Thinking about adopting a pet from a dog shelter? Use this list of questions to help solidify your decision. The answers to these questions may motivate you to consider a breeder instead, or they just may send you home with one of the most lovable creatures on earth. A dog adoption shelter carries a wide range of lovable dogs.

1. How did the dog I’m interested in end up in a shelter? Although a dog shelter may not have access to a dog’s history, it will certainly know how the dog landed into its facilities. Generally, sheltered animals were dropped off by their owners, found running around in the streets, or retrieved by an animal control organization.
2. Why would someone drop off the dog I want? Is there something wrong with it? Many people drop of pets that they’re no longer able to care for, and the reason doesn’t necessarily indicate that there’s anything wrong with the animal. Today, more and more people are moving out of their homes into no-pet rentals so that could be a reason why a dog is sheltered. Another reason is because its owner discovered the dog required more time, energy, or grooming than expected.
3. How old are the dogs in your shelter? Be prepared to hear a surprising wide range of ages in the answer to this question. Try from eight weeks to 15 years old!
4. How long do you keep your animals? In particular, the dog that I’m interested in? This is an important question considering dogs that are sheltered for several years demonstrate typical dog adoption shelter behavior. This is of course, behavior that necessitates training.
5. Does my dog of interest have any health issues I should know about? No shelter will release a severely ill dog. But that doesn’t mean all their animals are 100% healthy. Your dog of interest might have a minor issue that can be easily treated by your local vet.
6. Has my dog of interest received any medical care at all? Just as no shelter will release a severely ill dog, no shelter will let a dog suffer with disease either. If a dog shows a potential for adoption, its shelter will treat it medically although the extent of that care will vary with the shelter. Municipal shelters will offer minimum care while private shelters may offer the basics plus shots, deworming, neutering, and spaying.
7. What about training and socialization? Training and socialization is a service provided by the smaller, private and progressive shelters. Municipal shelters are too overcrowded and understaffed to provide this service.
8. What kind of behavior should I be warned about? Asking this question will give you a heads up on what kind of training your dog will need. This includes information regarding the dog’s activity level, house training, and aggressiveness towards people and other animals. If you think you can’t accommodate unusual behavior, seek out a different dog.
9. Will my dog of interest get along with my kids? Having children, this should be one of the first and foremost questions asked. See our article about the best dogs for children for tips on finding a kid-friendly canine.
10. Will my dog get along my other pets at home? This is a hard question to answer without knowing the specifics, but a shelter should be able to give you a general idea based on the information we’ve provide in our article about adopting a dog with other pets in your home.
11. Can I return the dog if it proves too much for me? Shelters will generally accept a return if it’s seriously ill or if it demonstrates uncontrollable behavior.