Many years ago (after our third adoption of a Chinese Crested out of rescue), my vet's office gave me a call about a puppy.  Knowing how much we loved the Crested breed, we came to mind when a local rescue group had discussed putting down a pup that had come into their care with our vet.  Part of a group of Cresteds, and found in a cage with a Chinese Crested Powderpuff, the lady running the rescue group believed the pup had mange and would be 'unadoptable.'  I contacted the rescue group on my own, expressing interest in adopting this pup, who at five weeks old, had no hair but plenty of wrinkles.  At the time, I already knew that Crested litters contained both hairless and powderpuff puppies, but I guess this rescue organization's leader did not.  Rather than cause an issue, I completed the adoption form, paid my money and added another rescue to our family.  Once done, the second stop was my vet's for the necessary health check-up. 

During the examination, we discussed the possible background of this pup (who later was named 'Rogaine' by my momma - because he needed it as he had no hair!), and my vet said to me, "Let's pull out the Atlas and see what possible breeds this young fellow might be..."   Out came a huge book that seemed to weigh a ton, and he quickly thumbed through the well-worn pages, showing me several possibilities.  At five weeks old, Rogaine looked like several breeds - and when grown, later the vet thought the best possibility was a Peruvian Inca Orchid.

Throughout the years, we consistently saw wrong identifications of dogs in rescue.  By this time, we ourselves found 'the Atlas' from long ago and had purchased our own copy of it, which is now also well-worn and thumbed through in appearance - just as our vet's copy was when first shown to us. 

Would we still have adopted an 'unadoptable dog' without his being properly identified to us prior to the adoption?  Probably - but it sure would have been nice to have known better what breed he was in order to anticipate possible health issues, the eventual size, personality and temperament, etc., especially with already having two other rescues in our home.  It has always been a critical principle with us that our rescues combine well with each other, regardless of their backgrounds and breeding - if our 'pupper pack' don't co-exist well among themselves and us, we've failed as responsible owners.

When we decided to republish our earlier content on dogs, we took a different turn with this website.  We eliminated the cat content and focused instead on how we could change the high kill rate of dogs in shelter and rescue.   All along we have felt if people could be better educated BEFORE they made final decisions on all aspects of a breed (or two, three breeds in the case of hybrids and mixed breeds), the eventual outcome of an adoption would be more successful - that a new home would be a forever home because you knew what to expect (and to look for regarding health issues) ahead of time.

"The Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World" by Bonnie Wilcox, DVM and Chris Walkowicz has been an enormous help to us - we've referred to it countless times over the years and it has been instrumental in quite a few dogs going to more appropriate lifestyles with humans because of its existence (1st edition was in 1989, 5th edition was in 1995).  What a legacy, huh?  To add a personal thank-you, searching the web found this:

The authors believe, as do most animal behaviorists, that if more pets were chosen through knowledge rather than seduction by a pair of deep, soulful eyes, fewer pets would end their existence at an animal shelter....or worse. An understanding of the individual breeds can best be attained by a study of the parent groups and their accompanying predispositions/inclinations/proclivities. Only after such research should a pet be chosen to fill and complete a family and its individual lifestyle.

©  by Bonnie Wilcox, DVM and Chris Walkowicz  (source)

You can purchase this book at countless locations, both offline and online - we're sure your local vet has a copy at their office too (or at least they should have) as well your local library.  When in doubt - go to the source - and in our humble opinion, the "Atlas" is the one!  Thank you for being there throughout the years!  The dogs thank you as well!