Every year there are approximately 6.5 million helpless animals admitted to animal shelters in the United States alone.

Every year there are approximately 1.5 million helpless animals euthanized by animal shelters in the United States alone.

Here are five reasons you should adopt instead of shop.

1. You pay less

The price of buying a purebred animal is outrageous. It could cost you anywhere between $350 to $5000. This number does not include the cost of shots, spaying/neutering, or any of the essentials such as water and food bowls, toys, or cages/beds. The cost of adopting an animal is far cheaper. This could run you up to $350 but that is about as high as it will get. Most animals at shelters are already fixed and have their shots, so you usually won't need to worry about that.

2. You support a valuable charity

The money that you spend on your new pet, or the money that you donate, is used for a good cause. It goes towards giving the animals that are still in the shelter a better life. It goes towards better living situations, more food, and fun toys for them to play with. By adopting, you're not just improving the life of one animal, you're improving the lives of all of the animals in the shelter.

3. You help stop cruelty in mass breeding facilities

By not buying an animal directly from a pet store or breeder, you give less support to those individuals and companies that run mass breeding facilities. These places keep the animals in terrible living conditions and really don't care about the well being of the animals at all. These places need to be shut down.

4. You help end pet overpopulation

The companies mentioned above are producing too many animals. There are not nearly enough homes for all of them which is leading to many more deaths. By not supporting these facilities, you are giving them less of a reason to produce the animals. Every little thing helps.

5. You save a life

Adopting an animal may seem like a daunting task, but you're saving a helpless animals life. You will be adding the most loving member to your family. You won't regret it.