Adopting a dog from a shelter is one of the most meaningful decisions a person can make, but the emotional pull of those pleading eyes in a kennel can sometimes override the kind of clear-headed thinking the moment actually requires. Dog trainer Shannon Kenny knows this well, and she has spent much of her career helping people find animals that genuinely fit their lives rather than simply choosing the one that felt right in the moment. Her advice, shared with Parade, is built around a simple but powerful premise: the more honestly you assess your own lifestyle before you walk through those shelter doors, the better the chances that the adoption will be a permanent success for both you and the dog.
Kenny’s starting point is what she calls doing your “homework” before visiting any shelter. “If you can assess what your current lifestyle is like, what you’re willing to change, and what matters to you, it’s much easier to find the ideal pet,” she explains. “You’ll significantly reduce the risk of frustration, burnout, or the dog ending up back in a shelter.” She encourages prospective owners to take a careful look at their daily routine, energy level, work schedule, living space, and support system before falling in love with a specific animal. Knowing what behaviors you would genuinely struggle to tolerate is just as important as knowing what you are hoping for.
The first major red flag to watch for involves compatibility with other animals already in the home. Shelter staff will often describe a dog as needing to be “king or queen of the castle,” which typically means the animal has shown difficulty tolerating other pets. Kenny acknowledges that some households can navigate this with slow, careful introductions and ongoing precautions, but she is direct about what that actually involves. “It’s important to be realistic about how much time and patience such a situation requires,” she says. “In some cases, long-term management or professional trainer assistance will be necessary.” She also points out that a dog may get along fine with other dogs but struggle around cats, or the reverse, so being precise about what animals are already in your home matters considerably.
Energy level mismatch is another common reason adoptions run into trouble. High-energy dogs that don’t get adequate physical activity are significantly more likely to develop behavioral problems, and those problems tend to get worse, not better, over time. “Athletic dogs with high movement needs will require more than a short walk around the building,” Kenny notes. While mental enrichment activities and training can help supplement physical exercise, they rarely replace it entirely. If a dog’s activity needs consistently go unmet, the resulting behaviors — destructive chewing, excessive barking, anxiety — can become genuinely difficult to live with. Kenny suggests that potential adopters who can’t keep up with a high-energy dog’s needs should consider dog walkers or daycare as part of the equation from the start rather than as an afterthought.
Living in an apartment is not automatically a barrier to adopting a dog, but it requires more deliberate planning than people often expect. Kenny herself keeps a Welsh Corgi in an apartment, but she is consistent about providing hikes, socialization with other dogs, and regular training sessions to compensate for the lack of outdoor space. The concern isn’t apartment living itself but rather what happens when a dog that genuinely requires room to run is placed in a space where that outlet simply doesn’t exist. “It absolutely can work for many dogs,” she says, “but it requires very thoughtful planning and a realistic view of what the owner is willing to commit to.”
Separation anxiety is perhaps the most serious behavioral issue to evaluate honestly before adopting. It is common in shelter dogs, understandably so given the disruption they have experienced, but true separation anxiety is not a problem that resolves with patience and time alone. “True separation anxiety is a panic disorder,” Kenny explains. “It’s often dangerous for the dog experiencing it to be left alone.” For owners with rigid work schedules and limited access to dog sitters, family support, or daycare, this can quickly become unmanageable. Structured training, often with professional guidance, is typically required rather than optional, and prospective adopters should go in with a realistic plan rather than a hope that things will settle down on their own.
Grooming needs are the sleeper issue that many people don’t fully factor in during the excitement of adoption. All dogs require regular brushing and nail trims, but certain breeds and coat types demand significantly more intensive and expensive professional grooming on a consistent schedule. Skipping it is not a realistic option for many of these animals. “Owners should be honest with themselves about whether professional grooming fits into their lifestyle and budget,” Kenny advises. Thinking about those ongoing costs upfront is a key part of responsible adoption rather than something to figure out later. A final consideration is the shelter’s own designation of a dog as suitable for experienced owners only. Kenny stresses that this label should be taken seriously but doesn’t automatically disqualify first-time adopters. “It may simply mean the new owner will need to do additional research or seek support, such as consulting with a dog trainer,” she adds.
The domestic dog has been selectively bred by humans for somewhere between 15,000 and 40,000 years, which is why the range of behavioral needs across different breeds today is genuinely staggering — a Border Collie and a Basset Hound are about as different in terms of energy and drive as two animals of the same species can possibly be. Separation anxiety in dogs appears to be significantly more common in shelters than in the general population, with some studies estimating it affects between 14 and 20 percent of shelter dogs, partly because of the instability of the shelter environment itself. And despite common assumptions, larger dogs don’t always need more space than smaller ones — some giant breeds are remarkably low-energy indoors, while many small terriers could happily run circles around an athletic Labrador all day long.
Have you ever adopted a dog from a shelter, and what did you wish you had known beforehand? Share your thoughts in the comments.
