You can gain a lot of personal satisfaction by adopting your next pet through an animal rescue organization. You know you have done something to help all the homeless animals, and your new pet will show its appreciation.

If you are interested in adopting through one of the many rescue organizations, it is easy to find one in your area. As we said, do a zip code based search on petfinder.org. You can also set your other choices for what you are looking for in a pet, age, gender, specific breed, and so forth.

Or, ask your vet.  Your vet can give you the contact information for organizations near you. If this is your first time pet, compare the policies of the local shelters. Some are far more strict than others. The adoption fee, which basically is a nominal fee toward the cost of having cared for the animal, can also vary widely depending on shelter and on the age of the pet.

Most of the time, these pets are kept in private homes (foster homes) until they are adopted. This gives the animal time to be socialized with other pets, children and time to get used to living in a home. They can also determine the pets’ likes and dislikes to enable them to place it in the best home.

Sometimes, animal rescue groups will bring their animals that need homes to kennels or doggy day care to be socialized and shown off, to see if a home can be found for the unwanted animal.  They will also bring them to  pet stores or other locations for interested people to see and meet the animals on certain weekends.