Originally posted by aly

Not every shelter dog's background is unknown. At my shelter, the previous owners fill out a 6 page questionaire of the background of the dog. Sure we don't have those on every dog, but still.

Also, when we have dogs with unknown backgrounds, we (volunteers and staff) start taking the dog on outings, home visits, overnights, foster rotations, etc so we can evaluate the behavior and start getting the dog acclimated to life outside of the shelter.

Researching a breed is good, but there comes a point where you also have to evaluate the individual personality of the dog. It is definately good to know what the breed is prone to, but SO much diversity exists between individuals.

I usually don't quote an entire statement, but this bears
repeating. Amen Aly.....

Every reputable Shelter & Humane Society temperment test all
the dogs who might be questionable for adoption. Their aim is
to find a good match between the person & the dog. They sure
won't push a dog that's clearly not right for each individual
person or family wanting a dog. People are encouraged to walk
a prospective adoptee dog & also bring their home dogs to meet
the new dog in a neutral setting. Reputable Shelters want the
new dog to have a forever home & will even work with helping
with the transiton from shelter to home enviroment.