Pets are a blessing from heaven. These furry creatures find a way into our hearts and become part of the family. They’re with us through the good time and the bad times. They love us unconditionally and help us relieve our stress after a hard day of work. Everyone needs a pet. So when it comes to getting a pet, remember that adoption is always the way to go. You don’t need one of those snobby-looking designer dogs. What you need is a healthy shelter puppy that will love you unconditionally. Millions of dogs and cats are euthanized simply because there is no one to give them a home. According to the Humane Society, approximately 2.7 million adoptable dogs and cats are put to sleep each year simply because there is no one to adopt them. If we were to focus more on adoption rather than on buying, we could save millions of lives. Not just that, we could also help put a stop to puppy mills.

Puppy mills are one of the main contributors to pet overpopulation. Unlike animal shelters, puppy mills do not care about the well-being of dogs. Instead, they simply care about making a profit out of these puppies. They work under a factory-style system that breeds dogs for the sole purpose of profit. Sadly, many of these dogs live in unimaginable conditions that lead them to a life full of suffering and disease. So instead of helping puppy mills, why not just adopt a pet?

Unlike a puppy mill, an animal shelter will do their best to make sure all dogs under their care are well taken care of. This is part of the reason as to why so many dogs have to be euthanized. Due to lack of funding and overpopulation, it’s very hard for animal shelters to fund for the care of all these homeless dogs. That is why it is up to us to make sure we adopt these puppies when we are considering bringing a pet into our home.

As a matter of fact, adoption also tends to be cheaper than buying from a pet store. Usually, most animal shelters will include shots, spaying/neutering and sometimes even microchipping in their adoption fees. Most importantly, you can be sure that the dog you’re adopting has no major medical problems because animal shelters tend to disclose that information. In some cases, the dog may even be already housetrained. This is because people in animal shelters genuinely care for the animals. They take the time to ensure these animals will find a forever home. Puppy mills, on the other hand, only look at dogs as dollar signs. They don’t care about selling healthy puppies; they only want to sell as many as possible so they can make a profit.

So next time you hear one of your friends or family members say they want a pet, make sure to remind them that adoption is the way to go. Remind them that a shelter puppy or kitten will forever be grateful for their new home.