Pick Me! Why A Shelter Dog Is Your Best Choice
by: Emma Snow


Disney left a life-long impression on me when, as a youngster, I viewed the dog pound scene in Lady and the Tramp. Mournful mutts howled out a pitiful rendition of “Home Sweet Home,” which nobody but the most callous could sit through dry-eyed. The pound was portrayed as a cruel place manned by heartless dog-catchers. I vowed never to step foot in one, not even to save the life of one of the rejected creatures. Adopting a pet under such sad conditions would certainly place a cloud over the day. Could I ever leave completely happy with the dog I chose, knowing that dozens were left behind in misery?

My answer today is a resounding YES! From personal experience I have learned that animal shelters can indeed be the very best place to find your companion. As a volunteer in college I found that humane societies and animal shelters can be places of compassion, and the animals, while lonely, are happy, healthy, and not nearly as desperate as Disney made them out to be.

There are plenty of good reasons for bringing a dog home from “the pound.” In this article I’ll discuss just a few of them.

Typically, when a family decides to adopt a dog, they check the pet store, the newspaper, and maybe the neighborhood for a puppy. More often than not, this spells disaster. While unarguably cute, puppies are not for everyone. Puppies, no matter what breed, take lots of time, money, and patience. Unless you are prepared to deal with urine spots on the carpet, sleepless nights, and hundreds of dollars in pet-related equipment and veterinarian bills (not to mention replacing chewed up clothing), you are not prepared for a puppy! In fact, this is the very reason animal shelters are filled to capacity. Puppies grow up fast and their newness wears off, and all too many owners find themselves too frazzled to continue. Thus, Fido ends up behind bars for no fault of his own. The vast majority of dogs in shelters are there because people weren’t thinking about the time, effort, and money involved in raising a dog. (Other common reasons are families relocating, owner’s deaths, or divorces that leave a dog in the mix.)

Think twice before bringing home a pup. An older dog is calmer, will pick up housetraining (and other obedience training) faster, and have outgrown the frustrating chew stage. Perhaps the best thing of all is that they are more predictable; what you see is what you get. With adult dogs the size, shape, skills, and temperament have already been determined. Depending on the shelter, they may even have a pet history!