This is one of the most common and to be honest annoying phrases shelter workers hear, not because we don’t have at least a dozen puppies that need homes but because it shows a major lack of understanding. Normally, we don’t have the 30 minutes it would take to explain to adopters why an adult dog may actually meet their needs better than a puppy. It is also doubtful that if we took this time to educate that we would be “heard” since the adopter is most likely a self-appointed expert who has owned dogs before.