Part I: All About Pet Adoption in VS .NET

Making Code128 in VS .NET Part I: All About Pet Adoption

Great shelters are not usually hard to find Many cities and towns have excellent animal sheltering facilities that work hard to pair the right pets with the right people Where do you find a reputable shelter Even if you don t have one in your immediate vicinity, you may have one nearer than you think You just need to know where to look Sometimes the only nearby shelter is in great need of funds, volunteers, and resources, one that may not be able to provide careful screening, microchip identification, spay/neuter services, or even veterinary checkups before an adoption These shelters may be busy, hurried, and so stressed that they may even let you walk in and walk right back out with a pet That doesn t mean you shouldn t adopt a pet from such a shelter; animals in low-budget shelters with little staff aren t any better or worse than the animals in sufficiently funded and staffed shelters You simply may not be able to find out as much about the animal, and that means you need to be extra vigilant in choosing an animal that s right for you If the animal turns out to have an insurmountable problem, you may have to return it However, with the know-how you re getting from this book, you can choose an animal that works in your situation See the Checking out the facility section later in this chapter for help with adopting a pet from a less-than-perfect shelter

Letting your fingers do the walking is the first step to finding a shelter near you Look in the phone book under Animal Shelter or Humane Society, or check under city or county government sections for Animal Control Doing so provides you with a link to your local animal control agency, but it may not be your only option One great thing about the Internet is the way it has facilitated pet adoptions Several excellent Web sites link shelters across the country and quickly let you know exactly what shelters and rescue groups exist in your city, state, or region Using these sites, you can search online to find out what pets are available anywhere in the country You can search by species and breed, and some sites even have pictures and descriptions of the animals, including whether they work well with children or other pets This information can help you spot potential pets, which you can then meet in person, already armed with some basic knowledge Web sites are no substitute for an in-person visit, but they certainly let you know what s out there They even put you into contact with other nearby shelters that you otherwise may never have found These sites often list animal-control shelters, privately run shelters, and rescue groups Finding the perfect pet may be worth a day trip Here are comprehensive Web sites designed to put you in contact with shelters near you:

Petfinder: wwwpetfinderorg Pets 911: wwwpets911com World Animal Net: wwwworldanimalnetorg 1-800-Save-A-Pet: www1-800-Save-A-Petcom The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA): wwwaspcaorg Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): wwwhsusorg

Another great way to find a good shelter is by asking friends, co-workers, or local animal-care professionals pet sitters, doggy day-care owners, and groomers what they know about local shelters They often can recommend the best places to adopt pets or share with you their own experiences with different local or regional shelters If you already have a shelter in mind, talk to people who have adopted pets there, and if you can find them, talk to people who have been denied adoptions These people may not be happy about their experiences, but if the shelter denies someone who didn t have the right environment or situation to adopt a particular kind of pet, that actually is a positive sign that the shelter is keeping the best interest of the animals in mind If you don t know of anyone who adopted from a particular shelter, the shelter should be able to provide references or put you in touch with someone who has Checking these references can be especially helpful when you re adopting from a shelter in a different town or city Other sources to consult for more recommendations about or background on a shelter include: Local veterinarians Vets in the area have probably met and treated animals adopted from local shelters They may have special insight into the way particular shelters handle the health of their animals Although they may or may not like the shelter s procedures, vets may also have good insight into the health and temperament of some of the animals people have adopted from local shelters Local dog trainers Dog trainers, especially the ones who teach basic obedience courses, have probably seen many of the pets coming from shelters and may have a unique perspective on the way shelters assess adoptability and behavior Pet stores that don t sell cats and dogs These stores have probably sold pet supplies to many people who have just adopted a pet from the shelter Some pet stores work in conjunction with local shelters, even sponsoring shelter animal adoption events Pet stores may have information about and be able to recommend shelters