Why Adopt a Pet?

If you are considering bringing a pet into your home, consider adoption before you purchase a pet from a breeder, or worse, a pet store.

The number one reason why you should adopt a pet is because at any given time there are millions of dogs and cats in animal shelters across the country, waiting to be taken into a good home. Sadly, 3 to 4 million animals are euthanized each year simply because shelters do not have the space, money or resources to continue caring for them. By adopting a pet from a shelter or animal rescue organization, you will not only bring a deserving animal into a loving home, but you will also save them from an unfortunate death. Furthermore, by adopting a pet you will free up space for another animal to be taken in and hopefully adopted out.

Another benefit of adoption? It's much more affordable than purchasing a pet from a breeder. A breeder can charge thousands of dollars for a purebred dog, but at a shelter you simply have to pay the adoption fee (usually less than a $100). Plus, most shelters make sure the animal is spayed or neutered so potential owners do not have to incur that expense.

Adopting a pet also ensures you are not indirectly supporting a puppy mill. Most puppy stores get the puppies they sell from puppy mills. The people who run puppy mills put profits above the health and well-being of the dogs, never getting the dogs the medical attention they need and showing them absolutely no love. Most puppies raised in puppy mills are cramped into confined spaces with several other puppies, in conditions anyone would find deplorable. The spread of disease is rampant in most puppy mills, and many puppies born in puppy mills suffer from some type of health condition or ailment that sometimes isn't present until later in life. Furthermore, the owners of these mills breed the mother dogs over and over again until they can no longer carry a litter. Once she is no longer profitable, she is usually killed, abandoned or sold. If you purchase a puppy in a puppy store this is the type of treatment and behavior you are indirectly supporting.

Some people are afraid of adopting a pet from a shelter because they don't know what kind of health conditions or diseases the animal carries. If you are thinking of getting a pet, trust us when we say that dogs and cats in shelters are healthy animals. The veterinarians at the shelters make sure the animals are given their vaccinations and that any medical conditions are addressed and treated accordingly.

Adopting a pet from a shelter or rescue group can bring immense joy to your life. Please consider adopting a pet before you purchase one from a breeder or puppy store. You will not only bring home a friend but you will also help combat the overcrowding problem that leads to the destruction of millions of innocent animals every year.