Thinking of adopting a pet? Before you ask “how much is that puppy in the window?” might I suggest you head down to an animal shelter? There are a lot of reasons you should rescue a pet from a shelter. So, before you shell out the big bucks to get an animal for friendship, explore all of your options and check out the positives of adopting a pet from a shelter.
1.) You Can Save A Dog’s Life
Every year millions of pets are euthanized simply because people want to give their pets up and the overpopulation of these pets is becoming a problem. When you adopt from a shelter, you can help save one of these unwanted pets from that harsh reality.
2.) You’ll Get A Healthy Pet
Animal Shelters keep pets healthy and have their medical needs up to date. When they enter a shelter, they are treated with all of their vaccinations, are spayed or neutered, and even screened for behavioral issues.
3.) It Saves You Money
Going to a pet store can be a very costly expense. When you adopt from a shelter, the costs are very minimal because they are more focused on finding the pet a good home.
4.) It Will Make You Feel Good
Having a pet already has its physical, mental, and emotional benefits, but when you adopt a shelter animal, it only enhances those feelings. It gives you a great sense of accomplishment and helps you realize that you’ve done a good thing by saving an animal’s life.
5.) You Won’t Support Pet Mills And Stores
These factory style breeding grounds for pets only select the top breed animals while leaving the others by the wayside. If the animal doesn’t meet the criteria for these stores and mills, the animals are abandoned or sometimes even killed. By adopting form a shelter, you are refusing to support these practices.
6.) You Stop Animal Cruelty
Pet stores and mills can sometimes be unusually cruel to animals and give them less than stellar medical care and emotional care. Adopting from a shelter puts an end to that.
7.) You Can Adopt an Adult Pet
Adult pets are often house trained, have their medical needs taken care of, and you can avoid the “puppy phase” that can cause headaches for some pet owners.
8.) You Gain Resources
People at animal shelters are interested in providing their pets with a great home, so they will be able to help you find vets, trainers, and grooming locations.
9.) There Is A Big Selection Of Animals
Pets in shelters come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and breeds. You can do your research and find a dog that suits your lifestyle and wants. If you don’t see one immediately, there are always new pets coming in to shelters.
10.) You Encourage Others To Adopt From Shelters
When people see how awesome your pet is, they’ll believe that they can get a great dog from a shelter as well. That promotes all of these listed reasons for adopting over again. Spread the good news!
11.) You’ll Get A New Friend
How could I forget? You’ll be gaining a new best friend that will be grateful for your existence. So go out and enjoy your new pet!
Are you thinking about adding to your own family? You can go to www.aspca.org to look up a shelter near you and explore your pet options. Happy pet searching!
