The month of October is Adopt-A-Dog Month, a month dedicated to encouraging
people into adopting and rescuing a dog at their local animal shelter.
There are many great reasons why you should adopt, rather than buy, a
dog at your local shelter. You can also visit your local animal shelter
and learn more information about adopting, what kind of shelter they are,
and much more. If you still want to support your local shelter but can’t
maintain a pet in your home, then there are other actions you can take.
Sure people believe that you should purchase a dog at a pet shop rather
than adopting one because dogs from a pet store are cleaner, less-problematic
purebreds. That’s a myth. There are plenty of good reasons why adopting
a dog is better for both the dog and the adopter. These reasons include:
Not only are they cleaner, but they are also healthier. Shelters usually
vaccinate their dogs as well as spay and neuter them. On top of all of
that, shelter dogs don’t have as many problems on a genetic level
than dogs from a pet shop. Pet stores rely on obtaining “purebred”
dogs from puppy mills. Dogs that are purebred are forced to mate with
their relatives, and as a result, end up receiving more genetic defects
and diseases than mutts do.
Those who run puppy mills don’t care about the fact that their animals
may end up or currently have physical problems. They don’t even take
great care of their dogs. To them, dogs are nothing more than a means
to earn more money. Adopting a dog can discourage the demand for dogs
bred from these cruel puppy mills.
You can learn whether or not your local shelter is a no-kill shelter by
checking them out in person. The shelter can provide you with useful information
on how their dogs are treated, and how to care for a dog, yourself. Maybe
your next visit will end with you adopting a new dog.
You may not be able to own a pet of your own or just simply don’t want
to. That’s alright because you can instead go to your local shelter
to help out. Just doing basic tasks like washing dishes and feeding the
pets can be a huge benefit to the shelter. Even if you don’t have
the time to volunteer, you can still donate money. A little bit of money
can go a long way to these shelters.
Please donate to American Humane in Washington, DC, and don’t hesitate
to call at (800) 227-4645. They founded Adopt-a-Dog Month and are dedicated
to rescuing shelter dogs.
