The New Orleans List: Gently Used Dogs

I purposely go for gently used dogs when I'm adopting as I work long hours and don't have a way to provide the intense attention that is required for house breaking a puppy. Three gently used dogs have chosen me: one from the SPCA on Japonica Street that sat in her kennel with her head on her paws and thumped her tail as I walked by; another from the Tulsa Animal Shelter who quietly walked up to me, sat at my feet and gently licked my hand when I gave it to him to sniff before petting him; the third was from Tulsa ARF who, when taken out of the cage and handed to me, put his head on my shoulder and gave a deep sigh.

Putting the emotional connection aside, most private animal rescue groups can give you some information on the animal and his/her habits since they foster these animals and know their personalities. They can tell you an approximate age, whether or not a dog is gentle, if it is housebroken, if it is good with kids or men only or women only, if it requires a lot of exercise, whether or not it's a lap lizard, etc. Many groups also give discounts to seniors, and most will let you buy gift certificates so the recipient can chose his or her own companion from the list of available pets who meet the criteria that person is looking for.

I would also recommend that you browse www.petfinders.com. You can type in a zip code and view a list, often with photos, of available pets in your area from a wide variety of rescue groups.