Host: What advice do you give first time dog owners?

Michelle Otis: My first piece of advice would be do your research, look into breeds, carefully set and evaluate what kind of lifestyle that you have and what kind of dog is going to fit into that lifestyle. So definitely do breed because even though shelters have lots of mixed breed, they also have lots of pure breeds as well. So you want to know little bit about what you are looking for first. Then plan ahead, make sure that you have researched pet care options in your neighborhood or in your community. Make sure that you know which vet you are going to be using and things of that nature so that you already have a support system or an idea of what your support system is going to be when you bring your dog home. Also, be open minded when you go into a shelter you never know what dogs are going to be there and most shelters have dogs coming on a daily basis ongoing. So never feel like if you don't find your dog on your first visit to the shelter that that's it for you. You can always come back and take your time and make sure that you visit frequently if you need to, until you find the right match, but really what is important is evaluating your lifestyle and evaluating how you want a dog to fit in with that lifestyle and then going from there.