On Wednesday the 17th, my family got four paws, one tail, and one slobbery tongue bigger. We adopted a dog named Hannah, who is a loving pit bull and border collie mix.

For the past week or so, I've gushed to everyone who would lend me an ear about my new puppy. I went on about how cute she is, how well she fits into our family, and how much I love her. The conversations quickly led to showing a picture of Hannah, which is where I noticed a running theme.

This is Hannah...

After showing friends and family this picture, many questions followed, such as:

"How old is she?" "How big is she?" "Is she aggressive?" "She's not a puppy, right?"

When I had told people I got a new dog, everyone assumed I bought a legitimate puppy, maybe one from a pet store or from a dog breeder. This concept was foreign to me, being that every dog I'd ever owned was a rescue. But for the individuals I'd came across over the past week, the assumption was my dog should be small and in the first few months of its life.

This experience reinstated my belief that more awareness needs to be given to shelters and adoption events, because many are still unaware of how important it is to adopt animals.

Each year, about 3.7 million animals are euthanized, and 5 in 10 dogs and 7 in 10 cats in shelters are euthanized simply because there is no one to adopt them (Humane Society for Shelter Pets).

Animals are being killed simply because they aren't given the opportunity for a life. For those who want to make a difference and are willing to make a difference, I can guarantee you there is a dog at a shelter near you that you will fall in love with, and that you will save from those statistics.

Hannah, who is now happily running around my house with toys in her mouth and meeting all the other dogs on the block, was originally put in a kill shelter. She had been hit by a car and was found in the street with a broken leg and pelvis. She, too, could have been apart of those statistics. But instead, look at her now.

That is why I chose to adopt.