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When you adopt a puppy, make sure you find out what size the dog will be, consider whether it will require any kind of grooming and for what purpose the breed/breeds was designed. For instance, Retrievers, Border Collies and German Shepherds are generally very energetic dogs. They were not bred to be lapdogs. They require a large fenced in area and allot of exercise, attention and stimulation. Bored animals will be more destructive, both to their surroundings as well as chewing sores on themselves. Dogs with long hair coats require regular brushings to prevent matting. Larger dogs still need to be able to be part-time housedogs. No dog should be relegated to being fenced or tied outside when it is freezing or at risk for heat stroke. Smaller dogs like Chihuahua and Terrier mixes are not designed to spend all their lives outside. Plan on the smaller breeds being inside dogs with supervised exercise time outside several times a day.
Dogs that have Cocker, Poodle, Shih Tsu, Lhasa Apso, Yorkie, Schnauzer, and Maltese’s are just some examples of breeds that require going to be groomed at least every 4-8 weeks. This is an expense that must be considered when adopting the right dog for your lifestyle.
The dog’s temperament and suitability around children is also an essential consideration. Many of the toy breed dogs are fragile; children often drop them and break their legs. The smaller breed dogs often tend to be less patient with children and therefore quicker to bite. This can be a legal liability around friends in addition to the health risk of any child’s face or body being permanently damaged.
Besides the size and nature of the pet you adopt, consider the animals past, present and future health status. A major consideration in adopting a cat is whether it has been tested for both Feline Leukemia (FELV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). When adopting a dog, find out if it has been tested for Heartworm Disease and is negative. If the dog is at least 6 months of age it should be tested. You can tell if it is old enough if it has all of its adult teeth and no more baby teeth. A negative test will not guarantee it will be negative in the future if its past medical history is not known, but it is better to start out with a healthy pet. The blood testing for both cats and dogs will vary greatly from shelter to shelter. Usually, but not always, county run animal control facilities do not have the funding to run the recommended blood tests. Similarly, usually, but not all privately run SPCA type organizations will test cats for at least FELV, and you might find an organization that will test for both FELV and FIV. Most of the facilities that get private donations and funding will test dogs for heartworm disease. Some of the dogs are positive and still put up for adoption. These dogs can usually be treated, but it is a significant expense you need to be aware of at the time of adoption.
Spaying and neutering also varies from different adoption agencies. Please check to make sure that: 1- you are adopting a cat or dog that has already been “fixed”, 2- you are receiving a voucher to redeem for the surgery, 3- that you know up front that you will be responsible for paying for and then providing proof of spaying or neutering from the veterinary clinic of your choice within a set time frame.
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