At Coldwell Banker, we love pets – and especially dogs. You may have heard about our “Homes for Dogs Project,” a campaign to find homes for 20,000 adoptable dogs in 2015 – which we launched in February in partnership with Adopt-a-Pet.com.

Last week, we were excited to learn we completed our goal in less than eight months! To celebrate (and to hopefully find homes for even MORE pets) we caught up with Abbie Moore, the executive director of Adopt-a-Pet.com about why fall is a great time to adopt a pet, what some of the biggest misconceptions are about pet adoption, and more.

Coldwell Banker: Why is fall a great time to adopt a pet?
Abbie Moore: At Adopt-a-Pet.com, we think any time of year is a great time to adopt a shelter pet – but fall is an especially good time to make the leap for many families. As children return to school for a new year, families are actively establishing new routines to manage their day that can make integrating positive pet-care behaviors easier to make habit. Pets thrive on routine, and consistency is perhaps the most important aspect of training, especially when it comes to housetraining a dog. When we, their humans, are on a routine, waking up, leaving the house, and returning home at the same times each day (and trying to approximate that on the weekends), it makes it that much easier for our newly-adopted family members to get used to feeding, walking, and playtime routines.

CB: What is one of the biggest misconceptions about pet adoption?
AM: There are two big ones: One is that pets in shelters are somehow faulty. Some people feel that the pets in shelters must have serious behavioral issues or that they’re not trustworthy or healthy. That couldn’t be further from the truth.  When you think about it, that sweet, loving, loyal dog cuddled up on your couch right now could easily become a dog in the shelter with just a bit of bad luck – if something were to happen to you, say, or if a door gets left open and your dog gets lost.

The second myth is that you can’t find the kind of pet you want at a shelter. Whether you want baby or adult, big or small, adorable mutt or chi chi purebred, they’re out there at shelters and rescue organizations.  In fact, some estimates tell us that over 30% of dogs in shelters are purebred. On Adopt-a-Pet.com you can even sign up for New Pet Alerts, so we’ll email you when the exact type of pet you want comes into a shelter and is posted on Adopt-a-Pet.com.

CB: What’s the best piece of advice you have for someone adopting their first pet?
AM: Three words: Prepare, prepare, prepare.  Adopting a pet shouldn’t be an impulse decision. I’d suggest that anyone who is considering adding a pet to their family really take the time to get prepared before making the commitment to care for a pet for his or her entire lifetime. It’s easy to act on a whim when seeing the adorable face of a cat or dog who needs a home, but it’s a decision that will impact your life – and theirs – for the next 10 or more years. Start by reading up on the subject and getting a factual understanding of what pet guardianship entails. Also, the best time to learn how to train your dog or acclimate your cat is before you adopt; that way you’ll know exactly what to do from the moment your new family member enters your house for the first time. The Adopt-a-Pet.com blog has a ton of content on all things pets. And our first ever book, The Total Dog Manual, which is the essential crash course in dog ownership, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

CB: What’s in store for Adopt-a-Pet.com for the rest of the year?
AM: Oh, we have so much in store I don’t know where to start! We’re always working on new features and products that help good people connect with great pets. There’s so much I can tell you about, but one thing I’m especially excited about is a new process we’re putting in place to help new adopters tell us when they’ve adopted so we can help them through this exciting, new phase in their life. No matter how experienced the owner, no matter how great the new dog or cat, there’s a period of adjustment right after adoption in which everything feels a little chaotic.  We want to help people through that time and prevent pets from being returned to shelters. Everyone knows that Adopt-a-Pet.com is the search engine to find the best pets to adopt and now we want to help people keep those pets, too. It’s all very fun and exciting!