by Cody Tyler

Created on: November 01, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

A pet lover walking into an animal shelter is like turning a kid loose in a candy store! There are dogs of every color, size, shape and personality available. Once you step inside a shelter and start looking around at all of the precious, desperate and lonely faces of unwanted dogs peering out at you from behind bars you will most likely go home with a new pet in tow. Not that this is always a bad thing, but you may want to take into consideration some important issues before you head out to find the newest member of your family.

Do you live in an apartment or do you have a large fenced in backyard? How much time will you be able to spend with your pet? Do you have children and if so what are their ages? All of these questions will factor in when deciding the size of your dog, the amount of exercise you can provide for him and if it's a dog that is known to get along with children or other pets.

With answers to these questions in hand before you start to look for a new dog you have already limited your options. Now you don't have to waste time stopping at every cage in an animal shelter staring into every dog's large pleading eyes. Okay, you will probably still look at all of the dog's pleading eyes but at least you now know which of those pleading eyes to concentrate on.

If you have your heart set on a certain breed of dog then a breeder is the obvious choice to buy from. But you still need to do your homework. Make sure that the breeder has a good reputation and will guarantee the dog's health for the first year. Most pure bred dogs make great family members but keep in mind you will be paying a great deal of money to buy a pure bred dog.

Shelter dogs also make great pets and there may be an advantage to adopting your new pet. If you don't have the time or patience to potty train a puppy then you can look for dogs that are a little older. Dogs that range from 6 months to 6 years old may be worth your consideration. When adopting from a shelter your pet will already be spayed or neutered with all of his shots current. The cost is relatively inexpensive. And you've just saved the life of a dog who may have gone unloved and forgotten. A dog like that will remember what you've done for him and he will repay you tenfold.

Learn more about this author, Cody Tyler.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.