As for living with a dog all almost 19 years of my life, I have become a die-hard dog lover some might even consider to be over the top. My dog is a hound mix that my family adopted from a local shelter two and a half years ago. We don't know what kinds of dogs he is mixed with, where he came from or what he has been through before he was taken to the shelter, but he is not inferior to dogs from breeders because of that. No adopted dog is. After going through the adoption process and rescuing my best friend, it has opened my eyes to dogs that need rescuing and after taking him home from that shelter I will recommend adoption over breeders any day. Here's why.
According to ASPCA, there are about 3.9 million dogs that enter shelters every year in the approximately 13,600 animal shelters nationwide. Approximately 35% of these dogs are adopted, 31% are euthanized and 26% of the dogs are strays that are returned to their owners. This statistic itself shows that approximately the same number of dogs that get adopted from these shelters are also euthanized. Adopting these dogs rather than going to a breeder to buy one will dramatically decrease the number of dogs who get euthanized and decrease the number of dogs who spend months, years or even their lives at shelters that don't euthanize their dogs.
Looking at the price difference of adopting a dog versus buying from a breeder should be enough of a convincing reason to adopt and not shop! At many shelters, the price of adoption fees can be less than $250 with shots, microchip and fixing included. When you buy from a breeder, depending on the type of dog it can cost up to $3,000 alone just to take the dog home! This doesn't even include first shots, microchip and fixing. You have to do all of that on your own.
I think a huge part of the reason people are opposed to adopting dogs is because they don't know where they come from, or what they are a mix of. Yes, a lot of dogs you find in shelters don't have a definite mix of breeds. It might always be a mystery. And yes, you probably won't know of the dog's past.
However, this should in no way be seen as a reason to not adopt a dog. Your forever friend will give you the same amount of love as any other, if not even more because you literally saved their life. They say dogs remember everything, and they will always remember you as the one who picked them and took them home to live a life outside of the scary shelter they were placed in, after being given up by a family who didn't love them or from being abused before they got there.
I could go on forever, because there are so many reasons to adopt instead of shop. As previously mentioned, I saved my dog from the shelter about two and a half years ago. If you've ever heard the expression "Who saved who?" it is absolutely relatable. I couldn't imagine my life without my rescued bestie, and the fact that he is adopted is in no way a flaw or makes him inferior to dogs purchased from breeders. There are so many dogs out there in shelters who are just waiting for someone to come along and love them, so they can give out love also. He changed my life and made me see why everyone should go out, adopt, and save lives ~ and they might even save yours too.
