5 Reasons You Should Adopt a Pet
Bringing a new pet home is a big decision. Depending on size and breed, you are making a commitment that can last up to 20 years!
There are so many reasons to choose adoption over buying your next dog or cat, but in this blog post, we will only focus on the big ones. By choosing to adopt over shopping, you will not only pay less, but you will save the life of your next pet and possibly hundreds of other animals, you will feel a stronger, more unique bond with your pet that you just can’t get from shopping, and you will have bragging rights for life!
1. Adoption Means Saving a Life
According to the Humane Society, about 2.4 million healthy, adoptable shelter animals are euthanized in the United States per year due to lack of space or budget. Many animals are there due to owner neglect or owner surrender, not because of anything the animal did wrong. That means there are millions of deserving animals to choose from in shelters and rescues!
It is likely that this number would decrease if more people decided to adopt rather than buy their next pet. Adopting an animal literally means saving its life.
2. Many Animal Mills Treat Animals Inhumanely
While there are many responsible dog and cat breeders, there are also many irresponsible ones. Many pet stores sell kittens and puppies who come from “mills” where the animals are kept in cages all day, not given proper treatment, and bred until they die. Many of the animals in these mills will never know love, just a short life of being mistreated and bred for profit.
Purchasing from a pet store rather than adopting means financially supporting these cruel practices and those who profit from them.
Animal shelters are locally funded, and rescues are most often non-profits who rely entirely on donations to save lives.
3. Cost
Buying a purebred cat or dog from a breeder or pet store can cost thousands of dollars, and this money goes entirely to the breeder or to the store/mill for a profit.
Adopting a pet from the local shelter costs just a fraction of the cost of buying from a breeder or pet store, depending on where you live. This cost often includes spay/neuter and microchip, meaning you pay less on your first visit to the vet.
Adopting from a rescue can sometimes cost a little more than shelters because they receive no public funding, but the cost depends on each individual rescue. Rescue fees only cover the essentials, such as spay/neuter, microchip, vaccines, deworming, flea and tick preventatives, food, and more. This means that your hard-earned money goes entirely towards the welfare of animals, not to line the pockets of individuals who profit from a cruel industry.
4. Adoption is a Never-Ending Cycle
Adoption is the gift that keeps on giving. When a local animal shelter is able to adopt out a pet, a spot in the shelter is freed for another deserving animal. When a private rescue adopts out a pet, again, a spot is freed for another animal, allowing the rescue to visit the local shelter and free up yet another spot in that shelter.
This cycle continues as long as people are willing to adopt rather than shop for pets. When you rescue one animal, you are giving hundreds of animals a second chance at life.
5. You Will Forever Have Bragging Rights and an Epic Love Story to Share
Everyone enjoys a good love story, right? When you rescue your cat or dog, you will find yourself telling the story of how you met to everyone you talk to. Whether it was roaming the run-down local shelter or visiting the animal in a loving foster home, you will forever find yourself sharing that first moment of eye contact and bonding that you experienced with your pet.
You will reminisce on that day and remember the joy you felt when you held your pet close to you on his first car ride home, when you took him into your home for the first time and watched him explore, and when you truly started to connect and bond with your pet during that first week.
Rescuing your pet also gives you certain bragging rights! You have donated to a good cause rather than putting money into a cruel industry and possibly saved hundreds of other lives because of it. Your rescue pet sees you as a cape-wearing hero, and so will everyone you share your story with!
Conclusion
Adopting a pet is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and the most important thing you can do for your pet. You will feel a stronger and more powerful bond to your rescue cat or dog than you could from a pet you bought.
If you are unable to adopt but would still like to help, consider donating or volunteering for a rescue near you. As non-profits, rescues are constantly in need of your help, whether it is time or money.
DREAM Animal Rescue is always looking for volunteers, donations, and loving families who want to make a commitment to love a pet for the rest of his or her life.
Have a great day!
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