5 Reasons to Adopt Your Next Furry Addition to the Family
Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is having a great week so far. In today's post, we are going to discuss the benefits of adopting the latest furry addition to the family.
When you and your family make the decision to get a pet there are a few options you can take. Here's why adopting a pet beats shopping for one any day.
1.) You’ll Be A Hero
When you adopt a pet you are saving a life. That’s just a given. 1.5 million animals die in shelters every year. Now that’s down from what it used to be, but that is still a whole lot of innocent lives. You can make that one less by adopting your next pet and he or she will be so grateful for the rescue. Not to Mention you are clearing up a space for the next animal that comes in.
Overcrowding in shelters is a thing. And there are only so many no-kill shelters out there. Euthanization of perfectly healthy viable animals still happens because of lack of resources and overpopulation. There are so many homeless pets out there, why buy a brand new puppy bred to profit a business?
We’ll talk more about dog breeding and puppy mills later in this article, but basically, when you adopt a pet you save two animals, the one you rescue and the one that gets to live because a space opened up in the shelter. Don’t you want to be that hero? Plus there's nothing better than getting to see that awesome transformation from shelter life to happy fur-ever home.
2.) You’ll Know What Your Getting
When it comes to rescue animals, shelters are pretty good at getting to know the animal’s dispositions, habits, and personalities. They work hard to match you up with the right pet and offer plenty of resources to help you through the transition. Staff are very helpful when it comes to the familiarization period between you and your rescue because they’re genuinely invested in finding a good home for that pet. When you get a puppy from a pet store, they usually just take your money and send you on your way to figure things out yourself. Also, many shelters have all animals up to date on vaccinations as well as spayed or neutered. When you buy a pet you usually have to take care of all of that on your own.
3.) Buying Puppies is Not Always What it Seems
When you buy a pet, you not only deny a homeless pet a home, you are supporting an industry that often puts profit above the welfare of animals. Puppy and kitten mills (which often sell to pet stores) usually churn out animals at such a rate that they end up with health issues, poor socialization skills due to lack of human companionship and even genetic defects due to inbreeding. Even certified seemingly "good and legitimate breeders" are still profiting from the industry that thrives while taking away potential homes for shelter pets. Why continue to breed new puppies, or kittens, when there are so many great dogs and cats sitting in cages waiting for a chance at an actual home?
4.) Adopting is Less Pricey but You Get More for What You are Paying
Buying a pet can often cost $500 to $1,000 or more. In comparison, adoption costs usually range from $50 to $200, depending on whether the pet comes from the city shelter or a rescue group that has spent money on boarding, vets and grooming.There is also something called "hybrid vigor" that claims that mixed breed animals (common in rescues) actually tend to live longer and cost less in vet bills than a pure breed. Often, purebred dogs are actually prone to developing health issues ranging from breathing difficulties to hip dysplasia much more frequently than mixed breeds.
5.) Rescue Love
So if the reasons above were not enough to convince you, one more would be the love and gratitude your pet will always have for you for rescuing them. The bond between rescues and the humans who adopt them is a strong one.
Who Rescued Who? is a saying for a reason.
If I missed any reasons feel free to comment and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading guys. If you and your family are thinking of adopting a pet check out our Resource page for links to the most awesome rescues and shelters in our community!
References
“Adopt a Pet from a Shelter or Rescue.” Best Friends Animal Society, 13 Mar. 2018, bestfriends.org/resources/adopt-pet-shelter-or-rescue.
“Top Reasons to Adopt a Pet.” The Humane Society of the United States, www.humanesociety.org/issues/adopt/tips/top_reasons_adopt.html.