animals adopted from shelters have already been neutered or there is some economic incentive to have the animal neutered. Most of these animals have also been wormed and vaccinated.

Advantages to Adoption Continued... Adopting a companion animal from a shelter means you are helping, and not contributing to, the pet overpopulation problem. Adopting a mature dog means that you do not have to go through the demanding stage of raising a puppy. Providing the animals get along, an adopted pet can be good company for other pets. You can choose from a wide variety of breeds.

Disadvantages to Adoption Due to the treatment of many of the sheltered dogs, their temperament may pose more behavioral issues. The dog has already "lost" its human family and may tend to be insecure. Therefore, it requires careful behavioral and emotional guidance.

Adopting a Dog Bibliography Sternberg, Sue. Successful Dog Adoption. Indianapolis, IN: Howell Book House, Miller, Pat. Do over Dogs: Give Your Dog a Second Chance for a First Class Life. Wenatchee, WA: Dogwise Pub., 2010.