Successful Dog Adoption [Paperback]

Sue Sternberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2003

Expert guidance in choosing the right dog -the first time

Written by a renowned expert in shelter adoption, Successful Dog Adoption delivers all the information you need to find the perfect dog at a shelter and make him part of your family. In easy-to-understand language, Sue Sternberg helps you decide if you're ready to adopt by evaluating your reasons and translating them into what you should look for in a particular dog. She shows you how to find a reputable shelter, prepare for the adoption process, and work with shelter personnel to make sure they have appropriately screened their dogs. You'll also learn about "rescue" dogs and why one might be right for you.

This practical guide covers all the vital issues you need to consider when adopting-choosing a male or female, a puppy or an adult; identifying fearful dogs or dogs who will bite; and seeking out a dog with the ideal temperament. Featured here are detailed tests and observations used by professionals to ascertain the temperament and compatibility of shelter dogs-now made available to the public for the first time. You'll discover how to determine risk factors in an unknown dog, gauge a dog's potential reaction to guests and strangers, and predict the compatibility level when you add another dog to your household.

This book also offers invaluable advice on training your new pet, including guidance in housebreaking, selecting a training class, and helping a dog who gets carsick or doesn't like to be home alone. And, if you still experience difficulties with your dog, Sternberg gently discusses the steps you can take.

Authoritative and friendly, Successful Dog Adoption is the one-stop guide for finding your own "superdog"-and keeping the dog-owner relationship fresh and rewarding for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Expert guidance in choosing the right dog –the first time

Written by a renowned expert in shelter adoption, Successful Dog Adoption delivers all the information you need to find the perfect dog at a shelter and make him part of your family. In easy-to-understand language, Sue Sternberg helps you decide if you’re ready to adopt by evaluating your reasons and translating them into what you should look for in a particular dog. She shows you how to find a reputable shelter, prepare for the adoption process, and work with shelter personnel to make sure they have appropriately screened their dogs. You’ll also learn about "rescue" dogs and why one might be right for you.

This practical guide covers all the vital issues you need to consider when adopting–choosing a male or female, a puppy or an adult; identifying fearful dogs or dogs who will bite; and seeking out a dog with the ideal temperament. Featured here are detailed tests and observations used by professionals to ascertain the temperament and compatibility of shelter dogs–now made available to the public for the first time. You’ll discover how to determine risk factors in an unknown dog, gauge a dog’s potential reaction to guests and strangers, and predict the compatibility level when you add another dog to your household.

This book also offers invaluable advice on training your new pet, including guidance in housebreaking, selecting a training class, and helping a dog who gets carsick or doesn’t like to be home alone. And, if you still experience difficulties with your dog, Sternberg gently discusses the steps you can take.

Authoritative and friendly, Successful Dog Adoption is the one-stop guide for finding your own "superdog"–and keeping the dog-owner relationship fresh and rewarding for years to come.

About the Author

SUE STERNBERG is one of the foremost authorities on successful shelter adoption in the United States, with more than 23 years of canine behavior experience. She is the Executive Director of the Community Animal Shelter Association (CASA), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to pet owner outreach, safe animal adoptions, and quality-of-life issues at animal shelters around the world. Her extraordinary work with dogs is the subject of a Winter 2004 HBO documentary, Shelter Dogs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Howell Book House (September 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764538934
• ISBN-13: 978-0764538933
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars buyer be aware, this temperament test is controversial, April 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Successful Dog Adoption (Paperback)

Even in the hands of professional dog persons, the test has not been proven accurate. In the hands of a novice, your gut instincts may serve as well. In fact Jean Donaldson of the SFSPCA, in a small sample of 8 dogs, had a 75% WRONG rate. Dogs that failed went on to never bite anyone and a dog that passed wound up biting. Don't just take this test as science. It isn't. Notice that the author has referenced no other authorities but herself.

It is an engagingly written book, and has much useful information, but the test is very, very controversial among shelter people and dog-knowledgeable people.

Take it with a grain of salt. No, take it with several grains of salt.

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking of adopting a dog? Buy this book!, October 16, 2003

By 

"sscragg" (Athens, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Dog Adoption (Paperback)

If you're thinking of adding a dog to your family (even if it's not the first), you can't afford to be without this book.

Sue Sternberg has her finger on the pulse of shelters and breed rescue as they stand today, and minces no words in describing for adopters how to find the BEST DOG EVER.

With her trademark compassion, humor and wisdom, Sternberg instructs would-be dog adopters on how to successfully negotiate an adoption, from the moment you decide you want a dog (or even before you decide), to the first phone call to the shelter, to your first weeks at home with your new companion.

Most important, she includes information to help you determine, from an expert's point of view, whether the dog you are considering will be SAFE, or whether the dog is a ticking time bomb... BEFORE the dog is in your home.

She also writes chapters on training your dog (including a list of dog sports you can dabble in with your new companion) and what to do when a dog's problem behavior seems overwhelming. In a chapter on Internet adoptions, Sternberg provides a straightforward (and achingly insightful) dissection of ads describing dogs available for adoption.

Her recommeded adoption process may feel long to some readers, especially if you're eager to adopt or facing an uncooperative shelter staff or rescue group. But following Sternberg's advice -- however long it takes -- is time well spent, not only for the safety of your family, but for the added enjoyment you'll get from your new friend.

How valuable is this book? No dog professional, shelter worker or rescue volunteer should be without a copy, either.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, November 18, 2006

By 

Chai - See all my reviews

This review is from: Successful Dog Adoption (Paperback)

What a great book! It is very well written, authoritative without being condescending, easy to understand without being simplistic and sometimes downright funny. I started reading at random and just could not put it down. Recommended for anybody who wants to adopt a dog - even if you do not believe in or want to try the test described in the second part of the book, there is a wealth of information on the first 100 pages alone.
I feel I have a much, much better chance now of finding the "Love of my life" dog we are all hoping for.