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Adopting an animal is a considerable undertaking. You’re putting yourself in charge of and responsible for another life, and this life isn’t as intelligent as a human, so you can’t one day not be responsible for it. It’s not like your dog is going to turn eighteen one day and suddenly if they commit a crime, it’s not on you. Regardless of how old your puppy gets, you’re responsible for them.
This is why it’s so important to see and be reminded of why you should adopt in the first place. Many people prefer to purchase animals from a breeder, but there are countless animals in need of a loving home that need to be adopted. You can see how much they changed after knowing what it’s like to be loved. There’s a subreddit dedicated to the befores and the afters.
Source: Reddit
According to the Humane Society:
Each year, it’s estimated that more than one million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States, simply because too many pets come into shelters and too few people consider adoption when looking for a pet. The number of euthanized animals could be reduced dramatically if more people adopted pets instead of buying them. When you adopt, you save a loving animal by making them part of your family and open up shelter space for another animal who might desperately need it.
Puppy mills are factory-style breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs. Animals from puppy mills are housed in shockingly poor conditions with improper medical care, and are often very sick and behaviorally troubled as a result. The moms of these puppies are kept in cages to be bred over and over for years, without human companionship and with little hope of ever joining a family. And after they’re no longer profitable, breeding dogs are simply discarded—either killed, abandoned or sold at auction.
Animal shelters and rescue groups are brimming with happy, healthy pets just waiting for someone to take them home. Most shelter pets wound up there because of a human problem like a move or a divorce, not because the animals did anything wrong. Many are already house-trained and used to living with families.
Usually when you adopt a pet, the cost of spay/neuter, first vaccinations (and sometimes even microchipping!) is included in the adoption price, which can save you some of the up front costs of adding a new member to your family. Depending on the animal, you may also save on housebreaking and training expenses.
Because all pets are good for your health, but adoptees offer an extra boost. Not only do animals give you unconditional love, but they have been shown to be psychologically, emotionally and physically beneficial to their companions. Caring for a pet can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness. And when you adopt, you can also feel proud about helping an animal in need!
Overburdened shelters take in millions of stray, abused and lost animals every year, and by adopting an animal, you’re making room for others. Not only are you giving more animals a second chance, but the cost of your adoption goes directly towards helping those shelters better care for the animals they take in!
See why adoption is such a good idea? Tell us about your adopted animals down below!
