I love animals. I especially love dogs.

Most people, no matter where they are from, where they stand on a spectrum of anything, can agree that they like animals. Even if they don't like animals for themselves, there is a general agreement between most people that animals are really cool little beings.

So it begs the question ... if most people like animals/agree animals need to be properly cared for ... why are there so many animals in shelters/being surrendered for adoption? Sure, I understand why animal shelters exist, it would be impossible to completely eliminate the existence of pounds and high-kill shelters, but for all of these shelters to be literally overflowing with animals on a regular daily basis? There has to be an underlying issue.

I decided that I REALLY wanted to adopt a dog about six months ago; I knew that within the near future my fiancé and I would be moving into our own place. I am a highly introverted person, and need a lot of "alone time," but that doesn't mean I enjoy being "lonely." I also have a personality where it brings me great happiness and purpose to care for something; actively loving and caring for something gives me a healthy outlet to trade in my anxious natures. I was interested in adopting a dog for the same reasons that anyone else does: companionship and care.

Let me give you a general background of who I am: I am a college student (so my finances are far from limitless), I live in a small townhouse with a small backyard (so space is far from limited), and my fiancé has a history of pet allergies (though primarily cats contribute to this, it still means that breeds are limited to allergy "friendly" breeds). If I proceeded blindly, I would have adopted the nearest Dalmatian dog in sight...that would NOT have been feasible.

Before I even started the application process, I made sure that I had at least $600 saved up in my bank account specifically for this future animal and this future animal alone. I also made sure that I would have daycare arrangements for my future pup (luckily, my grandmother more than happily volunteered to be the nanny, but that wasn't before I had begun to look into/price-matching local dog daycares). I also did INTENSIVE research on breeds that are hypo/mildly allergenic. Since a member of the household does have pet allergies, I talked to several vets about allergen-removing serums and shampoos that are clinically proven to minimize dog allergies.

I think that this "pre-dog" planning phase is what a lot of people miss when it comes to adopting a pet. They see this adorable little puppy or kitten, and believe me, that alone will usually be enough to sell a person. They see this baby animal, and the face price for the animal, and conclude in their head that said kitten equals said value of $75, said puppy equals the stated price of $300. They save up the money, and they walk away with this animal. The initial price of the animal is almost always much less than the medical work required to care for the animal adequately.

Pre-pet planning, for me, was so essential to understanding the financial and time commitment that animals require. With a few quick phone calls, I found out that within the first year alone a dog is going to require around $600 of medical bills IF nothing else goes wrong.

I gathered my information, and I began to apply for the adopting of a dog. I knew from the get-go that I didn't want to invest my money into the industry of puppy mills/puppy stores because of underlying issues of severe animal abuse and neglect, partnered with the exploited over-priced puppies (most at least $700+).

So adopting/rescuing it was. After putting in numerous applications and meeting with dogs of different ages, it was eventually an ad in the newspaper that got my attention. An ad pertaining to a litter of chihuahua mix puppies who were born accidentally due to too many un-spayed/neutered dogs living together inadequately small spaces, this ad was the owner's last plea to find a good home for these puppies before having to surrender them to a shelter, the adoption fees would go to the treatments for the mother dog, who was not in the best health to be conceiving puppies. When I brought my puppy home, she was underweight, had a bad infestation of fleas, was anemic due to the flees, and had two different types of worms. She had not ever seen a vet.

See, when people think of owning a dog, they think of a picture that looks like this:

And it does quite often. We have so much fun together. She weaseled her way into my reluctant but consenting fiancé's heart within a matter of days. This picture, though, doesn't adequately sum up what our journey as first-time dog-owners has been.

This photo is more accurate, because this is where we find ourselves every three weeks for puppy vaccines, stool checks, and soon--a spay procedure. She is enrolled in the wellness plan through Banfield Pet Hospital, an inclusive plan that costs about $550 a year and includes all vaccines, a spay/neuter, countless free office visits, and 10% off of prescriptions.

It also looks like this. MEDICINE, unplanned medicine. A few weeks after getting her, we realized that she had tapeworms, a worm not covered by her plan. This cost me an extra $50. It would be nice to think that nothing out of the ordinary would medically happen, but it rarely ever works that way, for people or dogs.

This, too, describes my title as a dog owner. To save money, I become an amateur dog groomer. Whether that is meticulously combing her to prevent her shedding all over the house, or bathing a dog who acts as though she is allergic to water, spending at least two hours with her weekly so that I can look like this at the end is mandatory. Why? So that her pet dander is manageable. So that no one has even the gentlest sniff of allergies because of her.

It also looks like this. Countless, and I mean countless, hours of training her to GO TO THE DOOR WHEN SHE NEEDS TO "GO" so that she can use the little girl's room outside. Though we've spent so much time taking her out, she still has on average one accident per week, which is glorious compared to everywhere, anywhere, multiple times a day (which was the case when we first got her).

Though I'd like to say that the first image describes it all...it doesn't. And it won't for any dog. When you research why pets are given away, any and all research points to these following reasons:

1. Moving
2. Landlord not allowing pet
3. Too many animals in household
4. Cost of pet maintenance
5. Owner having personal problems
6. Inadequate facilities
7. No homes available for litter mates
8. Having no time for pets
9. Pet illness(es)
10. Biting
11. House soiling (not being house trained)
12. Allergies to pet

When we take a look at this list, we can rule out reasons 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 off of the list if everyone who adopted a pet took approximately three hours to evaluate their lifestyle/finances/self-circumstances, and then followed up by contacting a few animal clinics for information on procedures and pricing. If you don't have the money to care for a pet, don't get a pet. If you don't have the time to housebreak and train your dog, don't get a pet. If you have too many animals, don't get a pet. If you can't handle animals getting sick (and all organic, living beings do) don't get a pet. If we removed the eight avoidable reasons for dropping pets off at a shelter, only three would remain: Moving, a landlord not allowing pets, allergies, and biting...which would be SO much more manageable to our shelter systems and would lead to so much decline in euthanization rates.

In other words, an animal doesn't ask to be born, and an animal doesn't specifically ask you to adopt it. It is a choice that you make, and a commitment on your end. The downside is, you can part ways and self-provide without your pet, but your pet cannot without you. The dog did not create this situation, but it is the only one suffering for it.