Throughout my life I have always been an avid lover of animals. There has never been a point in my life where I didn’t have at least three pets in my house. All of my pets have been rescued and adopted from animal shelters in various different states. I’ve adopted dogs of all different ages and gave them the loving and caring home they deserved. There are many ethical places in which pet owners can adopt animals from, yet they aren’t paid much attention to. So, why should we adopt these beautiful creatures instead of shop for them?
Dogs and cats are some of the greatest animals to have as house pets. They are good for the soul and bring an immense amount of joy into any home. Just by hugging a dog your blood pressure can decrease. They bring a sense of warmth and happiness into any setting. First and foremost, by adopting a pet, you are not only saving a helpless animal, but you’re saving yourself in a way that no money amount of money can buy.
Animal shelters are home to some of the most lovable animals. You can find dogs and cats of all different sizes. Most of these animals have been abused, abandoned, and left to fend for themselves. The generous people at animal shelters help save these poor innocent creatures until they find their forever home.
One of the best reasons to adopt instead of shop is simple: when you adopt from a shelter, you become part of the solution to the overpopulation crisis. Not only that, but you get to give a sweet, loving animal a brand new happy home where it can live for the remainder of its life.
Some new pet owners may be hesitant and nervous when adopting a new pet. Behold, animal shelters provide educational information regarding all aspects of pet ownership. They also support the adopter even after they have adopted and give advice on training the adopted animal. Many of the animals seem to sense what they were once up against and become among the most devoted companions.
Because animals at shelters are kept there until their adoption, many of the volunteers and staff get to know the animals personally. With this personal connection, they are able to carefully select animals for the appropriate family.
Some people don’t like to adopt from shelters because the dogs are already old and they want a puppy or kitten. However, many older dogs are in shelters because their owners couldn’t handle them as puppies and gave them up to the shelter. The dogs in shelters are often already house trained. You don’t have to deal with the puppy or kitten phase, which involves the animals to be taken care of like new born babies. You will be able to see the personality of the dog or cat before adopting, that way you will know that you’re ready to make the lifelong commitment of keeping your furry pet.
Purchasing from puppy and kitten mills is one of the worst things a new pet owner can do. These mills are places where dogs and cats are forced to have as many babies as possible to be sold, and once they cannot reproduce any longer, they are sentenced to death. Horrible enough, these mothers are forced to live in a cage for their entire lives with no human companionship. The money that is generated through the purchasing of the puppies goes to the breeder, who is then encouraged to breed more puppies. The puppies end up having multiple health issues due to birth defects from overbearing mothers. If the dogs are not adopted in a certain amount of time, they are also sentenced to death because there is no other place to keep them. Adopting from a shelter means you don’t support these cruel practices.
Many people may argue that they want purebred cats or dogs and they cannot find these types of animals at shelters. Prior to contrary belief, purebred animals have many more health issues than animals found at shelters. Shelter animals may have a cold or be slightly sick when you first adopt them, but they will eventually get better and live longer and happier lives. Purebred animals contract lifelong illnesses such as heart disease, hormonal and endocrine system diseases, skin disease, and seizure disorders from the horrible tactics of breeding animals that should not be bred together. By supporting these over-bred purebreds, you will be supporting the creation of sickly animals.
These are just a few reasons why I feel strongly about adopting over shopping. Adopting animals has changed my life for the better and I hope the population will one day realize how impacting it is to rescue a furry best friend. It’s up to pet owners to make the choice: Will you support saving a sweet, innocent life or will you support the breeding of sickly animals?
No comments:
Post a Comment