I've spent a good chunk of my life living out in the country and rural areas. One thing I've noticed about living out in the country is how some people let their pets roam free.

While some owners choose to let their pets peruse the outdoors without supervision because they feel they live in a quiet and safe area, it is not the best or most responsible decision a pet owner can make.

I was inspired to write this piece after my boyfriend and I adopted what we thought was a stray cat hanging out at my parent's house. My parents have several stray cats that swing by their house for free food. My mom told us about this particular cat that was quite friendly and cross-eyed - he was adorable. We went to meet him and decided we wanted to take him home. (My parents live in a small rural village.)

A couple of days after we adopted him, my parents informed me their neighbors down the street were looking for their missing cat; the missing cat happened to be the "stray" we adopted. We returned the cat to it's rightful owners. I felt horrible because the cat happened to belong to a child. We had checked missing pet pages on social media and were planning on taking him to the veterinarian for a health check-up and see if he had a microchip. He was dirty and thin when we took him in.

After that situation, I started thinking about how I was glad that my boyfriend and I took this cat in instead of something awful happening to him, such as torture by a disgusting person, getting hit by a vehicle or snatched by a predator. As a matter of fact, my mom saved their dog from getting hit by a car last fall. After that incident, one would think they would not let their pets freely roam the neighborhood anymore. Obviously, that wasn't the case.

It is estimated that the average lifespan of a free-roaming cat is less than three years compared to 12-15 years for an indoor cat. Cats can have a happy and fulfilled life living as an indoor cat.

For dogs, it is against the law in some areas to let them run without being on a leash. While this may not be the case in some rural areas, it is still dangerous to let dogs roam freely because of dangers such as cars, poisons and evil people. I'm sure you can guess all of the horrible things that could to happen to a pet allowed to run freely, regardless of where you live.

While some owners may think it's perfectly fine and safe to let their pets freely roam the outdoors, they need to keep in mind that nature, society and some people do not care about the health, well being and safety of our beloved pets.