Who Says You Can't Rescue a Fancy Dog?

If you want a specific type or breed of dog, if you look hard enough, often times you'll find one in need of a new home.

Petfinder is an excellent place to begin your search. This site is a clearinghouse for thousands of shelters, rescues and animal welfare organizations. The site is easy to navigate and allows you to search by breed, age, size, gender and location. Jill found Shadow, a purebred Miniature Poodle, on Petfinder. Moreover, many shelters are teeming with purebred or designer dogs right now since so people are losing their homes. Adopt a Pet [LINK: adoptapet.com] is another excellent rescue site that showcases over 8,000 and over 125,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. Reputable breeders often have dogs that are retired show dogs (like Billy's dog Arthur) or returns and breed specific rescues abound. Veterinarians and dog businesses often have leads on dogs too.

Recently, a family in Michigan found this Golden Doodle up for adoption at Retro Doggy Rescue. Karen and Ted wanted to adopt a low allergy dog after their German Shepherd died. During their search, Karen used Petfinder.com One day, Karen came across a listing for a Golden Doodle at a Yorkshire Terrier rescue. The rescue specialized in helping small dogs removed from puppy mills and the Doodle ended up there as a fluke. A woman suffering from Bipolar Disease bought him from a breeder. The woman couldn't care for the Doodle, but the "breeder" wouldn't take him back. So, the Doodle found himself at the rescue.

Karen and Ted saw the Doodle and it was love at first sight. Harley was 10 lbs and 8 weeks old when they brought him home. Karen and Ted are thrilled and Harley is too! Harley even has his own Facebook page! Karen reports, "I'm SO glad it worked out for us! Harley is a huge ray of sunshine :-)!"

When you're ready for a new pet, consider adopting rather than buying. There are so many wonderful animals who desperately need a home. You'll gain a new best friend and save a life.