How to Adopt a Dog

Video Transcript

"I'm Nancy Frensley. I'm the training manager at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society, in Berkeley, California. Today, we're going to talk a little bit about how to adopt a dog, and what it is you need to do. I mean first of all, there are hundreds of thousands of dogs in every community available for adoption at humane societies and municipal shelters, so it's real important to look at your humane society shelters to see what dogs are available that are extra. There are some really great dogs out there. When you adopt a dog different organizations have different types of requirements, so very often you'll be asked to fill out a form. Sometimes, you'll have to go through an interview. Some organizations do a check of your home to make sure that you have adequate facilities, fencing, etc. for a dog, and they want to know a little bit about how you're going to deal with a dog when, you know, when it's in your home, because a dog is a lot of work, especially at first. They're the greatest companions on earth, but when you adopt a dog and first take a dog into your home, whether it's a puppy or an adult dog, there is some work that you really need to do to make that dog a success in your home. So, first of all when you go to a shelter to adopt a dog, or go to one of the many, many rescues look for that dog that seems to want to come up to you, and even to everybody else. That's a friendly dog. A dog that is giving you that oh, come over here, come pet me, come look at me; those are dogs that really, really want you to love them, so those are good to look for. Most of the dogs these days that are in humane societies and shelters have been temperament tested, so the shelters and the rescues will have some sort of history on how the dog behaves, and whether they might do okay with cats, and and children, and fit in with your lifestyle. Don't fall in love with the first dog you see. Look at a lot of them, and really make a decision about what type of dog and what type of behavior will fit with your lifestyle. If you're not a jogger you don't want a dog that needs to run all the time. If you're a couch potato you might want a dog that's more inclined to hang out with you in front of the TV, you know. If you like to go for long walks in the woods, there are places where there are lots of dogs you want a dog that's dog friendly. So, you've got to really think about your lifestyle, and the types of behavior and the the physical type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle."