MERCY

Puppies are a lot of fun, but also a lot of responsibility! Things you should be aware of before adopting a puppy from the Denver Animal Shelter:* Puppies will need regular socialization. The critical time period for socialization is between 8 and 16 weeks, but it is important to continue to socialize your new pup throughout their young life. This means having positive and enjoyable interactions with as many new people, new dogs, and new environments as possible. Appropriate socialization will help puppies grow into healthier and more social adults.* They will not know what is appropriate to chew on, where they should go to the bathroom, and how to behave in all situations. Puppies require a lot of time spent on training, management, and supervision. It is recommended that puppies be crate trained or kept in a puppy-proofed room of the house with appropriate chew toys and enrichment when not actively supervised. The Denver Animal Shelter always recommends positive reinforcement-based training methods. * Puppies in a shelter environment often have unknown parentage. While we make our best guesses on size and breed, we cannot guarantee their adult temperament, behavior, size, or characteristics.