The benefits of adopting a pet

There are millions of dogs and cats that sit in shelters waiting for someone to take them home every day of the week. Millions more are euthanized for lack of shelter space or funds each year. While many people may feel that a purebred animal with papers is the only way to get a good dog or cat, this is completely false. There are millions of service animals that just want a home and a family. While it may seem like there are downsides to adopting a pet from a shelter, the benefits far outweigh any downsides to adopting an animal.

One of the biggest benefits of adopting a shelter animal is that the fee to adopt the pet is much less than anything a breeder or pet store will charge. Many shelters offer their pets for minimal fees to facilitate adoption. Also, animals usually come with a microchip already embedded and have already been modified. These are two costs that the new owner will not have to incur after taking their dog home. Shelter pets also come fully vaccinated and dewormed, something that often can’t be said for pet store animals.

Another great benefit of adopting a pet from a shelter is that mature animals are available. By adopting a mature pet, the family does not have to go through the extremely destructive phase of chewing or housebreaking, in many cases. Another plus is that the dog or cat is fully grown. If a family has limited space available, it’s a good idea to adopt an adult pet instead of a puppy because the dog won’t outgrow. The temperament of the dog or cat is also already known at the time of adoption. This is very important, especially for people who will spend a lot of time with their dog or cat around children.

Slightly less testable is the generally accepted theory that shelter animals are more eager to please their new families than a pampered animal from a pet store. There is a theory that a rescued animal feels so much gratitude for being removed from the shelter by its new family that it tries to express it by trying to please his new family even more.

For animal lovers, adopting a pet helps correct the problem of pet overpopulation. Purchasing a puppy or kitten from a pet store or breeder contributes to overpopulation problems.