Everyone goes to the pet store and sees those cute little puppies in the kennels. Your heart melts and you post a video of the puppy dancing. We've all seen it. I've seen it all too often.
I am a volunteer for several rescues. Including, but not limited to, Last Hope K9 Rescue and Pine Bluff Animal Friends. We receive more of these dogs than you would believe.
It happens all the same. It starts with someone wanting a purebred beauty in the window of some pet store. Maybe you know that puppy came from a puppy mill, maybe you don't. You take the puppy home. The puppy stays home with you for a few weeks until you find something wrong with it and drop it off at the shelter.
This is where my fellow volunteers and I come in. We walk through the shelter and are literally brought to tears as we see an entire litters of puppies all together, knowing that if they don't get pulled soon by a rescue they might not make it.
I'm not here to condemn anyone, I'm here to encourage people to spay/neuter, adopt and volunteer.
Spaying and neutering has shown positive results in the life of a dog. They are less likely to get cancer and more likely to live longer. It also reduces the number of euthanizations in shelters. How may you ask? Simple. The less dogs that are pregnant, the lower the dog population is. The simple fact is that the shelters here cannot hold many dogs and thus must make room for new dogs coming in.
Adopting reduces the amount of people who run puppy mills. If no one is buying from the puppy mills, then the puppy mills don't profit. Thus, there is no reason to breed. Now I know you'll say, "I can't get a purebred dog from a rescue." Well, you'd be wrong. The rescue I work with, Last Hope K9 (located in New England, Massachusetts), sees more purebreds then most pet stores. Here are some examples:
Carson. A purebred Beagle. Ready for adoption through Last Hope K9 Rescue.
Another common misconception is that they will have some sort of health issue if they come from a rescue. Wrong again. Each of our dogs are complete vaccinated for rabies, spayed and neutered, as well as given health certificates from licensed vets. Any medical issues a dog may have, like heartworms or an injury, are handled and treated immediately.
"Adopting is too expensive." Well, so is buying from a breeder. Trust me when I say you'll spend more money on a breeder dog than a rescue dog. Here's a line-up of the prices for an adoption, curtsey of the rescue mentioned above (Last Hope K9) :
Now, not many can adopt. You may not have the room or the funds and that's fine, but everything helps. So do what you can. Whether it be donating food, cleaning kennels, driving dogs around, fostering or making home visits. Do what you can. For more information you can visit http://lasthopek9.org
