Is an Animal Adoption Right For You?

Most people who love animals will tell you that animal adoption centers are the best place to get a new pet.  There are several reasons for this, aside from the obvious reason that you’re rescuing an animal that is otherwise unwanted.

The Joy of the Mutt

Oftentimes, animal adoptions will give you a stronger, healthier dog or cat.  Many of the health problems that pets eventually succumb to stem from the fact that purebreds are basically inbred and prone to genetic  disorders.  Mixed breeds dogs and cats are generally healthier and live longer than purebreds do.  Many of them also boast the best qualities of all of the breeds that make them up, making them by far superior than the sum of their parts.

Save a Life

Where adopting a cat is concerned, there is a lot to be said for animal adoption centers.  Cats have recently overtaken dogs as the most popular pet in the United States.  When you adopt a cat, you’re helping to take up the slack from people who don’t bother to get their pets spayed or neutered.  Cats reproduce very quickly and there are millions of unwanted cats euthanized in the United States every year.  In some adoption centers, the euthanization ratio is over 50% for cats, with the majority of those put down being older and senior cats.

Consider an Older Animal

Don’t give in to your children’s pleas for a kitten – most kittens have a very high chance of being adopted.  Get an older cat, and you can be almost certain that you are truly saving a life.  Older and ‘teen-aged’ cats make wonderful pets and, in many cases, adult cats are much easier to adopt than rambunctious kittens, as you don’t have to litter train them and get through months of ‘accidents.’

Save Money on Vaccinations and Spaying

Animal adoption centers and pet shelters also allow you to take advantage of the fact that all of the pets are checked by a veterinarian when they’re taken into the shelter.  The shelter will also give you a discount, in most cases, on the spaying or neutering fee for the animal.  Of course, the shelter also takes care of all of their vaccinations, so you don’t have to do this yourself, giving you another good reason to adopt from a shelter. 

Overall, animal shelters are a much better way to get your family an excellent pet, rather than going to an expensive breeder or buying a pet from an unhealthy and possible puppy-farm supplied pet store.  In fact, most pet stores now feature shelter pets rather than selling their own!