Join For Free And Start Earning Money Now!

Why Should You Give Pet Adoption A Go?

  • 28/01/2019
Adopt.jpg

Based on the findings of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), over 6 million cats and dogs get taken in by animal shelters all over the United States every year. Other animals such as rabbits and birds also get surrendered to shelters by the droves.

The unfortunate thing is that only a very tiny fraction of these animals are adopted. The rest either stay at the shelter until the end or get put down. This is why it everybody is encouraged to give adoption a go. Instead of buying from a pet shop, you can get your next pet, or pets, from an animal shelter near your home.

How Do Animals End Up In Shelters?

Many of the animals found in shelters are strays left roaming the streets or former pets that have been rescued from inhumane situations. A large portion of most animal shelter population is former pets that have been surrendered by their former owners. Either the owner could no longer take care of the pet or they did not want to be saddled with the burden of caring for the animal anymore. 

There is a misconception that if an animal is in a shelter, there must be something wrong with it. This is not necessarily true. Some are just unlucky to be bought from stores by overeager pet owners who overestimated their capability to take care of another living being. No matter their circumstances, all the animals at the shelter need a happy and loving home. Yours may be the perfect one for them.

Adopting A Pet Saves Animals’ Lives

Animal shelters can only do so much for a limited number of animals. They cannot afford to house and care for each and every animal that comes their way forever. This is why around 1.5 million animals are put down in shelters all over the US yearly. If you choose to adopt, you are preventing that animal from being put down. Your new pet cat, dog, rabbit, or whatever animal you chose will get to live a happy life for a few more years.

You Also Put A Stop To An Inhumane Practice

Our friends from Timeforpaws.co.uk says that the number one benefit for many animal lovers in adopting a pet is that he or she gets to save an animal’s life. Whenever a person buys a pet from the store, he or she is unwittingly supporting a practice that endangers the lives of so many animals.

Animals that are being sold at stores are most likely products of animal mills. These are run by people who only want to earn. They churn out kittens and puppies as fast as possible so that they can sell them to shops. These shops, in turn, sell them to people who are looking for new pets.

The mothers of these young animals are treated inhumanely. What's worse, the product of such "mass-production" of animals often suffer from genetic defects due to inbreeding. By adopting and encouraging others to do the same, fewer people will patronize pet shops.

If the demand for puppies, kittens, and other baby animals go down, the animal mill will have no choice but to cease operations. So, if you adopt, not only do you save the life of the animal that you are giving a new home, you also save the lives of countless others.

You Can Save So Much Money When You Adopt 

One good thing about animal shelters is that they only charge a small adoption fee if you want to bring home one or more of their charges. They may charge you anywhere from $50 to about $200 depending on different factors. Considering that a new pet costs upwards of $500, you will be getting such a huge discount if you choose to adopt.

Additionally, most shelters require that their charges be spayed or neutered. This addresses many health and behavioural problems. Not only would you no longer have to worry about that, but you also get to save on vet fees. Some shelters also take care of first vaccinations and microchipping. The adoption fee may be considered a huge bargain considering that you get to save so much from the initial upkeep alone.

What Are The Other Benefits Of Adopting A Pet?

If you go to a shelter, you will be able to choose from a host of breeds and species. You can even choose to bring home an adult pet. Most mature animals are already litter-trained. This means you wouldn’t be dealing with “surprises” when you bring these animals home with you. Some rescues have already been trained to do tricks like sit or roll over.

Another great thing about adopting, or pet-owning in general, is that the owner receives unconditional love from their companion. Owning a pet has been proven to provide emotional, psychological, and physical benefits. You feel less lonely and you develop a sense of purpose when you have another living being's life in your hand. Plus, you get a sense of pride in being able to help an animal that needs you so badly. 

Conclusion

When you go to an animal shelter, you can feel the excitement of the animals there. They know that one of them will finally get another chance to go home to a loving environment. Can you imagine how awesome it would feel to be the recipient of such love and eagerness? Well, you don't have to imagine anymore. Go to your local animal shelter and adopt your next pet.

Please Help Us

We've got a small favour to ask. More people are reading IrishDogs.ie than ever, but far fewer are paying for it.

IrishDogs.ie takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters because it might well be your perspective, too.

Our future could be much more secure with your help. Please SUPPORT us by clicking on the Donate Button at the Top Right of your screen.

Comments (0)

Post a Comment
* Your Name:
* Your Email:
(not publicly displayed)
Reply Notification:
Approval Notification:
Website:
* Security Image:
Security Image Generate new
Copy the numbers and letters from the security image:
* Message:

Email to Friend

Fill in the form below to send this article to a friend:

Email to Friend
* Your Name:
* Your Email:
* Friend's Name:
* Friend's Email:
* Security Image:
Security Image Generate new
Copy the numbers and letters from the security image
* Message: