Host: How can I responsibly give a dog as a gift?

Michelle Otis: The bonding connection that an owner feels with the dog is the most important factor in whether or not that dog remains in its home for a lifetime and that's what most shelters are going for when they make a placement they are looking for a lifetime arrangement for the remainder of that dog's life and so adopting a dog as a surprise or as a gift can really backfire because you never know what someone else's expectations are what they really want and often times, they don't know until they are put in a position to do that. So adopting a dog for someone else may not be the way to go. It really encourages the bond when a person gets to come and choose the animal and get to interact and have that back and forth the different animals before they make their choice. So what I would recommend is find out at the shelter or the rescue organisation has a gift certificate program or something of that nature where you can just pay the cost of the adoption fee and then when the person is ready for a new dog, they can come and make -- start the process themselves. But the process really is a part of what forms the initial bond to begin with and it is important that the owner participate in that.