Having never owned a dog, I can confidently say that I more than life want a dog. However, the other day I happened into a puppy store with my friend. At first, I was very excited. Who doesn't love puppies! But then I saw that all the puppies cost $1,000 and up, and to me, that's an enormous cost. Comparing that to the shelter dogs and cats, that cost $100 to adopt, I found it ridiculous that anyone would want to buy a purebred dog.

Additionally, my friend explained that the dogs were probably from a puppy mill. She went on to tell me that some puppy mills are known for being inhumane and not treating their dogs right. I had heard this as well and was appalled. For me, a pet is something to be loved and cherished, so it doesn't matter to me at all if they're purebred or adopted. There are so many animals out there that have been abused or abandoned and just need a loving family.

Because of this, I have always gone by the idea of "Adopt, Don't Shop." It's not just a good idea morally. Oftentimes, because purebred dogs are inbred and don't receive enough genetic diversity, they tend to get sicker and have more health issues than mixed animals. This is true mostly of dogs, but can also apply to cats.

Before my sophomore year of college, my mom adopted two cats from the shelter. One was four months old and the other was around six months old. I love them very much, and even though my one cat has asthma and a head tilt, he is the sweetest cat and very loving. I can confidently say from personal experience that adopting pets is a highly rewarding experience.

Prior to my current cats, my previous cats had also been adoptees. One had been given to my parents by the neighbors, and the other had been a stray that my parents took in. I loved those cats very much. There are so many people who abandon their pets and consequently so many pets end up in shelters.

When animals don't get adopted in a certain amount of time, they often are euthanized. I personally understand why this happens, as shelters don't have the capacity to take in an endless amount of animals. Still, it hurts my heart to know that so many animals haven't found a home yet and that they're just waiting in shelters.

As an animal lover, I think it's important to adopt pets that have been put in shelters. Oftentimes, puppy mills and other breeders don't know what they're doing or mistreat their animals. This isn't always the case, but it does happen enough that puppy mills have undergone controversy. While I understand that some people may want to have a purebred animal, I think it's both more moral and cost-effective to adopt.