You are viewing entries tagged 'shelter'.
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If you’re considering adopting a dog, shelters and rescue groups aren’t the only places to look for one. Each year hundreds of canines being trained for jobs, such as leading the blind or sniffing out explosives, ‘flunk out’ of school and are offered for adoption.
One such place is the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which breeds and trains explosive-detection dogs at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Dogs with medical issues (like allergies or hip dysplasia) are cut from the program, and offered to the public for free. Yup, you heard right. Free. But don’t get too excited. There’s a long waiting list for the 7 to 12 month old Labrador Retrievers and Lab-Viszla mixes.
Maryann Mott is a pet journalist and author. Her books and articles can be found at Petwriter.com and you can follow her on Twitter here. |
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When you don’t have the ability to have a dog in your life full time, there are options out there: pet sitting for family and friends, even volunteering at shelters or clinics that care for homeless pets. Ben Stein is right. A good dog can make most problems seem not so bad.
Can’t get one? Then borrow a dog from a friend or volunteer your time to help with homeless pets. You’ll be glad you did. |
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Volunteering at the local animal shelter can be a wonfurrful way to have a dog in your life when it is not possible to have a dog of your own. Shelters are almost always understaffed and having extra an extra pair of loving hands to care for the pups is always welcome. Be prepared to have your heart tugged on every day by pups needing good homes, but you’ll feel better about having given homeless dogs some love and attention while they wait for that special family to take them home. |
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Dogs who have been re-homed several times can understandably be nervous and unsettled, at least in the beginning. Any dog will be rattled and need time to settle in after having been moved to several homes with different rules and habits – with different people who give commands in their own ways. |
