Adopt your next pet online

Dear Paw’s Corner: I recently read your reader’s great suggestion about adopting from shelters rather than paying thousands of dollars for a registered dog. An easy way to check shelters is to go to www.petfinder.com. Just type in your ZIP code and what kind of dog you are looking for, and it will show you all available dogs in your area. Often they are already housebroken!

We lost our Lhasa of 13 years this winter, which we got at a shelter for $35, already housetrained. She was a wonderful pet. This spring I went online and found our “new” Lhasa at a rescue in foster care in St. Louis. She was only $100. There was a statement that no children should be in the household with her. Well, we are empty-nesters, so she gets all the attention, and loves it! If you adopt from Petfinder, you get one month’s insurance free, and other benefits. — Brenda in Marshall, Mo.

Dear Brenda: Thank you for a wonderful suggestion! Online services are making the lives of people and pets much easier, providing resources and opportunities for learning with just a few mouse clicks.

Adopting a pet is not only cost-effective, it’s also a way to mitigate — in a small but effective way — the problem of abandoned and unwanted pets. Adopted pets can have unique personalities, some specific to their breed. So it’s important to make sure you and your family are capable of caring for a particular pet.