A Shelter Dog Could be Your Next Best Friend

5 hours ago

3 min read

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, a month dedicated to helping more shelter dogs find homes.

In 2025, 2.8 million dogs entered shelters and rescues across the U.S., while 2 million dogs were adopted.

Dog adoptions rose to 57% of dog intakes, but large, adult, and senior dogs continued to face greater challenges finding homes.

The dog standing in front of you at a shelter may also behave differently once they are in a home.

A study of 99 adopted shelter dogs found that 100% of owners said their dogs adjusted extremely well or moderately well to their new homes after six months, while 93.7% rated their dogs' overall behavior as good or excellent.

Here are four ways to give a shelter dog a better chance of finding the right home.

1. Meet the dog away from the kennel

Ask the shelter if you can spend time with the dog outside the kennel before making a decision.

Watch how they behave when they are away from barking, unfamiliar dogs, and people walking past their enclosure.

Ask the staff what they have seen during walks, meals, playtime, and quiet periods.

2. Ask about the dog's normal routine

Find out how much exercise the dog needs, whether they are comfortable around other dogs, and how they respond to handling.

Ask whether they are house-trained and whether they have any medical needs, medications, or dietary requirements.

Those answers can help you choose a dog whose daily needs fit your home.

3. Give an older or larger dog a closer look

Large dogs represented 29% of dog intakes but only 26% of dog adoptions during the first half of 2025.

Adult dog adoptions fell 6%, while senior dog adoptions fell 2% during the same period.

Before moving on to another kennel, ask about the dog's personality, energy level, exercise needs, and behavior outside the kennel.

4. Give the new dog time to settle in

Keep the first few days quiet and predictable, with a regular place to sleep, eat, and rest.

Avoid introducing too many people, places, and new experiences at once.

The same study above found that 75% of adopters reported their dog's overall behavior had improved six months after adoption.

Ready to adopt?

We also have some good news to share. Buddy, Daisy, and Leo have all been adopted!

These three siblings were rescued from a dangerous situation in Bahrain and found loving homes in the U.S.

There are still hundreds of thousands of dogs waiting for homes across the country.

You can search for dogs available for adoption through Adoptapet.com or petfinder.com or visit a local shelter or rescue group in your area.

Adopting a shelter dog gives that dog a home.

Preventing unwanted births can keep other dogs from entering shelters in the first place.

The world's 600 million stray dogs and 87 million stray cats give birth to over 1 billion homeless puppies and kittens every year.

Tragically, those who survive, also reproduce and give birth to another generation of homeless strays - thus repeating the cycle of suffering, every year.

This is why our mission is to end the #1 cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats — overpopulation — by developing a Cookie that will only need to be eaten one time, and it will, in effect, spay or neuter — without surgery.