Picking the Right Pet

Picking the right pet for you, your family and your lifestyle is an important part of the adoption process. Adoptions counselors are available to help you find the right match for you. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

How much time do you have to dedicate to a pet?

How much time do you have to train a pet?

How active is your lifestyle?

Do you value your furniture and rugs, or are you planning on replacing them in a few years anyway?

Are you adopting for you, or is this pet for someone else?

Are you ready to commit to the lifetime of your new pet?

Many families come to the shelter to adopt a puppy because the children have been begging for a dog for years. After spending time with an adoption counselor, many families decide that adopting an older pet that is easier and faster to train than a puppy is more suitable for their needs. Many families with young children often realize that a teething puppy or rambunctious young dog isn't what they want near their infant or toddler.

Some people want a cuddly cat who will purr in their laps, and others specifically want a cat that is independent and loves other cats. Kittens are always adorable, but choosing an adult with a personality that matches the adopter's needs is sometimes better than choosing a kitten whose personality when grown is unpredictable.

For those who are prepared for the joys, challenges and surprises of "puppyhood" and "kittenhood," we often have these pets available for adoption. Since these pets are usually adopted very quickly, we offer the Special Companions program to members to assist you in your adoption search.

There is a matching pet for everyone. We hope this information has been helpful, and we look forward to providing adoption counseling to you as a free service when you are ready to adopt a pet. Please visit us during regular shelter animals or email us at info@njshelter.org

Size of the Pet

Many families come to the shelter in search of a small dog because they live in an apartment. However, there are many small dogs, such as Jack Russell terriers that require a great deal of exercise and outdoor time. These are not ideal apartment pets at all. Some larger breeds, such as greyhounds, are actually perfectly suited to sleeping on a sofa all day.

Also, toy breeds are sometimes nippy and less patient with children. Their size also makes them more sensitive to rough touch, so toy breeds may be unintentionally injured by an unsupervised child.

Picking a pet by personality and temperament is often the best, rather than by size, color or breed. Some of the best adoptions occur when you can describe the personality, activity level and other temperament qualities to an adoption counselor, who can then suggest potential matches for you.

Pure Breed or Mixed Breed?

The Labrador Retriever gained its reputation as an all-around family companion, great with children, friendly to people and other dogs, an easy-keeper for an active family. But a Labrador Retriever in a family that is not prepared for a large, boisterous, energetic dog that retrieves everything that's not nailed down and can clear a coffee table with a swing of the tail is a dog that quickly becomes a liability. Labs with no manners end up in animal shelters and in rescue, their owners disillusioned with the breed.

A pure bred dog or cat from a reputable breeder or breed rescue group can make wonderful pets. However, mixed breed dogs and cats make great pets too, and mixed breeds have some advantages over pure breed dogs.

Health Concerns:

One of the benefits of a mixed breed dog is genetic diversity. When people breed for particular traits in a dog or cat (color, size of ears, shape), they are also unintentionally breeding some