1. You decrease sales in breeding and puppy mills

According to The Humane Society, there are over 10,000 legal and illegal puppy mills across the US, which includes over 100,000 female dogs being used as tools for profit. Over ONE MILLION puppies are produced from these breeders per year, where 25% of the time, these dogs end up in shelters.

With pet adoption, you can hinder the profit of puppy mills and breeders, decreasing their output of dogs and those being brought into this world that have a good chance of ending up homeless.

Shelters are also adamant on spaying/neutering the animals that come through their facilities, whereas breeders leave that option up to the owner, which leaves the possibility of even MORE animals coming out of the shopping process.

2. Adoption is SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive

I have many friends who have purebred dogs or cats, all of which paid a LOT of money for their pets (I'm talking like over a thousand dollars). Adoption fees can range from $50 to a few hundred, where a lot of the money goes into the care and shelter of new animals coming in.

3. You are helping so many people

Animal shelters are always full with critters, especially in the last two years with so many major hurricanes coming through. By adopting, you are giving these shelters more room for new animals coming in, as well as a lower demand for supplies!

4. Less work than training a new pet

A huge plus to adopting is that most of the animals in shelters are already house trained. From years of volunteering with the HSPCA, we learned that majority of the furry visitors that came through our house were either surrenders from owners who couldn't keep them any longer or ones that had been released onto the street instead of being brought to an animal center. And if that isn't the case, most shelters will put their animals into fostering before placing them into a new home, therefore your new furry friend will have some experience with potty training and the norms of how to behave in a house.

5. You would be saving a life

With pet adoption, you are taking a pet's old life and giving it a new one. Whether your pet comes from a breeder, a shelter, or your mom's friend whose cat randomly had kittens, they are going to love you just the same. Give adoption a try, and if you are not in a financial place where you can't have a pet, try fostering, where you would be providing a temporary home with all food, litter, bedding, and whatnot is provided.