Owning a pet can be a rewarding experience providing you are ready for it. The fun part is picking out a puppy or dog, cat or kitten to adopt. The difficult part is the effort involved with caring for a new pet. Having a pet is a lifetime commitment. Dogs can live 8-15 years and cats can live even longer. The staff of the Atlantic County Animal Shelter asks that you please make certain you are ready for the responsibility of adopting a pet before making a decision. All cats and dogs require yearly veterinary checkups. Puppies and kittens need three initial inoculations and a rabies vaccine which must be given by the age of four months.

A new puppy or dog requires plenty of time and patience. A puppy needs to be housebroken and in some instances so does an adult dog. Dogs like to chew and can't tell the difference between your personal belongings and his toys. Proper training is necessary to prevent these and other unwanted behaviors. While a cat or kitten may not require as much care as our canine friends, they also need to learn right from wrong. By taking the time to teach your new pet right from wrong it will become one of the family and not be banished to the outdoors due to undesirable behaviors. The Atlantic County Animal Shelter offers free obedience training classes with each puppy or dog adoption.

If you are interested in adopting a pet, contact the Atlantic County Animal Shelter at (609) 485-2345 for further information.