What's Your Breed?

Yesterday Animal Planet played several shows from its Cats 101 and Dogs 101 series. Its companion website actually has quite a lot of resources about dog and cat breeds, including guides to help you better choose which breeds might fit into your household best and how to prepare for their arrival. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, various cat and dog breeds are rated according to broad characteristics (with the disclosure that individual animals may or may not necessarily conform to them exactly): playfulness, need for attention, affection toward owner, vocality, docility, intelligence, independence, healthiness and hardiness, need for grooming, compatibility with kids, and compatibility with other pets.

Though the show is fun to watch, it’s not the main reason for this post. I want to talk a little bit about not only choosing which breed is right for you, but about where you go to get your new pet once you decide on a breed or mixture of breeds.

Here are a few statistics to get you thinking:

There are approximately 3,500-5,000 animal shelters and rescues in the United States.

There are currently 5-6 million cats and dogs entering shelters every year, and an estimated 3-4 million of them are euthanized every year.

25-30% of dogs entering shelters are purebred.

*Statistics taken from The Humane Society of the United States’ website.

Those numbers are always startling to me, no matter how many times I read or type them. It makes me wonder why people still buy from breeders, especially for family pets, when there are millions of adoptable animals euthanized every year. One of my family members recently purchased a puppy from a breeder, even after other family members urged her to consider adoption instead. She has adopted other dogs in the past, but she was determined to get a specific breed.  Let’s look at some of the ways you can break this cycle and have the best of both worlds—adding a dog breed to your family that is right for you and finding that new addition at a shelter or rescue.

Since 1 in 4 animals admitted to shelters is purebred, your chances of finding your chosen breed aren’t as bleak as you might expect. You can call or visit shelters in your local area, state, or region to see if they currently have adoptable dogs of your preferred breed.

If you find that shelters don’t have your breed when you call, don’t be in too big of a rush! You will spend a lifetime with your new pet, so be patient. Animals are admitted to shelters on a daily basis, so you may just need to give it some time. Many shelters also have waiting lists that you can request to be put on. They will ask for your contact information as well as your preferred breed (and/or any other characteristics you’re looking for, such as sex or color), and someone will contact you when that animal arrives. One of their main goals is to place as many adoptable pets as possible, so they will likely monitor those lists frequently and contact you as soon as a match arrives. However, it doesn’t hurt to call on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to check (calling more than that might be considered a nuisance).

Remember, you’re not the only one who just loves that one breed! There are breed-specific rescues across the country, so check to see if there is one in your state or region. If you find one that is far away, still contact them because more and more rescues are utilizing adoption transport systems to adopt animals long-distance. If you have trouble finding a breed-specific rescue after doing a Google search, contact your local animal shelters and they should be able to direct you to a breed-specific rescue directory. One example in Georgia is the SPOT Atlanta Area Animal Rescue List.

Consider a mixed breed dog, too. When researching dog breeds, you’re sure to find more than one that grabs your eye and seems like a good fit for you. You may find that in calling around, shelters have several mixes with your preferred breed(s). They will be able to tell you more about those specific dogs and whether they have the traits you’re looking for. Visiting shelters may also make this realization more apparent, when you meet a mix in person and see that s/he’s exactly what you didn’t know you wanted. So try not to get too caught up in finding a purebred necessarily—you may find that a mixed breed dog is the best companion you’ve ever had!

And last but not least, remember that disclosure mentioned above from the Animal Planet shows: breeds tend to have similar traits and features, but that does not guarantee that any dog of your preferred breed will automatically be a perfect fit. It’s extremely important to spend time with potential pets as individuals, rather than only seeing their breeds, to determine whether you want to take him/her home with you forever!