If you are considering adding a pet to your household this year, I hope you will look to the local shelters and rescue groups as your first source.

You Can Choose Your Breed
If you are looking for a specific breed, chances are there is a rescue group that has just the animal you are looking for, waiting for a good home.

If not, shelters also often get purebred dogs and cats. You may be able to call and ask about the breed you are looking for, but be aware that you may not always get accurate answers. It is best to just visit the shelter often, and be patient.

Find Shelters in Your Area
Find Dog Rescue Groups in Your Area
Find Cat Rescue Groups by breed

Benefits of "Pre-Owned" Animals
By adopting a “shelter” or “rescue” animal, you are giving a hurting animal a second chance. Though not all the animals in shelters have been abused, they have lost their homes and families, and are usually scared, lonely and often withdrawn.

You also help will be helping to keep the pet population in check by adopting a “pre-owned” animal. If more people did the same, there would be less demand for purposely bred puppies and kittens, and therefore, presumably, less supply.

Consider an Older Animal
While puppies and kittens are cute and cuddly, they do require more work and attention than adult animals. Once an adult dog or cat has adjusted to its new home, it will be a wonderful companion, calmer and quieter than a youngster.

Not All Problem Animals Are
Of course, many animals are brought into shelters because of perceived behavior problems. Often, these problems are really just a result of unrealistic expectations and lack of proper training.

With a little time and effort, most of the “problems” can be remedied. Some animals will have emotional issues that will need to be dealt with. An experienced trainer with knowledge of animal behavior can help work through these problems.

Find Trainers in Your Area

Define Your Requirements
Before you go to the shelter or call a rescue group, you should have some ideas of what you are looking for in a dog, cat or other animal. Do you want a small dog, or do you have room for a larger breed? Will you have the time and stamina to exercise a high-energy dog, such as a Border Collie? Are you willing to groom a longhaired cat as often as required?

If you are looking for a particular breed, you may have to wait a while for one to become available, but you will eventually have success.

Narrowing down your preferences and restrictions will help you avoid an “impulse” adoption that may not be the right fit. All those sad eyes looking up at you are hard to resist!

Sometimes it's Just Meant to Be...
On the other hand, be prepared for instinct and emotion to take over and lead you to just the right one. On the day this author found her dog Beckett, there were a number of puppies and young dogs at the shelter. At first she passed over “Rex’s” cage (as he was called then), when she read that he was six years old. But something kept drawing her back to him, and before long she knew that he was the dog for her.

He wasn’t much to look at then - skinny, greasy coat, almost bare in spots. And he didn’t seem too interested in anything around him. But she knew that she had to have him and only him, and never regretted the decision. He was a wonderful dog and a wonderful companion for the rest of his life.

Beckett's story illustrates the fact that what you see is not always what you get when it comes to adopting a shelter animal.

An animal's behavior at a shelter is a response to the environment. They may be withdrawn and depressed, they may be hyperactive and out of control. They may be in need of medical attention, or simply a good grooming or a change of diet.

Once in your home, with your love and care, their true natures will emerge. Hopefully they will all turn out to be the perfect cat or dog for you.

And don’t forget to have them spayed or neutered!

See also: Choosing a Pet
             Pets as Gifts

Read about the basic pet supplies you may need

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