I'm sure you all can recall a time when you were sitting on the couch watching a good show on TV, and it switches to a commercial break. You hear the sound of the soft piano fade in and then hear the lyrics to "In the arms of an angel" and immediately, you recognize what commercial is playing. It is the ASPCA commercial featuring Sarah McLachlan with up-close footage of crying and depressed animals needing a home.
Those 30 seconds were like brutal torture to me, and I can't nearly count how many times I spent crying while watching them. Although the commercial is depressing beyond belief, it stresses an important message. It really puts into perspective all the animals out there that are in need of caring and loving homes. Their life really depends on your adoption, and you can make a difference. The phrase "Adopt, not Shop" is promoting the adoption of homeless animals rather than purchasing them from some type of pet shop. There are great reasons to adopting a pet from a shelter that will outweigh getting one from a pet store.
The Greatest Benefit is Saving a Life
Adopting a pet from a shelter is instant gratitude and makes you feel really great. There's so many animals who are put down because there is way too many homeless animals and not enough people adopting them. You'll be filling a void in you that you never knew existed. Going to the shelter can help you meet your forever buddy! You need to ignore all the stigmas around shelter pets, and help save their lives.
It's a lot cheaper than buying a pet from a pet store
Adopting a pet from a shelter can save you more money than a pet store. Adoption centers like the ASPCA charge a small fee in order to keep the shelter running. At a pet store, you will find yourself paying an excessive amount of money for essentially the same lovable pet. I don't know of anyone in the right state of mind who would argue with saving their hard earned money. You can make getting a pet affordable.
Puppy mills are like prison for puppies
Puppy mills are factory-like places where puppies are mass produced with complete disregard for the animal's well-being. They continuously keep the animals in a pregnant state to get the most puppies out of them and drain them. This sets the animal up for body failure. These animals are not being taken care of and live in extremely unhealthy conditions. These are where your pet store puppies are coming from. When you buy a puppy from a pet store, you risk getting involved with a life time of sickness and vet visits. All of these things could be avoided if you get an animal through a shelter.
Next time you're in the market for a pet, check out your local animal shelters. There are so many different options there, you are bound to find a pet of your choice. These loving animals are looking for a place to go to live out the rest of their days. You can change their life. Remember always, adopt and do not shop.
"You won't change the world by saving an animal, but you will change that animals world."
