Thousands of dogs lose their lives every day due to over-crowded humane societies and pounds; all of this could be changed simply by spreading the word of “adopt don’t shop.” This slogan is from a movement of animal rights advocates, and its purpose is to promote adopting pets from shelters, rather than buying them from pet stores. Many people don’t know the risks of buying puppies from stores mainly because it is not talked about within the public. The ugly truth is that these adorable little puppies are typically from puppy mills. Puppy mills are still legal in the U.S although they are extremely unethical having little to no regarding for the welfare of the animals that they are using to breed these puppies. Many times, after being bred over and over with little to no recovery time between litters, adult dogs are found living in filthy environments without proper care or food. These environments create adorable puppies; however, they often have life-altering health issues that could impact them later in their life. (https://www.caninejournal.com/adopt-dont-shop/)
According to the ASPCA, 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters every year of this number 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. (https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics) This means that the perfect pet for you and your family just waiting to be taken home at your local humane society or pound TODAY. There are many benefits to rescuing a shelter animal one being that you save a life. When you take this animal home you save it from being euthanized or spending its life in the shelter. Who knows maybe the phrase “who adopted who?” will become a thing for you. Another benefit would be that you will save money. Instead of paying a huge amount of money for a puppy from the store you can adopt a dog typically for under $100. On top of this, you will most likely have lower vet bills as well because shelter dogs are often healthier and have fewer problems than those that are bought from stores. Lastly, you will know the dog’s personality and if it will be a good fit for your family because they have been handled by professionals.
If you can’t adopt a dog but would still like to help the “adopt don’t shop” movement, there are other options for you. You can volunteer at your local shelter, become a part of a fostering program, spread the word of “adopt don’t shop,” donate money to a shelter or organization or even just donate items.