Puppy Love
This past
month I was lucky enough to welcome 2 new members to my extended family.
Norwood, a mutt, and Arwen, a Labrador/Shepard mix. As a person with a history
of volunteering at animal shelters, I was extremely pleased to find that my
extended family had used shelters and sites like Petfinder to
find my new cousins, instead of going to a pet shop or a breeder.
America
Loves It’s Pets.
Pet
ownership in the United States is increasing. According to theHumane Society
of the United States, in the 1970’s 67 million homes owned a pet. As
of 2012, 164 million homes (62%) now own at least one pet.
According
to the American
Pet Products Association, Americans today own 83.3 million dogs and
95.6 million cats. That’s a lot of animals. For more pet ownership statistics click here.
The
Problem With Puppy Mills
Adopting
from a shelter is a great option for anyone interested in getting a pet and is
definitely a better option than buying a pet in a pet shop. Many dogs bought in
pet shops come from ‘puppy mills’, which ASPCA defines as “large-scale commercial
dog breeding operations, where profit is given priority over the well-being of
the dogs”.
Puppy mills are inhumane. Dogs kept there are in too small cages
with limited food and water.
Puppies are taken from their mothers before they
are ready so that their mothers can be bred again. It is estimated that there
are 10,000 puppy mills in the United States, producing 2.15 million puppies a
year. Buying puppies from pet stores supports this cruel system.
Many
breeders also breed their dogs in puppy mills. In order to avoid adopting a
puppy from a puppy mill, check out these questions to ask a breeder.
The
Pros (and Cons) of Shelters
Shelters
are a great option for anyone interesting in adopting a new feline or canine
family member. Every year 6 to 8 million animals enter shelters. Unfortunately,
2.7 million shelter animals have to be euthanized because there is not enough
space.
Just
because an animal is in a shelter doesn’t mean it did anything wrong. Many
animals are forced to live in a shelter because their owner had to move into a
new home that doesn’t allow pets, allergic reactions to the animal, or an owner
can’t afford the time or money to take care of them anymore. Because of this,
many animals you find in a shelter are already house or obedience trained and
would make great pets.
At a
shelter, you can find animals in a range of breeds and ages. In fact, 25% of
dogs in shelters are pure breeds. If you are interested in a particular breed,
you can ask your local shelters to ‘keep an eye out’ or find a breed rescue
group.
The
Importance of Spaying and Neutering Your Pet
It is
important to spay and neuter pets in order to prevent overpopulation (In a previous article I wrote about the damage to bird
populations done by stray cats). The good news is most shelters
neuter/spay their pets prior to adoption so that new owners don’t have to worry
about accidental litters/new shelter residents.
My
Last Bark
Choosing
to get a pet is an important decision. A pet requires time, resources,
and love. It is not fair to you or the animal to adopt without thinking long
term.
On another
note, dogs make excellent companions. I have never seen a greater joy then a
person talking about their pet and look forward to meeting my new cousins.