Why Should You Adopt Your Pet?

The Humane Society, the largest animal rights organization in the country, estimates that there are anywhere between 3 to 4 million dogs and cats euthanized each year for mainly two reasons. One, a surprising number of people are just willing to abandon their pets to a shelter after “things don’t work out at home,” say after a teething puppy chews up a pair of your favorite Jimmy Choos. Two, an alarming number of wannabe pet parents head to kennels, pet stores, and even backyard breeders to purchase their pets instead of adopting from legitimate animal shelters located right in their community.

Every shelter in the United States has a limited amount of space with budgets that can normally accommodate only a set number of dogs and cats at one time. What happens when a dog fails to find a home after a few months? The staff members of these shelters then have to make the extremely difficult and emotionally trying decision to euthanize the pets that have “overstayed” their welcome. Considering that there are 3 to 4 million dogs and cats euthanized a year, the number of times this decision has to be made by individual shelters must be a regular, if not already commonplace, occurrence. By adopting your next dog or cat, you can save not just one animal but two. Choosing to adopt a pet from a shelter means opening your pet’s former cage to a new homeless animal who would otherwise have no future on the streets.

A common myth about shelter animals is that they are usually “unwanted” for a reason. The large pit bull looming in the cage at the end of the aisle must have torn up the entire living room couch one evening or bitten his owner, right? Though this is a conclusion that plenty of prospective pet parents jump to, it is one that is nonetheless far from the truth. More often than not, these shelter animals have been abandoned by their owners simply because they were no longer needed or wanted. As with many other items in life (i.e. that pair of shoes you just had to have, the wide-screen HDTV you splurged your entire paycheck on), pets are usually treated as accessories or commodities that can go out of season once the additional expenses and hassles start rolling in.

Responsible pet parents will understand that there is a difficult transition period for every dog or cat that is introduced into one’s home. A dog that has been scrounging in back alleys for meals every night will require weeks, if not months, to adjust to a home where meals will actually be provided and rummaging around garbage cans is a definite no-no. Irrational pet owners will balk at the first sign of disaster and either abandon their pet on the streets or drop their pet off at a shelter without giving a second thought. While some excuses may be understandable (i.e. the owner is too old and sick to take care of the pet anymore), others are less justifiable (i.e. dogs being replaced by newborn babies, cats tossed into a shelter after a couple divorces).

Pets that have been abused or neglected deserve a warm, caring, and nurturing home. No dog or cat will arrive on your doorstep with impeccable manners from the very beginning. To fully acclimate a pet into your home, you may have to sign up for training classes, workshops, or consult your local shelter on what you can do to make your pet more comfortable. Whether this means adjusting your pooch’s diet or walking him three times a day instead of just two, there are countless ways to live with your pet and feel happy and satisfied at the same time.

Choosing to adopt a pet also means making a stand against the continuation of puppy mills and pet stores. Dog-breeding facilities produce weak and often inbred litters that are sold through pet stores, newspaper ads, and Internet listings, sometimes without the customers’ knowledge. Make the decision today to save an animal by adopting from a shelter. Save money, save time, and save a life by adopting a shelter animal who needs you to just give him one chance at being the best dog or cat he can possibly be.