Did you know that around 6.3 million pets and 3.1 million dogs specifically are surrendered to the shelters every year?
What happened to these 3.3 million dogs?
According to Shelter Animal Counts, approximately, 2 million dogs are adopted by kind-hearted people, 710,000 are returned back to their owners while approx. 390,000 dogs are euthanized.
Literally, after knowing these eye-opening facts, you do not need any other reason to adopt a dog from a shelter or a rescue group. Still, we can list dozens of reasons to do so.
So, in this quick post, we are gonna list the 7 most important reasons why should you adopt a dog from a shelter instead of getting one from a puppy mill. If you have any specifications such as a low-activity or low-shedding dog and are unable to find it in a shelter, try to get one from a reputable dog breeder.
Why should you adopt a dog and not buy one?
You discourage puppy mills and backyard breeders
You may have seen videos of puppy mills, where hundreds of small and innocent puppies would be crying and living a cruel life. These puppy mills and cruel backyard breeders breed dozens of litters a year just for the sake of money and unfortunately, their puppies are sent to some of the biggest pet stores in cities.
So, by adopting a dog from a shelter, you discourage puppy mills.
You Save a life
What’s better than saving a life? Not just the dogs but all the animals in the shelters are looking for a second chance. Either they are given up, born to a stray dog, or abandoned by their owners, they are always looking for a loving home and family. Also, if they are in a kill shelter, they’ll most probably be euthanized.
You do not need to train them
Most probably, if you get a puppy, you need to train and socialize him for a couple of years which is a hectic task. But if you adopt the dogs from the shelter, they’ll more likely be trained and socialized by their previous owners.
You’ve lots of options to choose from
Male and female dogs, different breeds, mixed breeds, mutts, different sizes, and different ages, you can get what you need at a fair price. So, you can easily find a healthy adult dog that is ready to accompany you during the daily routine tasks.
You pay less
Yes, while getting a puppy from a breeder, you may need to pay a huge amount for the puppy and other necessary items such as microchipping, etc. The shelters or rescue groups usually ask for a low adoption fee while a puppy may cost you between $500 and $6000 depending on the breed.
You get a spayed/neutered dog
It is the best part of adopting a dog from the shelter. You’ll get a vaccinated and spayed/neutered dog from them, and that too at a very low cost.
You give back to shelters
These shelters and rescue groups work hard to save the lives of dogs and other animals just for the sake of humanity. So, by adopting a dog, cat, or any other animal from a shelter, you are indirectly giving them back. You won’t believe how satisfied and happy are the rescue groups and volunteers when someone adopts an animal from them.
Wrapping it up:
So, these were the 7 most important reasons why should you adopt a dog from a shelter instead of getting one from a puppy mill, backyard breeder, or even a reputable breeder. There are even more reasons, so, what are you thinking about? If you don’t have a dog or have a space for another dog, go and adopt one from a shelter. Believe us, you won’t regret it.
Recommended read – What Makes an Ideal First Aid Kit for Dogs?
