When you make the decision to adopt from a shelter, you don’t just earn a friend, but you save the lives of countless animals. According to the Humane Society, 6 to 8 million animals enter into shelters every year, and 3 to 4 million of them will be euthanized. So how exactly will your pet adoption benefit other animal’s lives? Simple. Choosing to adopt an animal from a shelter instead of a breeder can help create a pathway towards decreasing the large amount of animals in shelters.
The problem with purchasing animals from breeders is that breeders contribute to the extremely large domestic animal population today. A breeder may end up breeding thousands of animals to be sold for profit. Many breeders do not have protocol to insure their animals end up in fitted homes, which often results in a variety of problems. Unlike shelters, breeders will not give you time to bond with your chosen pet before purchase, nor will they provide any detailed personality records of the animal. When you end up with an animal that may not suit your lifestyle, many questions arise. What if you cannot afford to keep your pet? What if your new pet doesn’t get along with other household pets? What if you decide the animal isn’t for you? These questions and hypothetical situations arise everyday for pet owners, and the results are countless animals being abandoned, becoming strays or being directly put into shelters by their owners.
There is no need to breed more animals at this point in time because there are so many animals waiting to be adopted in shelters! Most of animals in shelters came from breeders to begin with, so there is an even more direct connection between breeders and the huge shelter animal population. If more people chose to adopt from shelters, animals lives will be spared and the breeding business will suffer. When breeding businesses suffer, less animals will be bred to be sold for profit. Therefore, less animals will end up in shelters in the long run. It is simply a chain of events, and one person can truly make a difference.
Animals in shelters are the very same animals that you would buy from breeders. They all have different personalities, and all deserve to have a great home. Remember to adopt instead of buying from breeders. It may seem as though you are saving only your chosen pets life, but your adoption does so much more!
Thinking about adopting? You have made a great decision by choosing to give an animal a second chance! Be sure to visit our adoption page and browse through the list of animals waiting for a new home!
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