Most potential dog owners want their dog to be healthy, well mannered, loyal, and to fit in well with their family. Adopting a dog from a rescue is the best way to accomplish this!

1. RESCUED DOGS BOND WITH THEIR FAMILIES AS WELL AS PUPPIES DO

Many people believe that the only way to get a dog who will bond strongly and adapt well to their family is to purchase a puppy from a breeder or pet store. This simply is not true. Rescued dogs are grateful to have a home and make very loyal and loving pets. Dogs who are in shelters and rescues are desperate for someone to love them, and they are ready to give their whole heart to a new family who makes them feel safe and cared for. They will bond very quickly and deeply with a new loving owner.


2. IT IS EASIER TO FIND A DOG WHO IS A PERFECT MATCH FOR YOUR FAMILY BY ADOPTING A RESCUED DOG THAN A PUPPY

When you bring home a new puppy, there are many unknowns about the personality and temperament the puppy will have as an adult dog. You cannot be certain of what they will be like until they are a little older. When you meet an adult rescued dog, what you see is what you get. The dog's personality is already developed, so it is far easier to choose a dog whose temperament is right for your household and find your perfect match. Shelters and rescue organizations who have taken the time to get to know the dogs they are placing for adoption will assist you in choosing the right dog for your household, because they want a good match that will be the beginning of a lifetime relationship.


3. A RESCUED DOG MAY ALREADY HAVE BASIC HOUSETRAINING, MANNERS AND OBEDIENCE TRAINING

Adult rescued dogs usually need much less training than a puppy. Most already know the basics of housetraining and good manners. Many have also had obedience training and have been socialized with adults, children, and other animals. Dogs who have had a rough time while they did not have a home may need some patience and guidance while they adjust to a new family, but they usually adapt in less time that it would take to housetrain, socialize, and teach basic manners to a puppy. In particular, puppies must be taught not to nip or roughhouse with children. If these lessons are not taught correctly or consistently, the puppy can grow into a dog with behavior problems around children. When you adopt an adult rescued dog, you can select a dog who has already learned these manners.


4. RESCUED DOGS ARE NOT INFERIOR DOGS

Most dogs who end up in rescues are there because of a problem with their former owner, not because of a problem with the dogs. Some of the reasons dogs may end up in a rescue are: Many people do not realize how much time, effort, attention and expense is involved in owning a dog, and they either abandon or give up their dog to a shelter when they find they are not prepared to meet these needs; The dog's owners have a child and decide not to keep their dog; The dog's owners divorce and neither owner wants to keep the dog; The dog's owners cannot afford health care for the dog; The dog's owner moves into an apartment where the dog is not allowed; The dog's owner become too ill to care for the dog, enters a nursing home, or passes away. Many dogs also come to rescues from animal shelters where they would have been put to sleep, from puppy mills where they were used for irresponsible breeding purposes, and from homes where they were not well cared for.

If you have your heart set on a purebred dog, there are often expensive, purebred dogs available through rescues. Many families purchase an expensive puppy from a breeder and then abandon or give up the dog when they find themselves unprepared for the realities of life with a dog. There are also many wonderful mixed breed dogs available from rescues. Mixed breed dogs are just as healthy and intelligent as purebred dogs and make wonderful animal companions.

Most puppies sold in pet stores come from puppy mills or other irresponsible breeders, and many are not genetically healthy, so purchasing a puppy from a pet store is no guarantee of a healthy dog. Rescued dogs are screened for health and behavior problems, so you have a better chance of knowing about any problems when you adopt a rescued dog than when you purchase a puppy from a pet store or an unprofessional breeder.


5. ADOPTING A RESCUED DOG IS COMPASSIONATE

When you adopt a rescued animal, you are saving a life ! An estimated 3-4 MILLION dogs and cats are euthanized by animal shelters in the United States each year, most of them because there are not enough homes available. When you adopt a pet from a rescue organization, you are not only providing a loving home for your new pet, you are making the resources of that rescue organization available to save the life of another animal in need.


6. ADOPTING A RESCUED DOG IS SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE

By choosing to adopt a rescued dog instead of paying for a puppy from a pet store or an unprofessional breeder, you are choosing to not support a cruel industry that contributes to pet overpopulation and the neglect and abuse of animals.