Pets are an important part of a family and everyone should have one! However, the easy part is deciding that you want a pet. The hard part is deciding how you want to go about getting your pet. Either you want to adopt or shop for your future family member. Both options have their pros and cons, one more so than the other. Many people go back and forth not knowing which the best option is. When faced with this difficult decision, one should always choose to adopt their pets. Adoption not only benefits your pet, but it also benefits many other animals. Every year, millions of animals are left at or born into shelters. Many of these animals are given nice homes, while others never get that chance. They are forgotten and they don't know why. Adoption is the best option and here is why:

Believe it or not, it is cheaper to adopt than shop for an animal. Many shelters spay/neuter cats and dogs before they sell them. Some shelters even take care of the first round of shots they may need. Now, if you were to buy your pet from a pet store or from someone selling animals, this would probably not be the case. You would have to pay for your cat or dog to be fixed, and then you would have to pay for all of their shots. Not some of them, but all of them. Pet fees can quickly add up, but if you choose to adopt from an animal shelter you won’t have to pay as much!

When you adopt, you save a life. I cannot stress this enough. As I mentioned before, many animals don’t ever find a home. Many cats and dogs live in shelters their whole lives. However, these are the lucky ones. There are many shelters out there that euthanize cats and dogs that never get adopted. When you adopt, you save one of those lives. You give them a chance at life, you give them a forever home. You also help free up space for other animals in need of shelter. Once shelters run out of space, they don’t take in any more animals. Who knows what happens to those animals that can’t be taken in by shelters. When you adopt, you save more than one innocent life.

Adoption shuts down puppy mills and kitten mills. Puppy mills and kitten mills are establishments that inhumanely breed puppies and kittens for the purpose of making money. These establishments breed in poor conditions, treat the animals with disrespect, and value money over the wellness and health of the animals. Many organizations are in the process of trying to shut down these mills. If you want to help, adopt! Adopting dogs and cats will help shut down these establishments. There’s a big process that goes into shutting down kitten and puppy mills, but if more people adopt then these mills will lose business and hopefully shut down.

If you would like more information on adoption then visit The ASPCA website or your local animal shelter. If you can’t adopt then please think about donating. Whether its money, toys, food, or old blankets, everything counts towards saving a life. Also, spread the word! If more people are aware of the benefits of adopting, then we can keep those shelters empty, and hopefully shut down those mills.