If you’re looking for a forever friend, there are a million reasons to give that pet a forever home. But there is a movement happening, which is “Adopt, Don’t Shop”. This basically means that if you’re planning on getting a dog or a cat (or any animal, really), instead of going to an online seller or a pet store, you should go to an animal shelter near you and adopt a cat through there. Instead of shopping for an animal, you are adopting an animal. Just like you wouldn’t be shopping for a child, you shouldn’t be shopping for a pet.

If you are trying to get a pet through an online seller or pet store, you are more than likely getting that pet from a puppy mill. Why is this bad? The Humane Society defines puppy mills as, “factory-style breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of the dogs”. By shopping for your pet rather than adopting, you are supporting the abuse of these animals. Puppy mills gain success because they masquerade as something else: an online seller or a pet store. The safest way to make sure you are not supporting the abusive tactics that puppy mills use is by adopting from an animal shelter.

This is not the only reason why you should adopt rather than shop for a pet. Animals that are in the shelter are there because they didn’t have a home anywhere else. They need a family. Animals do not go to the shelter because they are bad animals, but more than likely because they were stuck in the middle of a move, divorce, allergy situation, or were in any other way separated from their home. Perhaps a couple had a baby, and realized they couldn’t balance having a baby and a pet at the same time. Or someone has decided to move into a new apartment, and that apartment has a no dog policy. By adopting, you finding that animal a new home.

Through adoption, you are also saving yourself time and guesswork. Animals that come from shelters are already trained, so you don’t need to worry about that aspect of getting a new animal. The people that work at the shelter also get to know the animal, so they can answer any questions about the pet’s personality and what kind of home would be best for them.

You are also going to save yourself money. Pets that come from the shelter are cheaper because the cost of spaying the cat and first vaccinations are included in the adoption price, rather than having you pay to do that yourself.

And the final reason for why you should always adopt rather than shop for your new forever friend is because it will make your heart happy. That might sound lame or cliché, but how amazing are you going to feel when you know you have saved an animal? You are going to get a cat or a dog that you can get to know and ensure is in the right place (with you), and give that animal a home and a family.

Adopt, don’t shop. Save an animal, and feel good doing it!