Dogs and puppies adopted from the Animal Rescue League have been examined by a veterinarian, have been spayed or neutered, have a microchip for their safety, and have received a first set of vaccinations and shots.

All of these services are covered by the adoption fee which may differ between animals.

The first set of vaccinations that your dog or puppy receive are included. Other vaccinations may be required, for which you will be responsible. In addition, the fee includes the cost of a rabies vaccination ($10), which is required by Pennsylvania State law.

All of our dogs are tested for their "Canine-ality" by using the "Meet Your Match! Canine-ality Adoption Program"

Canine-ality Assessment

Ideal Companions
The Animal Rescue League is dedicated to bringing animals together with compatible people. We understand that different people have different lifestyles, and a pet’s ability to fit into a certain lifestyle impacts compatibility. In an effort to match the right dogs with the right people, we’ve implemented the Meet Your Match™ Canine-ality Adoption Program.
Designed in 2001, the Meet Your Match Program assesses the temperament and activity level of our dogs and makes this information available to you. By matching your personality with the “canine-ality” of a shelter dog, we can better help you in adopting a life-long companion.

Individualized Canine-ality
Everyone’s heard of Type A and Type B personalities in people, but you might be surprised to know that dogs can have unique personalities of their own. The first step of the Meet Your Match™ Canine-ality Adoption Program is the assessment of “canine-ality.” We use a series of five tests to determine a dog’s friendliness, energy level, drive and motivation:

#1 The Greeting Test - The Greeting Test is designed to determine the dog’s level of sociability and arousal.

#2 The Left Alone Test - The Left Alone test is designed to determine the dog's energy level and “house manners”. It is comprised of two parts: duration of behavior and type of behavior.

#3 The Play Test - The Play Test is designed to determine the dog’s interest in play, focus and sociability and to see how easily he is aroused.

#4 The Food Motivation Test - The Food Motivation Test is designed to examine how hard a dog will work for something it really wants. It is not important for the dog to necessarily learn the cue. Rather, it is an opportunity to gauge how persistent he is once he understands how to get the food reward.

#5 The Manners Assessment - The Manners Assessment is designed to determine the dog’s overall behavior and awareness of desirable behavior when interacting with people.

An optional sixth test, the Crate Test, is also available to gather information about the dog's tolerance for crating. This is purely for information gathering purposes only and does not affect the dog’s canine-ality score. The Crate Test is designed to assess the dog’s tolerance of being crated and left alone. It is comprised of two parts: ease and acceptance.

The results are tallied and the dogs are color coded. Purple dogs are easy to handle, orange dogs are average, and green dogs are high maintenance. Within each color are three sub-categories that explain the different motivational types: socially motivated, internally motivated, or externally motivated
A socially motivated dog is driven by the desire for human contact or attention. He or she craves petting and verbal reinforcement. Socially motivated easy (purple) dogs are “Constant Companions”. Average (orange) dogs are “Goofballs” and high maintenance (green) dogs are the “Life of the Party.”
It’s difficult to determine what stimulates an internally motivated dog. They may be independent and less likely to respond to human contact, toys or even food. Color categories for internally motivated dogs break down to: “Couch Potato” (purple), “Wallflower” (orange) and “Free Spirit” (green).

Externally motivated dogs respond to outside motivators, such as toys, food and human encouragement. They are often intelligent and require extra instruction. An easy (purple) internally motivated dog is a “Teacher’s Pet”, while an average (orange) dog is a “Busy Bee” and a high maintenance (green) dog is a “Go-Getter.”

The Matchmaking Process
The dogs aren’t the only ones we test. We ask potential adopters to take the Dog Adopter Survey to help us find your compatible “canine-ality.” The survey will help us determine what kind of dog fits your home, lifestyle, expectations and pet-ownership experience.