Thinking of adding a new member to your family? Here are six reasons to adopt a dog from a local shelter or rescue organization.
1. You’ll Save a Life
If more people chose to adopt, the number of euthanized animals would decrease dramatically. According to The Humane Society, about 2.7 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs – about one every 11 seconds – are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Dogs at shelters have been lost, given up or abandoned and deserve a second chance. You could give them a new life in a loving home.
2. Wide Variety of Choices
You can visit your local animal shelter or rescue organization and choose from possibly hundreds of puppies and adult dogs. One reason so many dogs end up in shelters is because people make uninformed decisions on what breed to get and end up needing to give the dog away. Visit your local animal shelter to adopt a dog that captures your heart rather than choosing a breed because it’s cute.
3. Basic Healthcare Provided
It’s true that not all dogs that come into shelters are healthy. However once a dog is brought in, the shelter will do all it can to nurse a sick dog back to health, or provide preventive care to dogs coming in. This includes vaccinations, as well as spay and neuter operations if applicable.
4. Adopting Saves Money
It is significantly cheaper to adopt a dog rather than one from a breeder or a pet store. And the cost often includes vaccinations and spaying or neutering!
5. A Gift that Keeps on Giving
When you do pay an adoption fee to adopt a dog at a local rescue or shelter, that money isn’t adding to a pet stores personal profits – it is going towards the care of the remaining animals at the shelter. When your friends ask where you got your amazing pet, you can tell them what organization you adopted your dog from. Your adoption may encourage others to do the same.
6. You Can Pick a Housebroken Dog
If the effort of training a puppy is too much for you and your busy schedule, adopting a dog leaves you with the option to choose a dog that is already housebroken and potty trained.