Animals available for adoption at your local shelter are eager to find a new home and are just waiting for someone like you. You can depend on responsible animal shelters to screen the animals for sound health and temperament. When animals are relinquished by owners, shelter staff make every attempt to collect a thorough history of that pet. Then, while they care for animals at the shelter, staff and volunteers try to learn as much as they can about these animals and those who come to the shelter as strays. Don't be discouraged if, when you first visit the shelter, there are no animals of the breed or type you want.
Shelters receive new animals every day.
Your local shelter may also have a waiting list and can call you when an animal matching your preference becomes available. Before choosing your pet, you can even speak with an adoption counselor about whether your choice of a particular type or breed of animal will be best for you. In an effort to make good matches between people and animals and to place pets in lifelong homes, many shelters provide adoption counseling and follow-up assistance, such as pet parenting and dog training classes, medical services, and behavior counseling. Or they may be able to refer you to providers of these services in your community. Another advantage is that shelter adoption fees are usually much less than the purchase price of a pet from a pet store or breeder.