Attention dog-loving collegiettes!
While Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month has just ended (or as the commoners may call it – ‘October’) it’s still important to spread the news about the importance of adopting from shelters instead of purchasing.
While college might not be the best time to get a dog due to residence hall rules or strict apartment landlords, post-college might be the perfect time to make the huge life-altering step of gaining your first real family member out on your own in the real world.
Millions of dogs are clogging up animal shelters across the country. When you walk through any given shelter, you will see countless dogs of all ages, shapes, and breeds behind bars. Most of these animals end up in kennels due to abuse, neglect, overbreeding, dogfighting, puppy mills, the list goes on and on. Living the life of a criminal behind bars when they’ve committed zero crimes is simply unfair. And unfortunately, a number of these dogs never make it out of the shelter.
Here are a few great reasons why you should adopt a shelter dog:
1. That is one less dog euthanized.
The most obvious reason – adopting a dog from a shelter means one less four-legged life forced to live behind bars. It is estimated by the Humane Society of the United States that animal shelters take in 6-8 million dogs and cats each year and unfortunately approximately 3-4 million of those pets are euthanized due to lack of space. Choose to make that number one less.
2. It is cheaper.
Compared to the price of purchasing a pet, typically the price of adopting one is significantly lower and most shelters neuter, vaccinate, and microchip their dogs before adopting them out.
3. You will be freeing up space at the shelter for another rescue.
Adopting a dog from a shelter will free up space for another dog to be rescued from a potentially horrible situation.
4. Puppy store dogs often times DO come from puppy mills or irresponsible breeders.
Despite what they may tell you, puppy stores often times do get their dogs from puppy mills. While they may claim they get their dogs from “breeders,” a truly responsible breeder would not sell their dogs to a puppy store, but instead would meet with potential adopters themselves. Also, many puppy store dogs end up with diseases like heartworm, skin infections, or parasites.
5. The love is unconditional.
This one I may be basing on opinion, but I truly believe that a dog knows when someone is saving them. Shelter dogs make such great pets because they have unconditional love to give to the person who took them out of the kennel and gave them a warm bed to sleep on, or a yard to run in.
These are just a few of the endless reasons why adopting a shelter dog is a great decision to make when looking for your next furry family member. On the market for a new pet? Check out PetFinder, a site where you can search for adoptable dogs in your area.