Opt to Adopt ' Considering Pet Adoption

by Candy Valentino

Making a decision to bring a new dog or cat into your home is a big one and should not be an impulse decision. There are so many factors to consider when ensuring a good fit for both you and your pet. Choosing a breed of dog that fits best with your lifestyle is the key to a life filled with happiness for you and your new friend. Picking a dog from a pet store window just because he or she is a cutie could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself before selecting your dog of choice:

• How much time can I spend with my dog? Dogs are social creatures; they will not be happy left out in the yard alone. You must be committed to spending several hours a day with your dog.
• What kind of space can I provide for my dog? If you live in a small apartment, a Great Dane may not be best suited for you. Many dogs will not do well in a small space unless you expend a great deal of effort to meet their needs. Dogs can be pretty adaptable, as long as you help them out.
• How much money can I set aside for the care and feeding of my dog? Food, veterinary checkups, vaccinations and routine medical care, collars, licenses, ID tags, leashes, carriers: all add up over the lifetime of the dog. It also might be necessary to replace items the dog may damage or destroy as well as paying for medical emergencies. Making sure you have the financial resources to care for your new family member is essential.
• How much exercise can I give my dog? If you are very busy and your time is limited, you should look for a small or less active dog able to get enough exercise in your home or from short walks. Not all small dogs are less active nor are larger dogs more active. To find out how much exercise your pet will need, research the desired breed, or breeds, if it is "mixed."
• How much grooming can I do? All dogs require some grooming. Long-haired dogs are more likely to need additional grooming than short-haired dogs. Grooming is a vital part of good health. If you get a dog that requires regular grooming, be prepared for the expense or perhaps be willing to learn how to groom Fido on your own.

These are all good questions to ask yourself when deciding if you should bring a pet into your life, and if so which one to choose. There are millions of dogs and cats across the country, and thousands in our area, just waiting to find a new home

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Other questions before adopting your new pet include:

• How much training can I do on my own? No matter which dog you choose, training will make your dog much more compatible with you and your lifestyle. A trained dog can go more places with you without disruption and can more easily be a part of your everyday life.
  
• What are you looking for in a dog? Do you want a dog that will jog with you? Go on long hikes in the woods? Do you want a companion to travel with? An addition to your family and a best friend for your children? Or do you need a dog for protection when home alone?
  
• Once you have identified if a dog is right for you and you have done your research on the type of dog that best suits you, consider adopting from an animal shelter or rescue.
  
• The perceptions most people have about adopting are not often true. To clarify, here are some common misconceptions about rescuing an animal from a shelter.
   
  I want a specific breed. If I adopt, I can only get an older dog that is a mutt. NOT TRUE. I am a great example. I have the pleasure of sharing my life with 3 beautiful purebred Chihuahuas, all of which were adopted from shelters. We even adopted two of them as puppies.
  
  There are websites that have information on millions of dogs and cats in animal shelters and rescue facilities across the country. You can view pictures, read a description, find out their age, temperament, and even the information and location of the shelter that is currently caring for the animal. Some rescues are even breed specific. 25% of all dogs put to sleep in animal shelters are purebreds. The other 75% are wonderful mixed-breeds just waiting to find a loving, caring home. Thousands of Pugs, Greyhounds, Collies, Chihuahuas, Beagles, and more are available for adoption and able to be viewed at the click of a mouse.
  
  Currently there are 213,932 animals available for adoption on www.petfinder.com alone. There are hundreds of thousands of animals for adoption on www.1800saveapet.com and www.pets911.com.
  
• I don't want a dog with problems. All rescue/shelter dogs have problems. NOT TRUE. A dog that doesn't have a home must have done something wrong, right? Not so. The number one reason an animal is turned into a shelter/rescue is what we call, Owner Surrender. Most 'problems' occur from the dog not being properly trained, or the owner not choosing the correct dog to fit their lifestyle.

The top ten reasons dogs and cats end up in shelters are:

• Their owners are moving and plan to get a new dog there.
• The owners having a baby and don't have time for the dog anymore.
• Parents bought the dog for the kids and the children lost interest.
  The dog got too big for the home (a result of not doing proper research).
• The owners are getting a divorce.
• The owners are getting married.
• Growing children are demanding more time from the owners.
• The owners wanted a new puppy and the current one was getting old.
• The dog or cat sheds too much (not doing proper research).
• The dog or cat is pregnant (not getting animal spayed or neutered).
• All of these 'problems' can be avoided by properly selecting the dog or cat best suited for you and your situation, as well as conducting proper training for your pet.
• I want a puppy because they are easier to train. Believe it or not, in most cases an older dog will learn faster than a puppy. A puppy has an attention span of 4 minutes and a bladder so small that he has to go to the bathroom about every two hours. An adult dog has to use the bathroom less frequently, and understands why you are praising him. Adult shelter dogs bond very well with their new owners. They know what it is like to lose their family, and appreciate every little thing you do for them. Puppies think you owe them the world. (I know this to be true, you should meet my dogs.)

Adoption Fees. The fees involved for adoption are typically much lower than those of a breeder or a pet store. The rescue or shelter from which you're adopting is not doing any of this for profit. Your adoption fees help to reimburse the organization for veterinarian care, shots, spaying or neutering and daily care for the animal. More times than not, the shelters have far more expense for the dog or cat than the adoption fee covers.
 
Adoption Contracts. Most shelters often have an adoption contract for potential pet parents. The information gathered helps reaffirm that the dog or cat would be a good fit for you and you for the dog. The shelter also wants to make sure that you are aware of the long term commitment this entails. The contract covers requirements such as returning the animal to that shelter if you change your mind for any reason, the mandatory spaying or neutering (most dogs already are), and reviewing all information they have on the pet such as veterinarian records, age, breed, temperament or other special instructions.

Choosing to share your life with a dog or cat is a long-term commitment, one more wonderful than words can describe,-- if the proper research and selection is done first. (Although in some cases, the dog selects you!)

We feel so blessed each and every day to have our three Chihuahuas: Gucci, Louie, and Armani, in our lives. They each bring us so much joy and unconditional love. I hope that by reading this you will at least consider adoption by rescuing. It's a wonderful way to acquire a pet! You will not only dramatically change the life of that dog or cat, but your own life as well.

Did you know there are 45 cats and dogs for every one person born? Only 1 out of 10 dogs gets a home. Only 1 out of 12 cats born ever finds a loving family. 800 dogs and cats are killed every hour in the United States because there are not enough homes for them. That's over 7 million dogs and cats put to sleep each year due to overpopulation. Opt to adopt!

Candy Valentino
Founder & President of The Animal Friends of Westmoreland
www.animalfriendswestmoreland.org