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Jon Dunn reportingChoosing a dog for the family can be one of the most wonderful experiences the whole family can go through together. But choosing the wrong dog can mean tough times and a sad future for the dog itself.
At the Salt Lake County Animal Shelter there is every kind of dog imaginable. Dogs in every color age, size, and of course scores of different breeds. See, the problem is too many times we choose an animal for the wrong reasons.
EIGHT BELOW: "There's only one way to make that trip. That's with the dogs."
The new Disney movie, "Eight Below".
Temma Martin, SL County Animal Shelter: "Our fear currently is with "Eight Below" in the theaters with these beautiful Siberian huskies. Everybody's going to want to go out and get a Siberian husky."
Temma Martin: "When we send them out, we do everything in our power to make sure it's a good match between the family and the dog."
Take working dogs for example like a border collie
Temma Martin: "They're bred to have a job to do. So, if you get one of these breeds you need to keep them very active. You need to keep their brains occupied or they get distracted."
At Dogs R Us Daycare in Salt Lake City, trainer Emily Merz says research is important.
Emily Merz: " I have a lot of people that will adopt a Chihuahua because their neighbor had one and it was cute. Little do they know that breed is prone to nipping and it needs tons of work. Tons of socialization."
Merz says talk with local rescue groups---make sure you are in close contact with people at shelters and of course talk with friends and family.
Emily Merz: "Go walk the dog a couple of times. I am a firm believer in... every good dog relationship, human dog relationship, starts with a walk.
And beware of someone selling a dog---just like you would be skeptical at a car dealership
Emily Merz: "They're going to tell the potential customer whatever they want to hear to get them to buy your product."
