Nowhere on earth will you find a greater variety of dogs than in the shelter of a major city suburb. In a year there will be purebreds of most popular breeds, a few dogs of rare breeds, indescribable mongrels, crossbreeds, tall dogs, small dogs, nasty dogs and many, ready-to-be-a-wonderful-pet-if-you-train-me dogs. The variety means you have a chance to get exactly what you want, but it also means you must make a choice.

Since some dogs got here as strays and some owners didn't tell the whole story, you won't have all of the facts. Shelter staff will help as much as they can, but the shelter isn't the best place to get to know a dog. Take your time.

Many of these dogs came from good homes but had bad luck -- perhaps someone had to move where dogs weren't allowed. In your good home they'll pick up and go on with little trouble. Others have had a harder life. One Toy Poodle was pulled from the mud in a drainage ditch by a man who was mowing his lawn nearby. She had evidently been on the road a while, for her toenails were an inch long and there were huge mud and grass caked mats in her fur. It took several hours to cut away the mess (and most of her fur) to get to the sores underneath. 'Otter' (for where she was found) is thin but she's sweet, playful, housebroken and adopted from a shelter.

Still others were too difficult for their first homes. A leader type Labrador Retriever/Whippet cross was turned in to a shelter ten years ago because her family was 'unable to control her.' She was almost adopted, but that family backed out. She stayed there five weeks, which is about five times as long as most dogs survive in that big city shelter. Right now she's curled up in a living room next to a box of ribbons she won as she earned two obedience titles from the United Kennel Club. Her most important title, however, is Wonderful Family Dog.

Rarely will you know the whole story behind your shelter dog. This causes some problems--for example if he's a puppy and you aren't sure of the breed, how big a crate do you need? Different breeds have very different temperaments: if you don't know the breed how can you guess? Even if this is a recognizable cross, you don't know which parent he'll favor. The Lab/Whippet, for example may have the scent and retrieving talent of a Whippet (not-so-good) but the trainability of a Lab (great!). But the reverse may also be true!

Some breeds are well known for certain kinds of health problems -- knowing the breed, a vet will check those things first if your dog gets sick. If you don't know the breed she must start at the beginning.

You don't know what experiences he had, either. You may find he's terrified of umbrellas, or wet grass or your raised hand. He may cheerfully poop in his tiny crate or be afraid to poop outside if you can see him.

If you have a cat, shelter staff may test how he gets along with them but they won't check squirrels so you may find your leash arm suddenly gets a few inches longer the first time you walk him in the woods. Gee ... he also wants to chase joggers, running kids, and buses. All of this can be handled -- and you won't get it all in the same dog.

But training is even more important for the average shelter dog than for others because he needs the confidence and you need the control and bonding that it brings. You should start basic training yourself, but a good obedience class is a wise plan.

The first owners of some shelter dogs were plain uncaring; these dogs can have diseases that come from a lack of care, such as heartworm. Fleas will be cleaned up by the shelter but you may have flea allergy to deal with. Intestinal worms are common and the shelter may not be able to get rid of them all in the time he's there. Stomach troubles from stress are not rare. Most of this stuff will show up early in the game and can be cured but some inherited problems won't be seen for a year or more.

A purebred from a quality breeder is unlikely to have any of the 'no care' problems and such a breeder will offer some sort of long-term guarantee. So why adopt?

Well, inside this pup there is generally a wonderful dog trying to get out. There's a lot of satisfaction watching that happen as you train and care for him, and in gaining the trust of an animal that can't be fooled and may never have known anyone worthy of trust. Many adopters believe that their shelter pups know they've gotten a second chance and show their gratitude in every possible way.

Adopting a shelter dog is the ultimate in taking responsibility for a species man created -- the domestic dog. Many of the crossbreeds and mixes are unique and wonderful dogs -- each from a roll of the genetic dice that will never happen again.

Shelter dogs aren't for everyone. But when adoptions fail, it's usually because the adoption had problems that would have prevented any dog from succeeding. Sometimes the adopter didn't understand how much work a dog is, sometimes he didn't have a stable enough life. Sometimes, he didn't care any more than the first owner did. If you know what you're getting into, see it as a real commitment, and are ready to roll up your sleeves and make it work, the chances are it will.

And since we've been talking bluntly about the hard parts, we also need to say that there's generally a lot more fun than hard work. Most adoptions do succeed, and 'succeeding' means you get a dog that is a pleasure every day of his life.

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