How to Choose the Correct Rescue Dog for Your Family?
Rescue centers across America are flooded with stray or abandoned dogs. Statistics suggest that nearly 6 to 8 million cats and dogs are sent to rescue shelters every year. Out of all these only 3 to 4 million animals, get human parents who are willing to adopt them. It is a pity that more than 2.7 million healthy animals are put to sleep just because there are no takers for these innocent souls. This gigantic number can be brought down to a minimum by encouraging animal adoption.
It is always beneficial to adopt an animal from a rescue shelter rather than buying puppies from breeders. This way, we save an animal’s life that may face death penalty for no reason. Even so, you must select the right pet from the shelter home. This is extremely important, as a pet, which does not gel up with the temperament of your family, will become a burden for you. Therefore, it is better to choose the right pet that fits into your family and makes you all happy.
How to select the right rescue dog from an animal shelter home?
This question needs to be pondered upon repeatedly. It might happen that if you end up in a wrong animal shelter or choose the most unfriendly dog for the family then, the whole joy of bringing a pet home will fade away. It would turn out to be an unpleasant experience and you would end up in deep trouble.
Some tips for finding the right dog from rescue shelters are as follows:
Research about the shelter home: Get every bit detail about the shelter home from where you plan to adopt the pet. It is a tedious task as there are around 3500 rescue shelters across the USA. However, you can rely on your friends who have opted to adopt pet from any of these shelters. Moreover, visit the shelter yourself to draw the facts right. You cannot gauge from the website how a shelter home actually is. So, do not go by the rosy picture painted by them instead, visit these shelters, check out their detailed procedures and then zero down on the correct shelter home.
Check out the dog breeds: Research about which breed of dog will suit your household and family environment. For example, if you have children at home then it is better that you choose a dog from the breed which loves children. If you have, old or sick people at home, then choose a dog breed that is warm, caring and alert. Going by the dog’s characteristic nature will be of big help when the pet finally comes to the home. Thus, keeping an eye on the dog breed also helps a lot in selecting the right dog for the family.
Check out your ‘would be’ pet: Once you find the right shelter, check out the animals there. You may like a few for their cuteness or lovely looks. Spend some time with the dog you want to adopt. Check out his behavior towards people and children in your family. Watch out if he shows some aggressive traits by giving him toys, treats and food. Spending time with him will give you a clear direction if the particular dog is for you or not. If he bonds well with you then adopting him would be a right decision.
Keep all these tips in mind while you are on a spree of adopting a rescue dog. These will help you a great deal. It might consume a bit of your time, but will get you the best pet for life. All the best!