Adopt-a-Pet: Looking for a purebred dog?

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So you’re in the market for a purebred dog, but you want to steer clear of breeders and pet stores? You have many options at your disposal. One place to start is your local breed rescue group -- but you will also find many wonderful purebreds in your local animal shelter. (France, the German Shepherd in the above photo, is available for adoption now at the West L.A. shelter. She’s a spayed female, about 5 years old, and her ID# is A0980071.)

Here are just a few of the purebred dogs we found in L.A.’s city shelters.

These Doberman Pinschers are up for adoption at the East Valley shelter -- that’s Red (ID# A0983387) on the left and Kobe (ID# A0983390) on the right. Red is an unspayed female, approximately 5 years old, and Kobe is a neutered male who’s about 6.

The St. Bernard, above left, is ID# A0982651. He’s an unneutered male, about 2 years old, and he’s currently residing in the South L.A. shelter. Coda the Cocker spaniel, above right, is ID# A0975336. He’s an unneutered male, also about 2 years old, and you’ll find him at the North Central shelter.

Above left, Pepper (ID# A0980050) is a spayed female Schnauzer who’s approximately 6. You can meet her in person at the West Valley shelter. Carl (ID# A0981926), above right, is a neutered male Chinese Shar-Pei. He’s about 4 years old and you’ll find him at the East Valley shelter.

The American Eskimo, above left, is ID# A0980480. He’s an unneutered male, approximately 4 years old, and he’s at the West Valley shelter. The Chihuahua, above right, is ID# A0982516. She’s unspayed, about 8 years old, and you’ll find her at the South L.A. shelter.

Rocko the Boxer (ID# A0978410), above left, is an unneutered male, about 9 years old. He’s at the North Central shelter. Megan the Border Collie (ID# A0983179), above right, is an unspayed female who’s about 4 years old. She’s currently at the West Valley shelter.

Little Tommy (ID# A0980583), above left, is a neutered male Pomeranian and you’ll find him at the South L.A. shelter. (Special bonus: if you’rea senior, you can adopt a senior pet at no cost through the new Seniors 4 Seniors program.) Last but not least in our little photo essay is Nicole (ID# A0626838), above right. She’s a spayed female Dalmatian who’s about 8 years old and you can meet her in person at the West L.A. shelter.

Looking for a specific breed? You can sign up for email alerts from L.A.’s city shelter system and be notified if that coveted Springer spaniel, Basset Hound, or Great Dane turns up in one of the city’s six animal care facilities.

--Lindsay Barnett