Adopt a Pet Today (Don't Buy)!

While owning a pet can be challenging at times, it is well paid off by the love and companionship your new friend will provide you with for years to come. If you’re one of the millions of animal loving Americans who may want to get a pet, you should consider adoption. Adoption is the best option for both you and the animals. It is much more humane and logical than purchasing a pet, and here’s why:

The first reason simply being that you are saving a life. Animal shelters only have so much room and resources, so the sad but often true reality is that if an animal is not adopted in a timely fashion and the shelter no longer has room for that animal, it will be euthanized. In addition to this, when you adopt from a shelter you are helping to save the lives of other animals. The money you pay to the shelter for the adoption fee goes to feeding, caring for, vaccinating, rescuing, and providing shelter for hundreds of other animals.

Believe it or not, pet overpopulation is a huge and very real issue. There are millions of homeless animals that the shelters can’t even keep up with. The ASPCA estimates that there are up to 70 million stray cats alone in the United States. By buying a pet and supporting mass breeding facilities you are supporting and therefore contributing to this pet overpopulation crisis. On the other hand, by adopting an animal you are helping to break this cycle.

Mass breeding facilities are known for their cruelty and inhumane treatment of animals. You may know these facilities by their more common names: puppy and kitten mills. In a huge contrast to animal shelters, these facilities put the importance of income far above the health and wellbeing of the animals. Because of this, puppy and kitten mills are overcrowded and unsanitary, and the dogs and cats do not receive adequate care. This means that the puppies and kittens from these locations have an abundance of health issues right from the start. If the mistreatment of the young animals is not enough, the adult females that are used for breeding are given practically no recovery time between litters in order to maximize profits. This treatment is obviously cruel and should not be supported in any way shape or form.

Finally, when looking at it from a financial standpoint, adoption makes the most sense. It costs much less to adopt a dog than it does to buy one. Adoption fees generally range in the low hundreds of dollars or can even dip below $100, while the cost to purchase a cat or dog can easily cost you a few thousand bucks. In addition to this, an adopted dog or cat is often already microchipped, spayed/neutered, and has received vaccinations, services you would have to pay for when buying.

According to the ASPCA approximately 3.9 million dogs and 3.4 million cats enter American animal shelters every year. Each year, 2.7 million of those animals are euthanized. There are an estimated 13,600 animal shelters in the United States. If you know that you are ready to provide a safe and loving home for an animal, find one of these shelters, and adopt your new best friend. Save a life; adopt, don’t buy.