i adopted gatsby when he was 1~1.5 yrs old, and i'm glad i adopted an "older" dog. he was already 100% house broken, had all his shots and was neutered. from what i understand, puppies typically get adopted easily, but the older ones, not so much. i think gatsby had already been bounced from another shelter because he was there too long, and was nearing the end of his welcome at the shelter he was at, so I'm glad we found him when we did.