When deciding to adopt a dog, the place where you adopt from can be just as important as the decision itself.

With thousands of rescue organizations and shelters across the nation, the process can seem overwhelming. That’s why The Cesar Millan Foundation established its Shelter Stars shelter affiliation program in 2009 to help make the process a little easier—and informative!

Our more than 800 Shelter Stars organizations promote positive, healthy relationships between families and the dogs they adopt by distributing copies of the most popular volume in Cesar Millan's Mastering leadership DVD series, People training for Dogs, free of charge to families that adopt shelter dogs. Through this program, the Foundation hopes to give families adopting a new dog the basic understanding of dog psychology, so they will be able to work through problem behaviors with their new dog from day one, instead of returning the dog to the shelter when problems arise.

"I want to help dogs adopted from shelters become balanced, contributing members of the family, ensuring them a life-long home," says Cesar.

For more information on things to keep in mind before you adopt, click here.

If you are interested in becoming a Shelter Stars affiliate, visit the Foundation website and sign up today!

Check out our interactive map to find a Shelter Stars shelter in your area!