@suzanagartner
The holidays are just around the corner! And with the holidays fast approaching, many families make the decision to bring a dog or cat into their home! However, when making the decision to adopt an animal – please seriously consider searching for a rescue animal or a shelter animal!
My mother’s dog derived from a shelter, Gucci, surrendered and he might have been euthanized. He is such an amazing dog, valuable family member and he’s brought so much joy to our lives.
Consider the following when you adopt an animal from a shelter:
You Will Save A Life. Shelters that are not adhering to “No Kill” policies often put down animals that they cannot find a home for. Some shelters try to match owners with animals for weeks while others wait only days. You can find a wide range of beautiful adoptable companion animals of different breeds, ages, colors, etc. in shelters just waiting to find their forever home.
You Will Save Money. Adoption fees tend to be much more inexpensive in comparison to a pet store (who often buy their puppies from puppy mills where they are raised in poor environments) or from a breeder (expensive). For example, pet stores and breeders can easily start at $800-$1,000 for a pet – then you need to get them chipped, dewormed, and pay for their vet shots.
You Will Give A Homeless Animal A Second Chance. Dogs and cats end up at animal shelters for a wide variety of reasons. More often than not, families realize that bringing an animal home is a serious responsibility they might not be willing to commit to, or sometimes people’s life situations can change. There are also some people that purchase companion animals for other people as a gift, however, the receiver may not be interested in properly tending to the animal.
You Can Adopt An Older Animal. Dogs older than 8 months are likely housebroken. Puppy training can be very time consuming (unless you are the most patient person on earth). As well, puppies and kittens require a lot of attention and time commitment as they have more energy. Whereas an older pet, cat of dog, can be much calmer and easier to deal with for busy people.
Where do I find Shelters /Rescue Animals?
In Canada:
1) Humane Societies across Canada!
2) City Municipal Animal Services!
3) Rescues and Animal Sanctuaries!
In the United States:
1) Humane Societies across America!
2) Local City Animal Control Shelters!
3) American Humane!
4) BestFriends.org
No matter where you live – go to www.Google.com and search “rescue animals near me” and you will be amazed at how many animal organizations already exist in your own community.