Don’t Breed or Buy While Shelter Animals Die
8 Reasons to Adopt a Shelter Animal
1. Save a Life, Literally
3-4
million shelter animals die each year because there are not enough homes.
Every animal that is born, intentionally or accidentally,
takes a potential home from a wonderful animal that already exists.
If you
want a pet, go to your local shelter and pick out a new friend that needs to be
saved
before
it becomes a statistic.
2. Stopping Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders
If you
buy from a pet store supplied by puppy mills or backyard breeders,
you are
directly responsible for keeping them in business.
Without
demand, there is no need for supply.
Puppy mills and backyard breeders exist today and in your community.
Pet stores are not required to truthfully tell you where they get their
animals.
3. What You See is What You Get
Shelters
are full of adults, so you know what you are getting.
You
know exactly how big the animal will get, how much they will shed,
and
what their personality will be like.
Many
people adopt a cute puppy that turns out to be huge, hairy, and slobbery,
and
then have to give it away.
4. The Adult Advantage
Babies
are appealing, but adults are usually more practical.
Shelters
are full of adults that are much calmer than babies and
many are
already housebroken and trained.
Babies
require around the clock, constant care and need a great deal of attention
and that
can be exhausting.
Adults
can usually stay at home while you work, babies cannot.
5. The Mixed Advantage
Shelters
are full of mixed breed animals,
which
often have better health and temperament than many purebreds.
Genetic
defects are much less likely to occur in a mixed breed animal
(i.e.:
hip dysplasia, aggression, breathing problems, etc).
6. Unconditional Love
Many
shelter animals have been abandoned, abused, or neglected,
yet
they are still willing to love and do anything to please us.
Imagine
finding a shelter pet that had been left for dead,
and
taking it home only to find out that this is what your life was missing.
There is
no stronger bond than that.
7. Variety
Animals
in shelters come in all ages, sizes, colors, and personalities.
Short
hair or long hair, foo-foo or rugged dogs, playful pups or lap dogs,
snuggly
cats or mousers can all be found in shelters.
8. Price
Purebred
animals can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
You
can adopt a pet from a shelter for a lot less, usually $10-$75.