There are a lot of stigmas about adopting an animal from a shelter. Many people think these animals are damaged, not trained, unhealthy, and purely "bad" pets. But I'm here to bust these myths because they simply aren't true.

Animals coming from pet stores most of the time are in worse condition than ones from shelters. Companies subject animals to abuse like ear cropping and tail docking, a very painful practice for dogs and cats.

Puppy mills and pet stores, like such, also force animals to breed with each other which leads to so many chronic health conditions for the offspring. Along with this, these places often times have horrible living conditions. In a puppy mill where I live, there was recently found out to be keeping puppies in a parked van in the middle of winter.

Further investigation of this shop revealed dead animals being kept in the freezer in the back room, and all locations were immediately shut down. It is terrible situations like this that show the true actions and intentions of puppy mill companies. The "Adopt Don't Shop" movement not only puts an end to puppy mills and pet shops but also brings an enormous amount of positivity to the animals being adopted.

Practically, adopting is a great option. You save a lot of money by adopting a pet from a shelter because, not only is the adoption fee always much lower than that price of a puppy mill, the price almost always includes spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and sometimes microchips. Many are also already house trained!

Another reason to adopt is you'll be helping the shelter. A lot of the time, animals must be denied by a shelter or euthanized because of overcrowding. So not only are you helping the animal you've decided to take home, but you're also making room for another abused and lonely animal to have the chance to find a forever home.

But most importantly, the reason to adopt a new furry friend is that you'll be saving a wonderful animal's life! These animals are mostly left at the shelter because of a human problem, like previous owners moving, getting divorced or them not being able to take care of the animal anymore.

There is nothing wrong with the animal, they are only in need of a friendly home to go to forever. The pet you're thinking about adopting has probably had a rough past, either stray or abused or not having been sustained by their previous owners. So by adopting them, you're bringing so much happiness into their life, and yours.

As someone who has recently adopted a kitten, I can say your world will totally change after welcoming this new friend into your life. Of course for the better!