We all have pets that we love like a member of our own family. We talk to them, play with them and even sneak them some food under the table when everyone else isn’t looking. We grow with them, and they are there for us through thick and thin. They are there through your hardest breakup, through an engagement or just there for you no matter what.
Dogs are the only animals that love their owners more than they love themselves. But what about those animals that live day in and day out at the shelter? What about those cats and dogs at the shelter that don’t have anyone to call their owner? Life can be pretty cruel in the shelter or even the pound. We can still do something about these animals to make them feel not only loved but find them a forever home. If you are having trouble deciding whether to adopt or buy, look no further. I promise this article will provide you with key points as to why you should always adopt.
The No. 1 reason to adopt is to stop pet overpopulation. There are too many animals and not enough homes. Shelters have been facing a pet overpopulation problem for the last few decades and some animals are found wandering as strays, and some are surrendered by their owners who cannot, or no longer want to, care for them. In order to help reduce pet overpopulation and being part of the solution, it’s important to have your pet sterilized, which is the only permanent, 100 percent effective method of birth control. In most shelters, spaying or neutering is mandatory for all adopted cats, dogs and rabbits. This ensures the animals placed in the community don’t contribute to pet overpopulation.
Second, when you adopt, you are saving a life. A shelter pet is more than one in a million — they’re one in 2.7 million. That's the number of adoptable dogs and cats who are still euthanized each year in the United States, simply because too many pets come into shelters and too few people adopt. The number of euthanized animals could be reduced dramatically if more people adopted pets instead of buying them. When you adopt, you save your animal and open up shelter space for another animal who might need it. Shelters are meant to be temporary. Let’s keep it that way.
Next, you get a great pet for an even greater price. Let’s put your worries at ease first. Normally when we think about shelter animals, we think that they ended up there because they were a problem in their previous household. But that’s not true in its entirety. Of course some will give up their animal because they were a problem. Most of the time, they are given up because of a move, divorce or some human problem. I can tell you this is true personally because I am the owner of an adopted dog from my local shelter. He is the smartest dog I have ever seen and is the most loving dog anyone has ever met. Also, you get a great deal when you adopt. Most adoption fees include spay/neutering and sometimes microchipping, which is pretty amazing in itself. You are not only contributing to overpopulation control, but you are getting a furry friend who will thank you with kisses and purrs for years to come.
Finally, you can take part in the fight against puppy mills. You're too smart to get a dog from a pet store or online seller — you might as well buy direct from a puppy mill. Puppy mills are "factory style" breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs. Animals from puppy mills are housed in shockingly poor conditions with improper medical care and are often very sick and behaviorally troubled as a result. The moms of the puppies are kept in cages to be bred over and over for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever joining a family. And after they're no longer profitable, breeding dogs are simply discarded — either killed, abandoned or sold at auction. Most puppies in pet stores and sold online come from puppy mills. The dogs are sold to unsuspecting consumers in pet stores, over the Internet and through classified ads. Puppy mills will continue to operate until people stop supporting them. By adopting a pet, you can be certain you aren't giving them a dime.
Hopefully this has persuaded you to see all of the advantages of adopting from your local humane society or shelter. Again, I can speak from personal experience when I say that these animals are the most loving and sweet animals you will ever meet. As an owner of many adopted pets, I can say that they desperately need to be adopted and need a forever home. Take part in the fight against puppy mills and overpopulation, and brighter futures for these animals are soon to come.
