A pooch with a pedigree can be much more expensive than a Heinz-57 mixed-breed. One way to get that cocker spaniel you’ve been dreaming of—but can’t afford to buy—is to adopt a pet from a breed rescue group. Dog rescue groups match adult purebreds with loving families.

No matter where you live, in a rural town or a big, cramped metropolis, there’s a place that has the dog who is perfect for you. That dog may not have been perfect for the people who gave him up, but that could be just your luck, and the dog’s. Always think locally first: homelessness is best solved if we look at our own communities and reach out a helping hand to an individual who’s fallen on hard times.

You and your new dog will both benefit from some dog training. Not only will it ensure that your dog knows the rules of his new house, but it will help you let him know that you are leader of the pack and will help you bond with your adopted dog.

Finding the right veterinarian for your new dog is a priority. Plan to take your dog in for a check-up soon after you bring her home.

Brush, comb…brush, comb…pet, stroke…brush, comb…snag.  There it is, the dreaded mat, that hopeless tangle that can sneak into the most perfectly groomed long coat when you aren’t looking. 

Waiting for the adoption agency bus from Tennessee on a bitter cold night, Kristen and her family didn’t know what to expect.

Fostering a dog is one of the most rewarding ways to get that sublime dog love without having the full responsibility of life-long guardianship.

There are a lot of jobs Dennis Owens could be spending his days doing: brokering real estate… practicing massage therapy… training dogs privately. He’s qualified to do all of those things, but he chooses to work full-time at one of the largest municipal animal shelters in the United States—New York City’s Animal Care & Control—where he evaluates the dogs made available for rescue placement and adoption.

He’s the number one most popular dog breed in America, his sweet, playful nature and happy-go-lucky athleticism the stuff of legend. And if you’re popular, you haven’t got problems, right? Wrong. Come Christmas, the Labrador - Mr. Popularity himself – will earn a distinction no dog wants. He will officially be a Breed in Need.

In my lifetime, I have been fortunate enough to travel widely, to be educated in different countries, to come into contact with an extremely broad range of people and animals.  And I can safely say I have never known another creature, bipedal or otherwise, capable of the kind of purity of love and loyalty as my Pit Bull Indiana.

One night on a walk along a road near my house, I found a Beagle, trembling, terrified, and clearly lost.