When making the decision to bring a new animal into your life there are a lot of option to consider. Some of those options include breeding, purchasing from a pet store, or adoption. Though you may be tempted by all the cute pups at the pet store, it is best to not support this practice. Animals that are sold at the pet stores, besides rescues, typically come from mills, where they live in terrible conditions.
Instead, consider going to your local shelter and adopting an animal. I personally have three cats who were all adopted. They are all very loving, fun animals. Not only do you get to save a life, it typically will end up being cheaper to adopt. The last cat I adopted cost me $125 from a non profit cat rescue. She came spayed, bathed, and even had all her shots. An animal purchased from a breeder or pet store can cost you thousands of dollars.
Don’t assume because you are adopting a dog that it’s going to be a mutt, either! Sure, there are a lot of mixed breed dogs in shelters but you will also find a ton of pure bred animals as well. For example, my mom recently had her lhasa apso (stray we rescued) pass away. After a few months of grieving, she eventually went to the Humane Society to look for a new companion. She ended up finding two Shih Tzu’s, one a year old and one two years old. The animals had been abandoned by their owners, and she only ended up paying around 300 dollars for them. A breeder would have charged twice, maybe even three times that much, for a purebred Shih Tzu.
The bottom line is that when you’re making the decision to bring a new companion into your home and life, it shouldn’t matter what their pedigree is. There is no greater feeling than rescuing an animal through adoption.
