What Do You Look For in a Pet?

Did you ever go to the shelter to adopt a pet, with a list of criteria only to fall in love with an animal completely unlike what you expected?

Each year people looking to add a pet to their home often go to a shelter planning to adopt a specific dog, puppy, cat, or kitten. According to a new survey, here is the top criteria on a pet owner's list:

People looking for puppies at shelters cite physical appearance as their number-one priority, over age and behavior with people.

For older dogs, people care most about their behavior with people.

When it comes to kittens, people care most about age.

And for older cats, people are most concerned about their behavior.

For me it's certainly more than just looks. I think that if you have an open mind then you're likely to feel a 'pull' toward a certain animal...that may or may not have been what you were thinking you'd walk away with. But the payoff, in terms of welcoming another member into your family, is usually tremendous. And you'll more than likely find yourself saying that you ended up with the perfect animal for your home and can't imagine how you could have chosen any other pet.