Before you visit the shelter, you must have a realistic idea of what resources you have to care for a pet so that you can make an appropriate choice. Shelters across the country are full of dogs and cats brought in by owners who found out afterwards that they could not meet the needs of their pets. Most pets live 10 years or more and you must be prepared to make a commitment to their care over their entire lifetime. There is probably no creature on earth with such a unique combination of physical charm and unrestricted love that makes puppies almost irresistible. Before you buy that adorable bundle of fur, remember that he or she requires a commitment of at least one year of training.
All puppies chew and have high energy levels.
You must know how to deal with these special physiological and behavioral qualities or the results will be disastrous. Joley, a young adult female doberman, came to our shelter under very tragic circumstances. Her owners were victims of a homicide and the rush of police and medical personnel into her home was extremely traumatic. These events were compounded by the fact that Joley had been kept in a garage and given very little interaction with people and almost no experience with other environments. We tried to work with her, but we could see that the shelter was not the right environment.