After a long day of work you are finally at your front door ready to go make something to eat and relax in front of the television. To add to the excitement of being stress free, your best four-legged friend is waiting for you very impatiently on the other side of that door. You are the most important person in the entire world to that dog, and it’s a pretty wonderful feeling to have that sort of devotion and loyalty from something so sweet and loving.

In movies, books and the general public, a new puppy is always depicted as a dog from a breeder or from a puppy store that is stocked by a breeder. While many families want to get a brand new 6 month old puppy for their kids, I wish more people would open their home up to a furry friend who is maybe a little older who has had a rough life thus far. Rescue dogs are wonderful for families and they love you just the same – if not more – than a dog from a breeder will.

All over the country, and in some parts of the world, abandoned or neglected dogs are a growing population and the shelters such as the ASPCA and Blue Chip Farms are running out of space and resources to house these pups until they can find a forever home. Speaking from a personal experience, I have had 3 dogs, all of which were rescues in one sense or another. My first dog that I grew up with was taken in from the streets by my mother and she was the most caring dog I’ve ever met. As for my two dogs I have now, they were rescues from different shelters. Cody is a mixed breed dog who looks more like a Border Collie. We adopted him the day we met him, not knowing he was sick. After getting him pneumonia free, he has lived a healthy life since we were graced with his presence when he was only 6 months old.

This is a great example of how you can easily find a younger dog in a shelter if that is what you’re looking for, but don’t forget there are also plenty of older dogs who were abandoned and would love to live the rest of their life out with a family, not in a shelter. These older pups are just as capable of being a reliable companion, and you will quickly become the sole reason for their existence. In my opinion, there is no better feeling than that. As I understand the reasoning some choose to purchase bred dogs, I strongly encourage new families, retired couples, those living alone, or anyone else to go to your local shelter and I’m sure you can find the best friend you could ever have just waiting for you to pick them up. As people these dogs are just a part of our very busy lives, but to the dogs, we are their whole life.