Pets are, in my opinion, one of the greatest familial additions you can have. If we’re being honest, sometimes pets are better than our actual human family members.
Animals have the ability to love their owners unconditionally, and trust me when I saw there really is nothing that compares to experiencing this love.
I question, however, why folks who are contemplating getting a pet fail to explore adoption options, and instead opt for purchasing an (oftentimes expensive) animal.
Roughly “6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats,” says the ASPCA website. “Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats).”
Considering the fact that there is a definite need for animal adoption in the U.S., and arguably globally, I struggle to comprehend why adoption/rescuing isn’t something we always consider when it comes to being pet owners.
On my family farm, we have six cats. All of them were strays that we rescued, and they’ve become integral components of our family dynamic. Had we not rescued them, they would likely be dead.
I recognize that not everyone is able to take in six cats, and I’m not attempting to suggest that you must have a cat hoard in your home in order to feel good about yourself. What I am suggesting, though, is that we as a society need to collectively acknowledge the number of animals that need homes, and take this into consideration if we’re thinking about getting a pet.
If a new critter is on your mind, I ask you to visit a local animal shelter before hitting up a pet store. Once you see how many animals are in need of a home so close to your own, you just may be swayed into adopting one yourself.
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