Adopting a pet can be a very socially responsible, fulfilling way to add to your family. Shelters are filled beyond capacity with dogs, cats and other small animals that patiently await their forever homes. But, while doing this can be a supreme act of love, there are some rules and guidelines that you should be aware of before visiting starting the entire process.

1. Make sure that everyone is in agreement about the kind of pet that you are looking for. You don't have to be a 100% in agreement about the breed, size and sex of the pet.  The closer to agreement in each category, the easier the search will go. 
2. Start discussing with everyone in the family about proper animal safety rules. Do they know how to approach and handle an animal correctly? Is there any chance at all that anyone will be frightened? A frightened child might equal a frightened pet-which could mean trouble.
3. Finally, make sure that everyone knows what to expect from the search - that there will be a lot of animals, and that while it is sad that they are there, you can only take one.

1. You don't have to run to the shelter of choice right away these days. There are plenty of resources online. You should look for information about breeds, local shelters and veterinarians that will take care of your pet needs.
2. A good place to start your search is Petfinder. A lot of local searches put their animals and websites there.
3. You can start visiting pet stores as long as you all agree that you won't make the adoption just on a rush.

1. Allow everyone to discuss his or her feelings about the pet in question. Did they like him, or did they think that there might be a better pet out there somewhere? 
2. Contact the shelter staff and bring all the questions you might have.  Some shelters will let you communicate via e-mail if you prefer to handle the communications that way.
   
3. If you have decided to adopt, fill out necessary forms, and pay any fees.

1. Remind children of the rules and make sure that they are within arm's reach of you at all times.
2. Ask questions of the shelter staff, including known health history, behaviour, and any other key facts that they might have. 
3. Spend some time with the selected pet watching the interaction between him and the family members. If you have other pets at home bring them with you.
4. Make sure you get all the paperwork from the shelter (shots' history, chip papers, etc).

If your family is something like mine the process might take more than a couple of weeks.  There will be plenty of back-and-forths regarding breeds, pets and even names.  Don't make any rush decisions and be patient. Adopting a pet should be rewarding experience, and it will be as long as everyone knows what to expect from the very start.