I am looking for a black and white baby chihuahua dog for adoption. what site can i see it and know who to contact for it. or name a adoption center.

Rescue Puppies: Shelters Or Breed Groups - Which One To Choose?

Is it possible to find a quality puppy to adopt at your local animal shelter or breed rescue group?

Conventional wisdom says no, but representatives of both enterprises say that's not always the case. In fact, many puppies are given up and not adopted for a while. For example, one pup named Tiger was dropped off at a local San Diego shelter when he was justಌ weeks old and is still waiting to be adopted. He is 8 months old now.

You can find a lovely puppy at a shelter. Some of these puppies come from backyard breeders or from people who find themselves saddled with "oops!" litters - when an unexpected litter of puppies results when a female dog is impregnated by accident.

Still, the availability of puppies at a shelter or breed rescue group may depend on what breed is involved. Rescue groups rarely get puppies, let alone purebred Gold Retriever puppies, for example. In another group located in New York, there have only been three litters of puppies of the nearly 800 dogs that have been placed.

In any case, breed rescue groups and animal shelters have identical missions: To match homeless dogs with people who will love them and give them permanent homes.

Shelters generally accommodate all breeds and mixes. Many are run by local governments. Some have a policy of euthanizing dogs who are not claimed or adopted after a certain period of time; others will keep adoptable dogs indefinitely.

Generally, all adoptable dogs that come to a shelter are given health examinations and any immunizations needed, and may be spayed or neutered. Many shelters also perform special tests to determine what type of temperament a dog has, and some offer training programs to help increase a dog's chances of being adopted.

Breed rescue groups focus on serving one breed or mixes in which that single breed predominates. Volunteers for these groups identify dogs in need, take them into their own homes for foster care, attend to their medical needs, and provide remedial training to help the dogs become more adoptable.

Typically, adoptable dogs remain with rescue groups until a permanent home is found. Sometimes, that permanent home turns out to be that of the foster care provider.

Often, shelters and rescue groups work together on a dog's behalf. For example, if a dog's time is running out at an animal shelter, staff workers there might contact a rescue group and ask if that group can provide foster care for the dog. Such cooperation literally can be a lifesaver for a dog who needs a little more time to find a forever home.

Animal rescue organizations or groups offer you a great place to get your next family pet. These groups are all different, but they do have common goals. These groups work hard to locate a permanent loving home for unwanted or misplaced cats and dogs. Many of these rescue groups rely on volunteers and donations to care for these pets while they are between homes.

When you begin looking for a rescue group to work with, you will find that most of these groups do rely on their hard working volunteers and support from the local community to operate. You will also find a wide variety of animals available through these rescue groups. Many of these groups handle all types of animals and you will find kittens, puppies, and even older pets available for adoption. You might be surprised to learn that some groups even offer exotic pets such as reptiles, pot bellied pigs and even guinea pigs.

As you begin looking at pets available through rescue groups, keep in mind some of these animals have had very hard lives. You may find a dog that was abused by its owner. You may find a female cat that has just given birth. Their owners have relinquished many of the animals offered by rescue groups because they are moving or can no longer care for them. In addition, some of these groups take animals that live in kill shelters or as strays living on the streets. Some programs also offer spay and neuter release program for feral cats.

Rescue groups do a good job of screening animals before adopting them out to new homes. They also screen potential pet owners. IF you find a pet offered through a pet rescue group, you will be asked to sign a contract saying that you agree to care for the pet long term. You will also be asked several questions about your home, your children and other pets you may have. This is not to be noseyit is simply to help match an owner with the right pet. If the animal suffers from a medical condition, such as diabetes, the new owners know this up front before adopting. Having the animal's health history at the time of adoption helps the animal find a permanent home.

You can gain a lot of personal satisfaction by adopting your next pet through an animal rescue organization. You know you have done something to help and your new pet will show its appreciation. If you are interested in adopting through one of the many rescue organization, it is easy to find one in your area. Your vet can give you the contact information for organizations near you. Most of the time, these pets are kept in private homes (foster homes) until they are adopted. This gives the animal time to be socialized with other pets, children and time to get used to living in a home. Sometimes, animal rescue groups will bring their animals that need homes to pet stores or other locations for interested people to see and meet the animals on certain weekends.

When you choose a pet in a rescue program, be prepared to go through an interview and application process. The organization wants to know these pets will be well cared for the long term. You will probably be asked about other pets you may have, the age of your children, the size of your yard and your thoughts on a cat with claws if you are looking at a cat. This is to help match the pet with the right owner. Adoption fees vary by each organization, but you can expect to pay $100-$200 for a rescued animal. These groups do not make a profit. These fees cover the cost of the animal while it was in the care of the organization. This adoption fee usually covers vaccinations, medical exams, spaying, and neutering.

Getting your next pet through an animal rescue organization is a responsible way to get your next family member. You can also find many volunteer opportunities through these organizations.

For all the dog lovers out there it goes without saying that a new dog for the family should come from a shelter or breed rescue group. While the shelter works with all breeds that are dropped off, rescue groups work with one specific breed. Both strive to prepare their animals as best possible to be adoptable (training, care, health).

At the same time that a shelter or rescue group prepares a puppy or dog for adoption, they also try to find eligible adopters. Both types of organizations place advertisements on the Internet and in local newspapers that describe available animals. Potential adopters might respond by phone or e-mail, or visit in person.

