NOTES FROM A DOGAGER: TIPS ON DOG ADOPTION

I WANT TO ADOPT BUT I DON’T WANT TO GO TO A SHELTER.

OK. Rude. But these days adopting a dog can be as easy as shopping for shoes online. With resources like petfinder.com or adoptapet.com, you can search by breed size or age. Remember, if you are looking for a specific type of dog, you will have to be patient in your search.

BUT I WANT ONLY A PUPPY.

Why? Puppies need a year of solid training. They chew your shoes and require housetraining. It also takes a while for their personality to come out. That sweet cuddly little baby puppy can turn into a yapping nightmare if you do not dedicate the time to their training.

Older dogs know who they are (and therefore you do too!). Oftentimes they do not require as much housetraining and, depending on the breed, need less exercise.

I REALLY WANT TO HELP A PUPPY-MILL DOG

Of course you do! Organizations like these are on the ground pulling dogs out of horrible mill situations and often help adopt them out:

http://milldogrescue.org/

or

http://k9millrescue.org/

or

http://k9millrescue.org/

or

http://www.animalleague.org/

Please keep in mind that 99.999999999% of all pet store dogs come from puppy mills. This includes online shops and any breeder who will ship you a dog without meeting you in person.