I live in the unofficial Service Dog Training Capital of the US (aka Athens), and I really want a dog. This election season, plus school, has been stressful, and a small bundle of fur to hug sounds great right about now. If you want a dog, or any pet for that matter, is it better to adopt a rescue or find a breeder or pet store? It depends.

One thing to remember is that many shelters become overcrowded and can't afford to house large numbers of animals for long periods of time. "Each year, 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States," according to The Humane Society of the United States. While rescue animals are not for everyone, adopting or even fostering one can make a huge difference in the lives of other animals at that shelter. By adopting an animal from a shelter, you directly decrease the number of animals who may have to be put down, plus you give a needy animal a new home!

In addition, animal shelters are often full of happy, healthy pets looking for homes. While some end up in shelters because of abuse, plenty are owner-surrendered animals whose previous people moved or divorced. Mature animals are often easier to introduce to your family, and many of them are housetrained already. Caring for a shelter pet can sometimes mean taking in an animal with psychological or physical problems, and it's understandable to feel apprehensive about taking on that much responsibility. You can help those animals by either adopting them or adopting another animal from their shelter and freeing up space/funds for that animal.

Many shelter pets are spayed/neutered and checked for heartworms or other health problems when they arrive at the shelter, plus first vaccinations are often also included. In the long run, it's often much less expensive to adopt a shelter pet. Even if you don't want to adopt, consider donating to your local shelter's medical or general funds. You can help another pet stay happy and healthy while waiting to be adopted! If you do want to adopt, The Shelter Pet Project makes finding the perfect animal for you easy.

According to the ASPCA, there are about 13,600 independent shelters in the United States. Roughly 7.6 million pets enter animal shelters every year- 3.9 million dogs and 3.4 million cats. 649,000 animals who come in as strays each year are returned to their original owners. Out of all those pets, 2.7 million are adopted annually- the same number that are put down. You can make a difference in the life of a dog like Job or a cat like Pepper. Work with your local shelter or adopt a pet; the other animals will thank you.