However, not all potential adopters make the grade. Many facilities have very strict guidelines and restrictions on who gets one of their puppies. For example, the following criteria is standard for people looking to adopt a pup from a high-quality shelter or rescue group:

1) A stay-at-home parent (or one that works from home) should be present. This is because puppies can't stay alone in a crate for more than a couple of hours.

2) There should also be another dog in the family that the new puppy can learn from. This helps immensely in the pup's socialization.

3) A fence is mandatory if there are children in the house younger than the age of six.

4) And finally, a commitment from the adopter to continue socialization and a willingness to take the pup to professional training.

Just as rescue groups and animal shelters are fussy about who can adopt their puppies, potential adopters should be equally fussy as to whom they adopt a puppy from. For example, at a shelter, there should be co-housing: puppies housed with other puppies for critical socialization to dogs.

Also, the premises should be clean, and there should be appropriate toys and bedding with the puppies. There should be some sort of program or schedule for getting the puppies out of the kennel to interact with people and see different sights and sounds.

Visitors to a shelter should be greeted by a pleasant and knowledgeable staff member or volunteer. Both shelters and rescue groups should be able to provide information on why the puppy was brought to a shelter or into rescue, confirmation that the puppy has received all immunizations, and information on other resources such as owner counseling or dog training.

Once the shelter or rescue group passes your approval, a prospective adopter should look closely at the puppy he or she is interested in before making a final decision to adopt. A puppy that shows signs of illness or poor care - such as excessive amount of fleas as an example - should be avoided. The dog should have no diarrhea on his rear and hind legs, no discharge, and you want a puppy who shows an interest in you and is at least somewhat active.

At petco on Saturdays at 2:00 through 7:00 they have dog adoptions!

Buying A Service Dog - What Types Of Service Dogs Can You Adopt?

If you're lucky enough to be purchasing a dog that was trained to provide a service for people, or a least adopting a dog that was accepted for such training but did not make it for some reason, you are in for a special treat. Most people aren't even aware that such dogs exist.

What type of pets are we talking about? Any dog that was trained for or actually worked a "career" by leading the blind and helping other disabled people is a prime example.

You HaveŃ Choices Of Service Dogs To Choose From

When looking to adopt a professionally trained career dog, your choices come in three different forms: dogs that are retired from being guides, "career changing" dogs, and finally, there are the canines that for some reason did not make it through the training program, or simply put - flunkies.

Guide Dogs No More: Just like people, service dogs cannot work their jobs forever. As these animals get older, they become slower and are no longer effective in helping their owners. The average amount of time that a service dog can work is approximately 8 years. At this point they become prime candidates for adoption by people like you and me.

Dogs That Had Multiple Careers: Many dogs can be taken out of one service job and then trained for another. The reasons for this can vary. It may be because of temperament issues, medical concerns, or perhaps a dog was just not a suitable match for its owner. For example, a dog may be retired from guide service and then prepared and transferred to work at a rehabilitation hospital or a nursery home. Sometimes these types of animals are even assigned to children's homeless centers in order to play with the kids.

Just Didn't Make The Cut: Finally, we have our flunkies. Now before you consider a flunky to be a negative thing, reconsider that notion because quite the opposite is true. Thousands of dogs are trained every year by organizations which lead them into service jobs.

Not all of these dogs make the cut and move on to work with people. They are considered flunkies for whatever reason, whether it is from temperament problems, health problems, or perhaps were a little too excitable for service work. However, the important aspect to remember here is that these dogs are still a cut above any other pet you may find elsewhere.

Just to get accepted into these types of programs for training preparation means they already had natural first-class qualities and characteristics which made them ideal candidates. These dogs are typically between the ages of one and two years old. Most are very gentle and loving and have had some type of extensive obedience training during the beginning of the program.

Adopting A Labrador Retriever From The Animal Shelter (5): How To Handle The Ultra-Exuberant Lab

For those ultra-exuberant Labs who have trouble controlling themselves from jumping on people, even after being taught the "sit" and "off" commands, a harness and leash in the house can help immensely.

Put the harness and leash on, then sit in a chair and put your foot on the leash so there's only enough slack for the dog to stand up or sit, but not to jump up. This way you aren't jerking the dog around or punishing it, and if the dog starts to jump up, it can't. Just make sure the leash is firmly under your feet with a wide enough base so you don't get pulled off the chair!

Although the harness is a way to manage jumping behavior it must be coupled with teaching the sit command with lots of positive reinforcement. This will keep your Lab from performing the behavior you don't want, while teaching it the behavior you do want. You want to physically prevent them from jumping up, then immediately train them to sit with a big reward.

A headcollar, which fits over the muzzle (similar to a horse halter), is another option for over-exuberant Labs, especially those that pull on a leash. Many dog trainers are great fans of the headcollar for over-excited dogs. It's a fabulous management tool.

Use it in the house or on walks while your dog is learning how to walk on leash, so you aren't getting your arm yanked out of its socket. Also, headcollars can help potential adopters to recognize that they can handle that 75-pound, full-grown Labrador Retriever.

Don't Give Up!

Most importantly, all new owners of adopted Labs are urged not to give up on their rambunctious buddies. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for these dogs. Work with them every day that you can. Provide as much time needed to get them domesticated to your needs and the needs of the family.

Seek out a qualified, positive trainer, and get the help you need. Particularly good would be a trainer that has experience with training adolescent and adult dogs.

Be patient, consistent and understanding, and one day the Labrador fairy will raise her magic wand and sprinkle her magic dust over your Lab. Suddenly, you'll realize that your hyperactive shelter Lab has become a really great, respectable, and well-trained family pet, one that your neighbors will be envious of.