Picking The Perfect Dog

Browsing through photos of adoptable dogs can certainly tug at the heartstrings. It’s easy to make a rash decision based on a friendly furry face, cute puppy dog eyes, or pressure from a pet-loving child or spouse. However, the decision to adopt a dog or other pet is one that will have a great impact on your life. So it should not be made lightly.

Whether you are adopting through a shelter, a rescue, or a specific breeder, it can help to know the common traits of the breeds you are interested in.

So we have created an interactive guide for finding the right dog. This guide will not only help figure out what dog might be best based on your lifestyle, but will also provide valuable information on caring for your dog, resources for your dog and which dog might be best for your personality.

Since 2003 San Antonio has had an increasing problem with stray dogs. Thousands of stray dogs each year are being returned to owners after being picked up by an animal control unit. The Human Society has at any given time a hundred dogs waiting to be adopted and there are hundreds or more looking for a good home.

Sometimes though the choice of dog is not a great match for the owner or the home it goes to. When this happens it can be dangerous to the owner and also other residents of San Antonio. Too many times we have seen residents attacked by stray dogs that were neglected by the owner.

This interactive guide will of course not solve this problem but its a great resource to make sure the breed of dog you want is a good fit for you and your family.

It will have you ask yourself questions like

• Where will the dog sleep?
• Where will the dog exercise?
• Will you allow the animal on your furniture/in your bed?
• How much time can you commit to exercising a dog?
• What activities do you imagine doing with your dog?
• Where will the dog stay when no one is home?
• How much is pet insurance and can you afford it?
• Who will watch your dog in an emergency?

Even provide questions for you to ask a shelter, rescue or breeder

• How long has the animal been in your care?
• Is the dog spayed or neutered? If so, how recently?
• What vaccines has the dog had?
• Have you done a behavioral assessment of the dog? What was the result?
• Have you tested the dog’s socialization skills?
• Is the animal microchipped?
• What are you currently feeding the dog?
• Does the dog bark a lot?

You can write down your questions or answers and be prepared before going to look for your new dog.

You can then answer the interactive quiz to find out your most compatible breed of dog.

All of this is done to ensure that dogs find a good home and to keep resident of San Antonio safe from stray dogs and incompatible breeds of dog.

We believe that a good owner makes for a good dog. As you explore the adoption options out there, we encourage you to educate yourself on what it means to really take care of a dog, and we wish you good luck on finding your new best friend!

Douglas Ketterman

16500 San Pedro Ave San Antonio, TX 78232