5 Tips for Adopting a Dog in D.C.
With a pooch of your own you’ll never feel lonely again
5 Min Read
5 Min ReadAs the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. is far from boring. There’s always something to see and something to do. However, no matter how many friends you have, and how active your social life is, you’d still like to have a furry friend of your own. A great way to get one is to adopt a dog in D.C.
Why you should adopt a dog in D.C.?
When you’ve finally decided to get a pooch of your own, your first instinct might be to head to a breeder. However, there are many benefits to turning to adoption instead.
Firstly, you’ll be saving a life and giving a poor, helpless dog another chance. More than half a million shelter dogs are euthanized in the United States every year because people think that they need to buy a dog from a shop or breeder. Instead, you can offer an unfortunate pup a new lease on life.
Also, when you adopt a dog in D.C., they’ll already be spayed or neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and dewormed, which is all included in the fee, saving you even more money.
If you have your heart set on a particular breed and think you can’t find a pure breed at a shelter, or that you’ll have to adopt an adult dog, you can relax.
Over three million dogs enter shelters each year, and of those, at least 750,000 are purebred pooches. Plenty of puppies make their way into shelters too. So, there’s a good chance you’ll find the dog of your dreams there.
Tips for an easy adoption process.
So, let’s take a look at some tips on how to adopt a dog in D.C.
1. Sort out your housing
The first issue you need to deal with is housing. If you’re renting, you’ll have to check your lease or talk to your landlord to see if you can even have a pet. A no-pets policy will stop you in your tracks because it will be practically impossible to change your landlord’s mind in D.C.’s highly competitive and expensive rental market.
So, if your landlord has said no, then you’ll either have to abandon the idea of adopting a pooch, or you’ll have to move.
Moving might sound like too much of a hassle, especially with how difficult it is to find pet-friendly apartments in D.C. However, a great solution is to turn to a company like Blueground that has a lot of pet-friendly apartments for rent in some of the city’s best neighborhoods. All of the apartments are stunningly decorated, completely furnished, and fully equipped, making your move so much easier.
2. Do your research
Once you’ve sorted out your living situation, it’s time to figure out the type of dog you want. You need to consider your lifestyle and your personality when selecting a breed.
An active dog like a Boxer, for example, isn’t a great option for a person who is sedentary and prefers quiet activities. On the other hand, an English Bulldog will be perfect because they’re relatively lazy and don’t enjoy too much exercise. In fact, they’re quite content to sleep most of the day away.
3. Check out the shelters
Next, you’ll want to research shelters and the dogs they have available for adoption. You can either visit shelter sites directly, or you can use a site like PetFinder.com. The latter lists dogs for adoption from multiple shelters, which will make it easier for you to find what you want.
Some great organizations to adopt a dog in D.C. include:
- Washington Animal Rescue League
- Humane Rescue Alliance
- City Dogs Rescue
- Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
- Animal Welfare League of Arlington
- Washington Humane Society
4. Prepare to adopt a dog in D.C.
While you’re searching for the right pooch, you need to prepare for your new furry companion. You need to be ready when you find the dog you want so that nothing delays the adoption and you don’t miss out on the pooch you’ve set your heart on.
At the very least, you need to find a vet, as some centers will ask for the vet’s contact information. You should also consider buying some items for your new pooch, like a bed, food, toys, and so on. However, it’s a good idea to wait until you’ve found the exact dog you want to adopt so you know what type of food to buy, the size of the bed, etc.
5. Contact the shelter and start the process
Once you’ve found the pooch you want to adopt, visit the shelter to meet them. You must make sure their personality meshes with yours. Then, you can start the adoption process.
This will involve submitting an application. Some applications are simple, while others are quite complex, depending on the organization. So, don’t be surprised if they ask why you want to adopt a dog and what you’ve done to prepare. You might also be asked to provide personal references.
You’ll likely also go through an interview to ensure that you and the pooch you’ve chosen are the right fit. Some adoption centers also provide counseling, so you know what you’re getting into.
There’s also a chance that a home visit might be necessary, which means you’ll take the pooch home with you for a day, or even overnight. This is to determine how suitable you are for each other in an unfamiliar setting.
Once you’ve been approved, you can pay the fee, and take your new furry best friend home. Just make sure you have a ride arranged because the whole situation will be overwhelming for your new pooch and trying to take them on the public transit system will just confuse and scare them.
Now that you’ve managed to adopt a dog in D.C., it’s time to start a wonderful life with your new furry best friend.
