6.5 millions dogs are placed into animal shelters nationwide every year.

Let's think about that for a second. Now, I want to ask each and every one of you who owns at least one dog or more. I get that there are some people who have allergies and are unable to own pets, or that they live in certain areas and apartments where the landlords don't allow pets. But think of that number at the top of the story. It completely astounds me the amount of poor animals that are left in the shelter to die, or the ones who are abandoned and left to roam the streets.

There were two dogs that completely turned my life around and gave me a new insight on adoption.

The adoption cost is less expensive than it would be to buy a dog. I've been in the situation where I've had two different animals that have entered into my life and have completely turned it upside down. When I was five years old, my older brother and I were wanting and praying for a dog for as long as we could. It took until I was five years old around Christmas time for my parents to bring home a little brown lump in a box. The first words to come out of my brothers mouth to my dad was, "Dad, you brought home a log?" After mom and dad stopped laughing I looked down as I saw, "the log" begin to move and wake up. We had found out shortly after a few years that my dad had gotten her off of one of his friends at his place of work. So, that meant that our dog, who we named Rootbeer was free of charge for us. We loved her so incredibly much and she was one of the smartest dogs that we ever had. From the age of five until after I graduated high school I had my favorite dog. If adoption or free wasn't a choice for us, my parents probably wouldn't have been able to buy my brother and I a dog, especially with the inflation prices of purebred dogs.

With my family not having to spend any money to own the dog, aside from toys and getting the dog fixed, it was so much easier for us to live life instead of making payments. Our life was great. She let us know when she had to go outside, when she was hungry she grabbed her own food, and she passed 4-H club training with flying colors. She wasn't the only little love in our lives.

Madeline Elizabeth came into our lives as sort of a foster situation. My mothers friend wasn't able to fully take care of her, so we took her in and treated her like one of our own. Soon, that's exactly what she became over six months at our house. We knew that we couldn't let her go. So, she was one of the other dogs that became one of our children.

Adopt a Dog, don't shop.