Adopting is the Best Choice  by guest blogger, Mary Nielsen

With all the dogs in the world it can be difficult to choose just one. However, there is one choice that should be quite clear; where you go to get your new best friend. Some people might go to a pet store or answer an ad in a paper. Neither of those is very good unless the pet store in question is working hand in hand with the local animal shelter. You want to get a dog from a shelter for various reasons.  Here are just a few:

You don’t want to support puppy mills.

You just don’t. The puppy mills are all about profit rather than animal welfare. Dogs and puppies are almost continually locked in cages with minimal food and little to no comfort. This cruelty leads to sickly puppies and mother dogs in constant agony. Please don’t support animal abuse. Not only is adopting the humane choice, it’s less expensive. Another good reason to consider adoption rather than buying a purebred is that mixed-breed dogs tend to be more robust than purebreds. They have the best traits of every breed they’re related to!

Shelter dogs are safe and healthy.

Some people might be a bit wary about taking in a dog with an unknown background. That worry is groundless. Occasionally, an owner might relinquish a pet be re-homed due to moving, allergies or other unexpected lifestyle changes. No matter what reason the animal is in a shelter, it’s never their fault. All a dog wants to do is find a loving family to belong to. The first thing a shelter does with a dog that is brought to them is screen for health and behavior problems. If the dog has any, the shelter will do all they can to solve the problem so that the dog will be fit to be a loving companion. This may take the form of extra grooming, veterinary care or remedial training. A lot of work goes into making a dog adoptable.

So many dogs, so little time (and space) 

Shelters have plenty of puppies, and there’s more coming in every year. In just six years, one dog and her offspring could have 67,000 puppies if breeding goes unchecked. Some shelters are forced to euthanize dogs to make room for these puppies. Even no-kill shelters can only take in so many. Please make things easier on everyone by adopting.

Note from Sue Bulanda: Also consider adopting other pets from your local shelter. They often have a variety of animals and birds for adoption.

For more information, please consult this infographic.  https://www.felineliving.net/10-reasons-adopt-pet/