“Saving one animal won’t change the world but it will change the world for that one animal” – