The many benefits of pet adoption
Recently teen celebrity couple Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber adopted a dog. Advocates for pet adoption, for Gomez this makes an even half dozen dogs adopted from shelters in the United States and even Puerto Rico. Bieber’s face is on a PETA advertisement advocating adoption. But they aren’t the only celebrities with a cause for pet adoption; they join these celebrity dog advocates in New York City and these celebrity dog pet adoption owners. Michelle Forbes (True Blood), Orlando Brown (That’s So Raven) and former Playboy playmate Devin Devasquez joined forces to film a public service announcement to save animals lives through pet adoption in the Los Angeles area.
So what is so special about pet adoption? What are the advantages?
- There is a large selection of pets available for adoption. Many of them are even “full breeds.”
- In an effort to make sure that the adoption is a good fit for “parent” and pet there are screening services available.
- Ability to look for or avoid a particular trait. Many of the pets available for adoption are adults, and it is easier to determine if they have character qualities that are not a good fit for your home long before you have grown attached to them.
- Often you will find a pet that has already been trained, most importantly “potty trained.” You can avoid some of those not so fun, but funny things that a puppy may do (like in my case getting a bra out of the dirty clothes and chewing it to pieces.)
- Hereditary issues often are already apparent, as well as physical traits that will let you know how much care (such as brushing hair) your new pet will require.
- Many shelters provide pet adoption counseling, training, medical and behavior assistance after you have adopted your pet.
- Many shelter pets are “pleasers” and grateful for the love and companionship of a new home and happy to love you back.
- Pet adoption is less expensive than purchasing and your new pet is more likely to have been vaccinated, de-wormed and spayed or neutered.
- Health guarantees for a short period of time.
- Some shelters also have a return policy, should you get your pet home and find that it is not a good match.
- Avoid high pressure sales, from an owner/breeder or a pet store. Shelter and rescue service providers are more likely to give you the whole truth and nothing but the truth to make sure you know what sort of pet you are getting and that it is a good match for your household and lifestyle.
- Avoid euthanasia.
- Reduces pet overpopulation.
- Provides an opportunity for a lost or neglected pet at the shelter or rescue you are adopting from.
- Helping to stop “puppy mills.” Once they don’t have people to sell to they will stop over breeding.
Of course, before you adopt a pet it is important to ask yourself these questions.
There is a “down side” to adopting a pet. You don’t know why they are there. They could have been abused or neglected and in that case some additional care and training may be needed as your pet tries to join your home.
There are many benefits to both your new pet and you to adopting from a shelter or rescue organization. It’s no wonder that it is a popular celebrity cause; hopefully it will be an even more popular cause for other people too.
Have you adopted a pet? How was your experience?
Sources
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