Petfinder.com: The Adopted Dog Bible: Your One-Stop Resource for Choosing, Training, and Caring for Your Sheltered or Rescued Dog »

Since 1996, Petfinder.com has facilitated more than twelve million pet adoptions. What began as one couple's New Year's resolution to "do something good" by uniting homeless pets with prospective adopters has become the largest searchable database of adoptable pets on the Web. More than one out of nine homes with pets in the U.S. contains an animal found on Petfinder.com. Kim Saunders is vice president of shelter outreach at Petfinder.com and is the proud adoptive parent of Kona, Mojo, and Mocha.

The old rules don't always apply to adopted dogs, whose training, past behaviors, and health histories may be a mystery. At last, here's the one-stop bible that acknowledges their special needs and covers every detail of daily life. In chapters reviewed by experts in veterinary medicine, nutrition, and training, pet parents will learn:

• Where to find your perfect canine companion
• All about breeds and mixed breeds and how you can adopt any type of dog
• Smart guidelines for adoption success
• Realistic expenses of dog care
• What to expect when you bring your new pup home (and long after)
• How to prevent runaways and protect your dog from all types of harm
• Clicker, target stick, and other re-training methods
• Humane ways to modify undesirable behaviors
• How to introduce new diets and take the guesswork out of feeding
• Holistic and conventional medical treatments
• Daily hygiene and caring for your sick pup inside and out
• The impact of travel and changes at home
• What to do when it's time to say good-bye

Plus recipes, doggy workouts, heartwarming true stories of adopted dogs and their happy parents, information on saving dogs on a larger scale, and much, much more!

Edell M. Schaefer - Library Journal

This is a basic book on choosing, training, and caring for a dog, but instead of addressing puppy buyers who purchase their pets from a reputable breeder, this resource assembled by Petfinder.com, a popular pet adoption web site, is for the millions of people who acquire their dogs secondhand. Vice president of shelter outreach at Petfinder.com, Saunders draws on a knowledgeable panel of contributors, including dog-care authors Sheila Boneham, Liz Palika, Sue Sternberg, and others, which adds to the book's credibility. The information covers the usual basics but is substantial, and owners with further concerns or questions are referred to other organizations or their local veterinarian or trainer. Well organized and illustrated, the 22 chapters cover a comprehensive range of topics, from where to find the right dog, breed characteristics, and guidelines for selecting the dog to retraining, modifying undesirable behaviors, and routine care and health considerations. This is a worthwhile purchase for all sizes of public libraries and suitable for both first-time and seasoned dog owners. Highly recommended.