Finding Reputable Dog Shelters

Personal opinion only. When you walk past the cages, the majority of the dogs should walk forward, towards you, because they're used to the workers/volunteers acknowledging them and interacting positively with them. Lots of words to say the dogs should look relatively confident (given their strange surroundings).

Also, the smell. Efficient cleaning every morning - and safe practices in place to control transferring diseases etc from animal to animal. eg disinfectant in tray which boots have to walk through.

Sorry I can't be more help.

I didn't get a dog, but when I was looking for a kitten/cat I immediately phoned my vet and asked what shelter they referred people to.

I figured that since they often deal with litters of puppies and kittens being dropped at their front door (judging by the amount of pictures on the bulletin board in the waiting room!) that they would know which shelters they would recommend and which ones they wouldn't.

Found a sweet 'lil kitten to make my family complete and all's good!

The shelter I adopted my dog from 10 years ago had a mandatory waiting period. You could go in, meet the dog, even put a deposit on it, but you had to wait three days to actually pick the dog up. Their theory being that this prevented "impulse buys".

Also, the shelter required official ID (driver's license + a bill mailed to the same address) to ensure you were who you said you were.

I adopted an adult pit bull mix from this shelter. She had been abused by her former owners so it took some time to train her but I was prepared for it because the shelter informed me of her history (as they knew it) before I brought her home. I was patient with her and she ended up being a GREAT dog.

She died this fall, and I would have returned to this same shelter to adopt my next dog because I had such positive feelings about shelter (but my vet introduced me to a 4-yr-old Maltese who stole my heart and needed a home). Of course this dog only "spoke" Korean (and I don't) so his basic training took a little longer too.