Adding a new member to the family is an exciting thing. Dogs bring fun, companionship, and joy to our lives for many years. Before you head off to the pet store to make this commitment, though, check out this list of reasons why you should adopt vs. shop for your dog.
Adopting Saves Lives
The biggest reason why you should adopt is the most obvious: when you adopt an animal from a shelter, you just might save that animal’s life. Shelters work hard to protect all types of animals but, sometimes, there are just too many dogs to take care of. Dogs are often euthanized if they don’t get adopted – you can help prevent this tragedy and give a loving home to an animal in need.
It Costs Less
When you go to a pet store or shop online for a designer dog, you might pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Adopting costs a fraction of the price – and you’ll still get the perfect pooch! Not only is adopting cheaper but shelters usually cover the cost of a bunch of services like vaccinations, microchipping, and spaying or neutering, too.
Shelter Dogs Have History – and That’s Good!
Shelter dogs get a bad rap, but their reputation couldn’t be further from the truth. Dogs are often brought to the shelter from a previous home where they learned how to interact with adults, kids, and other animals. Shelter dogs have all sorts of personalities – playful, cuddly, hard-working, sensitive – and many of them are already house trained! If you need assistance training your dog, the experts at Canine College are here to help!
Adopting Fights Cruelty
While there are many reputable dog breeders with safe practices, dogs online and in pet stores often come from cruel, unsafe conditions like puppy mills. These kinds of breeding mills put dogs in extremely harsh conditions and the puppies you buy from them can have serious health and behavioral issues. When you adopt from a shelter, you refuse to give your money to cruelty.
Helping One Dog Helps Them All
One more really important reason to adopt instead of shop is because when you help one dog from a shelter, you help them all. Your adoption fees go to keeping shelters up and running and providing even better care to all their animals – not just dogs! On top of that, adopting a dog opens up shelter space for one more stray, abandoned, rescued, or surrendered pup – which means one more animal that gets to find their forever home.
Ready to Adopt?
There are a ton of reasons to adopt vs. shop. When you adopt a dog, you save lives – not just one, but many. You’ll help shelters keep their doors open and without giving a ton of your own money to unsafe or cruel conditions. And, most importantly, you get to bring home a new best friend.
