A lot of the times when I’m having a conversation with someone about to add a new puppy to their household, their argument against adopting or rescuing a dog begins with “I have always wanted a …………”.  Whether it’s a Shar Pei, Doberman, Chinese Crested, Golden Retriever, Chihuahua or Newfoundland, there are rescue groups for almost every single purebred dog. Although it may take a little more time to find a puppy in some of the breed groups, it isn’t impossible and with a little planning it entirely realistic.

If you’re entering the beginning stages of discussing a new puppy for your family, this is a good time to start researching and looking into specific dog breed rescues. There are millions of dogs that are euthanized every year. Between having your pets spayed/neutered and finding good homes for dogs in rescues and shelters, we can save a lot of animals lives and decrease the amount of potential euthanasia’s each year. Wouldn’t it be great if we could break the record each year and continue to lower the amount of senseless deaths?

Here is your first piece of homework- take a look at the pure breed rescue groups and see if there’s a breed of dog that fits your families lifestyle. How do you know which breed will fit your families lifestyle? Great question! Check out all of the breeds at the Animal Planets dog breed directory. Each breed has a list of characteristics.  Important factors you will want to consider in a pet include exercise requirements, energy level, playfulness, friendliness towards other dogs, ease of training, watchdog/protection ability, grooming needs and costs, weather tolerance, personality characteristics, like barking. After you’ve chosen a breed that will fit your families lifestyle and living conditions, it’s time to start looking at all the cute faces out there. You can look at our list of purebred rescue groups on our site, or google your favorite breed + rescue groups.

Give yourself plenty of time, do your research and be prepared before you take your new family member home. The more you know going into this, the better of you will be. A happy dog will add years of love and commitment to your family. An unhappy dog isn’t good for the family or the pet. Adopting or rescuing a dog is a commitment for the lifetime of the dog, not until it doesn’t work out anymore. Our shelters are filled with dogs that have moved from home to home. We can’t blame the animals for this. There are few cases of bad pets, but too many cases of bad pet owners. We can increase the chance of a successful adoption by doing our homework and choosing the right breed for our budget, lifestyle and living conditions.

I’d love to hear your success stories and please add a picture in our photo gallery.

Have a great week!

Amy

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Click HERE - every click provides free food for dogs in need. TheAnimalRescueSite.com will donate money for every click to help provide food and care for rescued animals in shelters and sanctuaries. It takes less than half a minute and doesn’t cost a thing! Save Big Money & Love Your Dog!