Recently a good friend of mine from my home town contacted me for advice on getting a dog. Her family had never had a dog before so she had many misconceptions and questions. During her search for the right dog, she learned many lessons.
She had in mind what kind of dog she wanted. She preferred a smaller dog, and wanted a puppy. I asked her to keep her mind open because great dogs come in many sizes and ages and that an older dog that was already housetrained might be the way to go since she didn't have much experience with dogs. My dear friend has virtually no patience, and once she sets her mind on wanting something, she wants it now. I told her if there was ever anything that you should be patient about, it is choosing a dog. This was her first lesson, and probably her hardest one.
A few days later I received an excited phone call from her. She said she found a place that had over 30 puppies up for adoption. I wondered what kind of place this was, it wasn't the time of year when you would expect a lot of puppies to be at a shelter. Then she told me the name of the place. I recognized the name immediately as a pet store that was notorious for getting their puppies from puppy mills. I told her these animals were not up for adoption in the sense of the word that we are accustomed to hearing. In this case, adoption really meant buying. She decided to go to this store anyways, just to make sure. To her amazement, these dogs were indeed not up for adoption, they were for sale for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
Then she thought maybe it was a good idea to look in the newspaper and craigslist for a dog. She found a place that had puppies for sale for only $50. I informed her that if she supported these people by buying one of their puppies, they will breed their dog again and again if they know they can sell the puppies and that this only contributes to the overpopulation issues that animal shelters face everyday.
I looked up a couple of animal shelters within a 50 mile radius for her. She visited their websites and didn't see anything she liked. I encouraged her to go visit the shelters in person, because there might be a dog they just got in that wasn't on the website yet. And not to be so soon to judge a dog by his looks. I told her she might fall in love with a dog that she would have never expected to like. Personality means a lot when it comes to choosing a pet, in fact I think it the most important attribute in finding the right match for the person and the dog. I also told her that some shelters have a "wish list" where she can let the shelters know what kind of dog they are looking for and if they get in a dog that matches her needs they will call her.
She visited all of the shelters I suggested and did not find the right dog, but she said a few of the shelters offered the "wish list" service and she left her information with those shelters. I informed her that a lot of the shelters also have a service for rehoming pets for their owners that can no longer keep them. I suggested she call the shelters and see if they offer this service.
The next day I got another very excited phone call from her. She found a person who needed to rehome her dog because she was starting to travel a lot due to a severe illness in her family and she didn't have anyone to take care of her dog. She set up a time with the owner to meet the dog and once again, a few days later I received another exciting phone call. My friend finally found the right dog. The dog wasn't a puppy and wasn't a really small dog. She was a mix breed of about 45 lbs, and about 4 years old, she was already housetrained and behaved beautifully around her four year old son. Her name was Maggie.
My friend now knows the wonderful, fulfilling feeling of having a dog in her home. She also knows that finding a dog can not be a rushed process. She saved Maggie from having to spend any time in a shelter and Maggie and her new family are very happy.
Remember, when looking for a new companion, be patient, be responsible and be open minded.
She had in mind what kind of dog she wanted. She preferred a smaller dog, and wanted a puppy. I asked her to keep her mind open because great dogs come in many sizes and ages and that an older dog that was already housetrained might be the way to go since she didn't have much experience with dogs. My dear friend has virtually no patience, and once she sets her mind on wanting something, she wants it now. I told her if there was ever anything that you should be patient about, it is choosing a dog. This was her first lesson, and probably her hardest one.
A few days later I received an excited phone call from her. She said she found a place that had over 30 puppies up for adoption. I wondered what kind of place this was, it wasn't the time of year when you would expect a lot of puppies to be at a shelter. Then she told me the name of the place. I recognized the name immediately as a pet store that was notorious for getting their puppies from puppy mills. I told her these animals were not up for adoption in the sense of the word that we are accustomed to hearing. In this case, adoption really meant buying. She decided to go to this store anyways, just to make sure. To her amazement, these dogs were indeed not up for adoption, they were for sale for hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
Then she thought maybe it was a good idea to look in the newspaper and craigslist for a dog. She found a place that had puppies for sale for only $50. I informed her that if she supported these people by buying one of their puppies, they will breed their dog again and again if they know they can sell the puppies and that this only contributes to the overpopulation issues that animal shelters face everyday.
I looked up a couple of animal shelters within a 50 mile radius for her. She visited their websites and didn't see anything she liked. I encouraged her to go visit the shelters in person, because there might be a dog they just got in that wasn't on the website yet. And not to be so soon to judge a dog by his looks. I told her she might fall in love with a dog that she would have never expected to like. Personality means a lot when it comes to choosing a pet, in fact I think it the most important attribute in finding the right match for the person and the dog. I also told her that some shelters have a "wish list" where she can let the shelters know what kind of dog they are looking for and if they get in a dog that matches her needs they will call her.
She visited all of the shelters I suggested and did not find the right dog, but she said a few of the shelters offered the "wish list" service and she left her information with those shelters. I informed her that a lot of the shelters also have a service for rehoming pets for their owners that can no longer keep them. I suggested she call the shelters and see if they offer this service.
The next day I got another very excited phone call from her. She found a person who needed to rehome her dog because she was starting to travel a lot due to a severe illness in her family and she didn't have anyone to take care of her dog. She set up a time with the owner to meet the dog and once again, a few days later I received another exciting phone call. My friend finally found the right dog. The dog wasn't a puppy and wasn't a really small dog. She was a mix breed of about 45 lbs, and about 4 years old, she was already housetrained and behaved beautifully around her four year old son. Her name was Maggie.
My friend now knows the wonderful, fulfilling feeling of having a dog in her home. She also knows that finding a dog can not be a rushed process. She saved Maggie from having to spend any time in a shelter and Maggie and her new family are very happy.
Remember, when looking for a new companion, be patient, be responsible and be open minded.
Very good tips and points.
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