Give a Dog a Second Chance by Adopting Career Change Dogs
By Joshua Rodriguez
There are a number of possibilities to consider when choosing to purchase a new dog. Most people will probably want to look to quality breeders who have long experience in the profession and know how to produce healthy and high quality dogs.
Others may choose to go to a pet store and look at the dogs available there, although we highly recommend that you go with a reputable breeder if at all possible. These professionals will know much more about the health and temperament of their dog litters (even though you should request documentation that rules out specific health problems common to your breed). One important thing to remember about dog breeders is that they can help you decide if a particular breed is suitable for your family's needs, and they can also help you understand the subtle differences in a particular dog's temperament.
Even so, there are other possibilities to consider, and one of those is adopting a career change dog. What exactly is a career change dog anyway? Well, a number of dogs are used as service animals to help people who are disabled in some way (including the blind or deaf and those bound to wheelchairs), and service organizations work hard to make sure that high quality animals are being used in these programs.
Many of these organizations actually maintain their own breeding programs to ensure the quality of the stock including health, temperament, and overall intelligence. These dogs tend to be Golden or Labrador Retrievers, as well as German shepherds. Some dogs will simply not make the cut. This doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the dog for those who want to use him as a family pet. It just means that the service organizations have very high standards since the job being performed for the disabled is so important and requires extensive training.
Those dogs excluded from these organizations can end up making terrific pets for your family, though there is usually a waiting list of some kind because of their reputation.
In addition to service organizations, you may also find dogs who were trained to be competitors in sporting events or in dog shows and who either didn't make the cut or have simply run their course in these careers. One example of such a breed is the Greyhound, which is often used in racing events. Until recent years, racing greyhounds who had retired from the profession or never made the grade to begin with were often euthanized (adding up to thousands per year). Many people are now choosing to adopt these dogs who can make excellent family pets.
Hopefully this article has given you some ideas regarding dog adoption that you may have not thought of previously. Animals who are changing careers, so to speak, can make excellent pets because they have already gone through extensive training and are simply looking for a home to call their own. You may even be saving a dog's life because many of these animals end up being put down if no one is there to claim them in time.
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