The first thing I want to say is..."WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT"

I want to keep this short and sweet. My cat Evy has crossed over the Rainbow Bridge...she was my first pet and my soulmate, so I want to give it some time emotionally before looking into another pet, and I also want to find a wonderful new home and get settled into my new home before I decide on another pet. The goal is to settle into a new home and within 3-6 months I'll consider another pet.

At this point in time, I'm interested in adopting a dog from a shelter. My dream dog is a German Shepherd, but I'm not in a position to house a big dog. So I thought, why not get a little dog or a medium size dog? But I have absolutely no idea what breed, and I thought, why not get a dog from the shelter? As far as I know, a good shelter will match me with a dog that suits me, my lifestyle, and my house. And tons of people say mutts can be the greatest dogs.

But I have no idea what to expect or how to choose a dog from a shelter. And many dogs are in a shelter because they've been abused or have major behavioral issues which is not something I could handle, to be honest. So how would I go about picking a dog from a shelter?

Does anyone have experience with shelter dogs and can explain to me the process? How do you know which is the right dog for you if you don't have a breed in mind or the breed you want isn't in the shelter?