Many people know my house as the animal haven. We have fostered kittens, taken in stray dogs, rescued horses, a baby cow left alone in the pasture and a donkey named Stewie. We have even housed a baby lamb who's mother refused to feed. My parents have only ever bought an animal once in their life, and that was after my brother, sister and I begged them for a Great Dane puppy, which you can imagine, is hard to find in a shelter that takes in unwanted and elderly animals. I’ve grown up fostering and rescuing abandoned animals, but only recently have realized the importance of my parents teaching us these ways. It is so important to rescue animals for so many reasons, but I’ll only list a few.
The first reason is the most obvious, you will take one small step in ending pet overpopulation. There are way too many animals born every day to be taken into a home and transformed into a pet. Many of these animals are sentenced to be euthanized because there simply are not enough households who wish to take them in. Rescuing will take one less animal off of the dirty street or from the crowded shelter.
The second reason is you will forever have unlimited access to the shelter community circle. You’ll never have a lack of information or resources for your pet while surrounded by shelter employees and volunteers. Being aware will even boost other pet’s chances of being adopted, as you will know exactly what to say when someone approaches you asking about rescuing. You will gain hands-on experience that couldn’t be found anywhere else. You’ll meet people who have a lot in common with you and similar goals. Besides all the benefits for yourself, you will become part of a very important team that values giving back to the community.
The third reason is that you can take a stand against the cruelty of mass breeding facilities known as puppy and kitten mills. Commercial and backyard breeders produce millions of animals to sell to pet stores, through newspaper or Craigslist ads and even to you. The disgusting truth is that these facilities repeatedly impregnate female dogs, forcing them to produce mass litters, and dispose of them after they can no longer do their job. What was once a beautiful process of life becomes an unnatural, hideous destruction of a mother's body. These animals are forced to spend their entire lives in unsanitary cages without human companionship. Adopting a shelter animal is a statement that you do not support such cruel practices.
The fourth and greatest reason to adopt is that you save a life. The animals found in shelters need a second chance at living. They deserve a loving home and a caring family that they can wait by the door for and wag their tail too. Rescuing animals has so many positive aspects that will affect your life, and more importantly the lives of the smaller bodies who cannot stand up for themselves. An animal may only be here for part of your life, but for them you are their whole life. Make that count.
