• By Matt Smith
• Posted Thursday, October 6, 2011

October is Adopt-an-Adult Dog Month

Adult dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Generally, when adopting an adult dog, what you see is what you get. Older dogs are open books—from the start, you’ll know important things like their full-grown size, personality and grooming requirements. All this information makes it easier to pick the right dog and forge that instant love connection that will last a lifetime. If you’re not so into surprises, an older dog is for you.

Grownup dogs don’t require the constant monitoring puppies do, leaving you with more freedom to do your own thing. If you have young children, or just value your “me time,” this is definitely a bonus.

Think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Hogwash! Older dogs are great at focusing on you—and on the task at hand—because they’re calmer than youngsters. Plus, all those years of experience reading humans can help them quickly figure out how to do what you’re asking.

Your floors, shoes and furniture will thank you for adopting an adult dog! Older dogs are likely to already be housetrained—and even if they’re not, they have the physical and mental abilities to pick it up really fast (unlike puppies). With their teething years far behind them, seniors also are much less likely to be destructive chewers.

The adoption fee for dogs that have already been spayed or neutered is only $42! It isn’t uncommon to find a pure breed dog (which would cost hundreds of dollars elsewhere) at our shelter.

Take a look at the variety of wonderful companion dogs waiting to share a lifetime of love with you and your family. The selection of pets available for adoption changes on a daily basis, and this website listing is updated nightly.