Last November, my parents were considering the idea of adding a new member to the McReynolds family. They wanted to purchase a Golden Retriever to accompany our 10-year-old retriever, Daisy. My parents wanted to give Daisy a friend as she lives out her senior doggy years. They were very much set on the idea of finding a local breeder and spending $2,000 (yes you heard me correctly) to acquire a fresh, out-of-the-womb, puppy. I was unhappy with their decision in doing this because I knew that there were so many dogs living out the rest of their lives in a shelter without a family. We could’ve rescued one of these poor animals, saved money, and given Daisy an old lady friend to retire with. Instead, my parents bought a hyperactive, untrained, tornado of a puppy that we named, Petal. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Petal and wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. But I wish my parents, as well as other people considering dog adoption, would know the facts and consider rescuing a dog from a shelter instead of spending thousands of dollars to buy a privately-bred animal.
Millions of dogs are either dropped off at shelters because they are strays or surrendered if the current owner no longer wants or can afford them. Most shelters are open admission, meaning that they have to take in every dog that is dropped off, regardless of whether or not the surrendering owner can pay the relinquishment fee, which is usually only about $10 anyways. This means that many shelters are overpopulated and cannot afford, nor have room for, all of the dogs that are now in their possession. Once the dog arrives to the shelter, it will be assessed to determine whether or not it is considered adoptable. The shelter employees look at many factors, like whether or not the dog is up to date on vaccinations, has good manners, and generally has a happy personality. However, when a dog is either surrendered or lost, it is already scared, worried, and sad. This automatically makes the dog less adoptable and more unlikely to pass through to adoption centers. Even if the dog is considered to be adoptable, it may not even be put up because most shelters receive more dogs every week than they are able to put up for adoption. Many shelters hold the dogs as long as possible, but unfortunately, there aren’t enough resources and space to keep all of them, so most are euthanized within only 72 hours of their arrival.
Because of this 72 hour rule that many shelters follow, over 1.2 million dogs are put down in shelters across the US every year. Isn’t that statistic so sad? That’s 1.2 million dogs, with personalities, that could have been saved if more humans would have sympathy for these abandoned animals and give them a home. For many dogs that have to endure the trauma of living in a shelter, they are the most confusing and sad days of their life. Instead of living out their life with a loving family, they are put down in only three days, full of fear and turmoil. If you are currently a dog owner, hear me out. Wouldn’t you want their last days alive to be something happy and positive? Like taking them out to get a burger, letting them play fetch in the park, and allowing them to be genuinely content with the people they love in their final hours rather than scared in some grimy cell. I know I want that for Daisy and Petal. Every dog deserves the chance to be loved and treated with care. You could take it upon yourself to literally save a dog’s life.
Adopting a dog from a shelter not only is the right thing to do, but it is also much more cost-efficient in the long run. Graciously saving a dog that has been put up for adoption or comes from a shelter only costs $70-$300 depending on the dog. This price is extremely affordable and if you were to go this route, you’d simultaneously be doing something positive for an animal in need. On the other hand, purchasing a purebred show puppy costs anywhere between $1,500 and $5,000. To me, it’s insane that people wouldn’t jump on board with this. The amount of money people can save by purchasing a rescued animal is significant. Over $1,000 can be preserved by generously opening your home and family to an abandoned dog.
When considering dog adoption, there is something very alarming and imperative that all interested buyers should be aware of. Fake breeders have been an unceasing problem for families considering bringing home a purebred puppy. There have been reports of fake breeders adopting out puppies that don’t even exist. Their website will seem legitimate and there will be plenty of information on the nonexistent puppy you’re hoping to acquire. The fabrication of a puppy will happen right under your nose as these scam artists deceive you into putting down a deposit. Only for you to find there was no puppy in the first place and now you’re short hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. At least 80% of pet sale sites are frauds and almost 37,000 people in the US will get scammed in this way. Now, this wouldn’t be as big of an issue as it is if people would go to their local shelter, see a dog in desperate need of a home, and adopt. Adopting a dog from a shelter is free from danger, exploitations, and is the overall better option. Avoid the stresses and manipulation that fake breeders will inflict upon you, and liberate a dog from the shelter prison it is suffering in.
There are so many resources and wonderful shelters out there that are run by amazing, animal- friendly people who want the dogs that are brought in to be adopted and given a loving home. The numberamount of benefits there are to rescuing a stray or lost dog from a shelter isare numerous and unmistakably favorable. We need to start somewhere, and rescuing a homeless dog is a perfect place to get on board and think about these precious animals and the life that they deserve.