A dog is the most common household pet in the United States. With such a high demand of puppies as pets, corporations breed them to sell more to people. When people are thinking of getting a dog or puppy, they are more drawn to a “new” puppy, instead of a “used” one from a shelter. If you plan on getting a dog, it’s important to ask yourself, “who’s benefiting from this?” If it is anyone other than you, your family, or your dog, then chances are you’re making the wrong decision for a pet.
Wouldn’t be supporting puppy mills. Not everyone is thinking about how and where their $1,000 dog came from. If I were them, I’d want to know why a dog costs that much to begin with. I’d also want to know where my money would be going. Puppy mills breed dogs as quickly as possible without any concern for the health of the animals. Their main goal is to make the greatest profit they can. Adopting a lovable dog is would be better for the dog itself than buying one who’s sole purpose was to gain money. By not buying dogs that come from puppy mills, companies like these lose their revenue.
Buying a dog will burn a hole through your pocket. Everyone knows that buying and taking care a dog is a lot of money. especially the expenses for first vaccinations, spaying/neutering, and micro chipping. But when you adopt a dog, most of these are already included in the adoption fee. The dogs at the shelter are also up to hundreds of dollars cheaper than dogs sold from stores.
Most of these pre-owned dogs are trained. Many of the dogs at the shelter, especially the adult dogs, are potty trained. Puppy mills sell puppies that are often times not potty-trained because they aren’t required to train them. Most dogs at the shelter also have predictable behaviors. Many of them have come from homes where they were trained and know how to act. They also keep tabs on how the dogs act, so if you wanted, you could ask and see how the well the dog is trained. Why put your brand new carpets at risk when there are trained dogs looking for a loving family?
Dogs in shelters have a variety of personalities. Every dog at the shelter has developed his/her own personality. Each dog is different, and with such a wide range of them, it’s easier to pick one that would be most compatible with you and your family. The people who work at the shelter also know the personalities of the dogs, which is something you couldn’t say about puppy mills. The puppy mills don’t care where the dogs end up, as long as they are making them money. Unlike a shelter, you wouldn’t be able to return your dog if he/she happened to be a bad fit for your family.
You save a life (or lives). When you adopt a dog, you’re taking the dog from the shelter. A shelter isn’t an ideal home for a dog, but it provides food and warmth unlike outside. Not only are you saving this dog’s life, but you’re potentially saving another dog’s life. Adopting a dog allows more space within the shelter for more dogs to come in, rather than roaming the streets or being neglected by their owners.
