With the holidays right around the corner, a popular Christmas gift is a new pet. However, instead of picking out the perfect breed and finding a breeder, go to your local animal shelter. It's time that we stop shopping for our pets and start adopting them.

The first and most obvious reason as to why you should adopt your new family member is the cost. Breeders charge hundreds of dollars for purebred puppies, just to make a profit. If you go to your local humane society or animal shelter, they just make you pay small adoption fees that won't break the bank.

Additionally, the treatment of the animals that breeders sell are typically subpar. They'll lie and manipulate you into buying a certain dog because, at the end of the day, it's all about the check that you write to them.

The treatment of animals in puppy mills and by mass breeders are going largely unnoticed. These animals are housed in poor facilities and are not given proper attention and love.

Another big plus to adopting a furry new friend instead of shopping for one is that most of the times, animals from shelters are already trained. That's right. Months that you would have spent training and cleaning up after your animal will no longer be wasted. Instead, you can just love your animal without getting mad at it every other day.

Many veterinarians are of the opinion that the health purebred dogs are inferior to that of mixed breed dogs. A basic knowledge of genetics would prove this as well. The consistent breeding of purebred dogs is analogous to inbreeding in humans.

Certain deleterious genes, which can be liked to a higher chance of cancer and other diseases, are not filtered out and are more likely to be expressed. Instead of letting natural processes of life occur, breeders and those who buy into this industry keep the production of animals with lower lifespans alive.

If you claim to be a dog lover, as most do, then it isn't even fathomable to claim your next pet from a puppy prostitution scheme known as breeding. Instead, save one from euthanization at your local shelter. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 1.5 million animals are euthanized every year in shelters. Fortunately, this number has declined steadily over the past five years due to an increase in adoption.

When shopping the market for your newest Christmas present, just remember that there is a large number of animals who would love a home for the holidays. Check out your local animal shelter or go to the Humane Society's website to check out which animal is the right one for you!