There have been a lot of news stories going around the web this week. Stories about the election, taxes, clowns, and sports are just a few I’ve seen. There is one story I’ve read that isn’t getting as much attention, and one major reason for that is because the victims can’t speak out.

Montreal legislators voted 37-23 in favor of a breed-specific legislation outlawing any dog that resembles a pit bull if the owners do not meet strict conditions. The conditions of the legislation included: a.) no dog considered a pit bull can be adopted from Montreal shelters (so they will most likely be euthanized), b.) People who own dogs within the pit bull breed will have to undergo a criminal background check, pay $150 for a special permit, their dog will have to be vaccinated, microchipped, and sterilized, as well as have a muzzle and be on a 4-foot leash whenever they are out in public.

You might not have heard about this, because the victims (the poor, innocent dogs who will lose their lives) can’t speak out against the injustice being done to them. Also, this particular legislation was enacted in Canada. However, America has its own problems with stray animals.

According to the ASPCA, there are approximately 7.6 million companion animals in shelters across the United States. Those animals cannot tell you how eager they are to love you. They cannot put into words how it feels to spend weeks, months, and years watching other animals come in and get adopted before them. They can’t speak their feelings, but they can show you.

One large reason animals remain in shelters is that often when people want to get a new family pet they choose to go to a breeder to fill a specific preference. They want their animal to look a certain way or be a full bred. Instead of looking in a shelter to see if there is an animal for them there, they don’t bother and go straight to a breeder.

A year ago my family had the opportunity to experience firsthand what shelter animals are like. Last April, after 19 years filled with lots of love and cuddles, my cat passed away. She was a beloved member of our family, and her passing was a huge loss to us. When the time came for us to open our home and hearts to another animal, we looked at a local cat shelter. After a long week of discussion, we decided to rescue three cats. Two of them, Elsa and Bobo, had been in the shelter since they were born. They came from different litters, and after watching all of their siblings be adopted out, they formed a bond that the shelter didn’t want to separate. They spent the next three years waiting for someone to adopt the pair together so they wouldn’t have to be separated.

The other cat we adopted, Danilynn, was brought to the shelter when she was a kitten and had spent the next 12 years in the shelter, watching others be adopted out. There is no telling what she had seen in all those years in the shelter, but it absolutely breaks my heart that she was in there for so long and not receiving the love of a family that she deserved.

Now I’m not saying it was all sunshine and roses when we brought our new babies home. They had spent all of their lives in a crowded shelter with very little human contact, except for the volunteers at the shelter. Coming to our house was a bit of an adjustment. We had to work with them and show them we were here to love them unconditionally, not just provide them with food. I’d spend two hours each day having “tummy time” with them, where I would lay on the floor and try to play with them. Eventually, we went from them running out of the room as soon as we came in, to them sleeping on our beds and striking fierce poses for my Instagram (see above).

Who knows where they would be right now if we had decided to go to a breeder to get our next animal. Would Elsa and Bobo have been split up? Would Danilynn have been euthanized because another year had passed where she did not get adopted and they had to make room for a newer, younger cat?

The next time you or your family are looking to get a 4-legged companion, I urge you to rescue one from a shelter. You are missing out on so many great opportunities if you don’t even stop by and take a look. Your new best friend may be waiting.