Misconceptions about Shelter Dogs

Bringing home a shelter dog can be very rewarding. Not only can they be as loving, loyal and amusing as dogs raised by breeders, you’ll also feel a good about the fact that you’re saving a wonderful animal from an uncertain fate inside the shelter. While there are those people who will love their pets no matter where they come from, there are also those who would think twice about getting a shelter dog. Most of the time, they are apprehensive about bringing home a rescued dog because of established misconceptions. Here are some of them:

Shelter dogs were abandoned because they are bad pets. Absolutely not true! A shelter dog might have been taken to the facility because of a number of possible reasons including death of the original owner or maybe because the owner was neglectful or abusive so the authorities took the pet away from his custody.

Shelter dogs have behavioral problems. Instead of making generalizations, you can try to see the dogs for yourself and ask the shelter staff about their history and disposition. Most shelter dogs are only too happy to be adopted by a new owner that they end up rewarding them with love and loyalty and often make full emotional recovery.

Dogs in shelters are old and sickly. While it is possible that some shelter dogs have medical conditions, most are, young, vibrant and healthy. And so what if some of the dogs are old? Many shelter dogs that become very good companion animals are senior dogs. They usually make great pets for people who are old or less active themselves.

I can’t get purebred dogs in shelters. As a matter of fact, you can get dogs belonging to even the rarest of breeds in animal shelters. But mixed breeds make great pets too, especially because they often experience less medical problems than purebred dogs.

Shelter dogs can’t adapt to new homes. Dogs are social animals so yes, an adopted shelter dog might miss his previous family and might need to adjust to being in a new environment with new companions. However, most of these animals are eager to have new families because of their experience of losing the previous ones. As the new owner, it is your responsibility to make sure that a shelter dog adjusts well to his new surroundings.

In any case, getting a dog from a shelter puts you in an advantage because you will have access to the opinions of trustworthy individuals like shelter volunteers. These people work in that place simply because they love the animals and not because they want your money, unlike when you’re buying puppies from unscrupulous breeders.

Read more dog care articles on the AKC Blog and learn more about canine nutritional supplements on the AKC Wellness site.