LIFESTYLE AUTHOR
Emily Effren
ADOPTING THE UNDERDOG n Some pups get regularly passed over due to their age or breed — here’s why you shouldn’t let those factors play into your adoption.
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here are many aspects that play into the adoption of a new, furry family member. Age, breed, personality and more typically dictate what kind of pup a family or household is looking to bring in. As Katera Berent, public relations and events manager at Austin Pets Alive! puts it, while puppies “fly off the shelf,” there are a few pups in particular that get regularly passed over, having to wait another day, week or year (or more) until they find their forever home.
MARCH 2021
Local rescue organization, Austin Pets Alive!, looks at things a bit differently: they do not put a time limit on any animals and euthanasia is absolutely not an option. “2020 in particular — it has been a groundbreaking year. We had the most long stay dogs go home than any year prior. Of our dogs who were long stays in December 2019, one year later, December 2020, 65% of those had been adopted,” Berent says. While over 12,000 pets were adopted from APA! in 2020, there
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were a few pups that are still on the hunt for their forever home. Some specific factors, such as age and breed, play into why these types of dogs spend more time in shelters than others.
Adopting the Older Dog
While puppies fly off the shelf, Berent says that adopting an older dog has many benefits — especially for a home that is looking to not have to train. Because they have had more time to train, an older dog isn’t as likely to wake up in the middle of the
