Where to buy/adopt a dog?

We as a family have decided to get our first dog. I would ideally like to adopt a shelter dog, but we have some specifics as to size, and fur (we have two allergic people in the house, not so bad that a "hypoallergenic" dog breed would be a problem.) I have looked online at a few shelters near us, and they seem to have mostly larger breed dogs for adoption. We are looking for small to medium sized dog with "hair". Are there any adoption centers for smaller dogs specifically, or does anyone know of a non puppy mill place to go to within an hour of Maplewood? This is our first dog, so want to buy/adopt from some place reputable, that cares for their animals, and will be able to assist a newbie for their first dog. (I looked online at St Huberts, which is often referred to on these boards, but they too seem to have mostly larger dogs). Thanks in advance for any leads.

I'm a big fan of Home for Good Dogs. You need to be pre-approved, but it's worth it, they foster the dogs. Had great success and you can now go to them directly or they hold adoption events at Petsmart on Millburn.

We adopted our dog through Home for Good Dog Rescue, too. We saw their listings on Petfinder.com, filled out the application, and arranged a one-on-one meeting with the dog in their Berkeley Heights office. It went very well. They have a great variety of dogs listed in all sizes (ours was 20 lbs), the dogs are all fostered while they await adoption, and they place a lot of emphasis on the dog's well-being (so the application process is a little involved). I highly recommend them.

Also, please take a look at Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter, on Router 10 in East Hanover, behind PetSmart.

@lukeysboat - do you have kids? If so, I would not recommend Home for Good. In fact, I do not recommend them at all. Check out their yelp (one of the reviews is mine).

https://www.yelp.com/biz/home-for-good-dogs-rescue-berkeley-heights

Ultimately, we found our rescue pup through Furry Hearts and the experience was and has since been great.

https://www.facebook.com/FurryHeartsRescue/

Furry Hearts just got a little dog. Hair not fur. I didn't get his picture yet but I was getting ready to post on Petfinder. That by the way is the go to site for all shelters and rescues. Just type in your zip code and the breeds you are interested in. Also check Husky House. They do amazing rescue and often have small dogs. As a cat rescuer they are the dog rescue that I donate to. I'm constantly updated on their rescues, from puppy mill pet stores to surrendered pets. As for the dog at Furry Hearts you can call Puppy Love to meet him.

Agree with lanky regarding Home for Good Dogs. They "accepted" our application but we were dissuaded from pursuing any of the dogs we were interested in adopting. We found them to be dismissive and rude especially the woman who runs the organization. Ugh.

I just went through this process. I was looking for a specific breed which helped me narrow it down but took longer. What I would advise is:

- narrow down the breeds that (in purebred form) have the features you want (size, fur type)

- search on Petfinder and adoptapet (adoptapet feeds petfinder, but you sometimes find dogs only on one or the other) for those breeds. The sites also show mixes who might also meet your criteria. You can also filter by size and age as well as other criteria depending on how big your results are! Both sites let you specify distance.

- contact, meet, adopt!

I found that searching by shelter/rescue group didn't work for me. I initially focused on breed specific rescues but ended up adopting from a more general rescue that happened to get a dog of that breed. In any case we are in love with our dog (who at 5 is WAY better trained than the dogs I trained from puppyhood).

Good luck!

Check out Small Dog Rescue in Princeton. They have a poodle/schnauzer mix (both hypoallergenic breeds) up for adoption. The Hunterdon Somerset Animal Rescue Center has at least one poodle that might fit the bill. Petfinder.com will allow you to specify the breed you're looking for and will screen for pets who don't play well with children. It's great that you're first considering rescuing a dog.

This is from Westfield Animal Hospital (not Westfield Veterinary and Wellness Center that has the 24 /7 ER)

"Please
share! This adorable girl is looking for her forever home. She is a 7
year old, spayed female pure bred Yorkie with papers. She is great with
kids, adults, other dogs, but not sure how she is with cats. She is
potty trained and very playful. If anyone is interested, please email
zakutan1@yahoo.com for more details. Thank you so much!"

Don't let her age put you off. A little girl like this, would, in my opinion , be perfect for first time dog guardians. Please consider adopting an older dog. (and for what it is worth I have nothing nice to say about Home for Good Dogs in Berkeley Heights)

lukeysboat said:

We as a family have decided to get our first dog. I would ideally like to adopt a shelter dog,

PLEASE do so.

There are so many deserving dogs in so many places that it'll get done. Our last 2 dogs took about 6 months (each) of active searching to find. There were, and still, lots of great dogs available for your family.

Our searches started with frequent visits to petfinder. We also went to the shelter on rte 10 repeatedly. We drove to GWB area a couple of times. Eventually we found great dogs- our current guy was from Sayreville (exit 124 GSP). Our previous girl was a pure Golden fron Newark shelter. Check with vets in our area, too.

Take your time and PLEASE stay true to your first impulse, "I would ideally like to adopt a shelter dog,"

we have been taking puppy training at St Huberts. No idea how they are to adopt through, https://www.sthuberts.org

Please do not buy a dog; there are thousands in shelters in need of a home. Shelter dogs, we have two, will love you forever and you will be doing a very good deed by giving one a chance.

Just wanted to mention Eleventh Hour Rescue based in Randolph. They have a store front n the Rockaway mall that you can meet many of the available pups. They are a wonderful organization and are quick to respond to emails, questions, etc. We adopted our Rigby there last year.

thank you everyone for all the helpful comments! I will look into all your suggestions and hopefully find our new furry friend soon.