Have you ever thought about adopting an animal?
Did you know that places like Pet Land have been under the watchful eye of PETA for years now? Places like Pet Land source their dogs from puppy mills, and I don't know if you have ever seen a puppy mill but it is probably one of the worst things any person with a heart, not just a dog lover, could experience.
The dogs live their lives in tiny cages- barely able to stand, constantly surrounded by their own urine and fecal matter, the moms spend the majority of their lives pregnant and end up tossed aside when they are unable to carry babies anymore, and they charge you hundreds if not thousands of dollars for a dog who hasn't had the best life at all.
1. It's cheaper.
Buying a dog from breeders or "puppy stores" can cost you hundreds if not thousands of dollars, adopting from one of your local shelters will be a small fraction of that cost.
2. They have dogs of all ages.
If you know you don't have all of the time that a puppy requires they have any age for you, all of the way up to senior pups who just want to live out the rest of their days in a loving environment.
3. Most places will include their shots and chip with your adoption fee.
After your purchase your dog, whether it is directly from a breeder or store, most of the time you will have to pay to have them vaccinated and get a chip inserted, now most if not all shelters are including this with their adoption fees, so again, less money for you to spend.
4. Most shelters aren't "No-Kill."
As sad as it is, over population in local shelters is a thing and they can't all be "No Kill" meaning that after the dog has sat there for a certain amount of time, it will be euthanized, so you are saving lives by adopting them.
5. They have any and every kind of dog you could want.
The most common misconception is that they are all mixed dogs- which if you have a problem with mixed breeds you aren't a real dog lover- but that isn't true. You can go to a shelter on any given day and find purebred pups all over, it might take some time to find the one you want but I can guarantee that you will.
6. They need a good home.
Some of the dogs are rescued off of the streets, some dogs are turned over from owners who can't take care of them properly, and some are born there. Most of them have never seen what a loving home is and all that want to do is have somebody who will love them unconditionally and watch over them and they will do the same for you.
7. They are very loving.
Again, as most of them have never seen a loving home they just want somebody to be there for them. They will love you until the day they die because you saved their life.
8. You help stop the mass breeding of moms.
Did you know that most moms are bred until their bodies physically shut down? Did you know that they are bred until their bellies are so stretched out that it will always drag the ground? Did you know that even though there is a minimum amount of time that puppies are supposed to stay with their mother's for nutritional reasons most get taken away weeks before they are supposed to?
9. You get to give them a second chance at life.
You can show them that everybody isn't like their previous owner, if they even had one. You can show them how fun life can be and you get to watch them enjoy every single piece of what you are giving them.
10. They're usually potty trained!
This is probably one of the hardest things when you get a puppy. But, when you adopt a pup from a shelter they are potty trained 99.9% of the time because the shelters are good about getting them out to go potty or they are older and know better than to go in the house (this isn't to say they won't have an accident every now and again).
11. You can get a dog with a personality that fits yours.
When you purchase a dog, you are buying what you think will work with you but just like everybody doesn't get along with everybody, every dog won't get along with you. When you get to spend time in the shelter with the dogs you get to find the one who best compliments you, and you them. It is a forever friendship so you need to make sure that it will work.
12. You get emotional support.
Dogs HATE seeing their human sad and trust me, they know when you are whether or not they are an emotional support dog. They will sit with you until your legs hurt and they will lick up your tears, and not just because they are salty. They want to spend every moment that they can with you, so let them in.
13. They are normally in better health than puppy mill pups.
Puppies that come from puppy mills often have severe issues by the time they get to you. They have developed aggression, anxiety, kidney/heart disease, mites, kennel cough, heart worms, and the list goes on and on. When the shelter receives the dogs, they do a full work up on them so they can get them in better health before you bring them into your own home.
