This past May, my husband and I adopted the best dog ever (I admit, I am biased). While we could have found an adorable puppy elsewhere, we adopted our precious pup from the shelter. She has made our lives fun and adventurous, and we look forward to her puppy snuggles every day. Here are a few reasons why you should adopt from a shelter, too, if you are looking for some puppy love. And really, who doesn't want puppy love?

1) You Save a Life

When you adopt an animal from a shelter, you are saving that animal from the possibility of being euthanized. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are about 2.7 animals euthanized each year. If you adopt your pet from a shelter, you are actively participating in lessening that sad, sad number. You also are creating more space in the shelter for another dog or cat on the streets.

2) You Save Money

Adopting from a shelter is exponentially less expensive than adopting from a breeder or a pet store. The shelter provides low fees with the inclusion of spaying/neutering and first vaccinations. You save a LOT of money! Some shelters also offer great deals. The local shelter where I live just offered adult dogs for the price of $40 for a limited time.

3) Shelter Dogs Have Benefits

Many times, pure breed dogs have inherited health problems. With shelter dogs, they are more often than not mixed breeds. Therefore, they do not generally inherit breed specific health issues. Also, many of the adult dogs are already potty-trained, so that is less work for you (and less mess for your carpet).

4) That Animal's Entire Life Changes

You can help make that sad baby happy! Those poor animals just need some love - and they are more than willing to give love back. My puppy is literally the most loving dog I have ever met, and I think it is because she is just so happy with her new life. Their happiness rubs off on you, too! She brightens up bad days and always brings laughter to our house. The cover picture of this article is a picture of when my pup was in the shelter compared to her now.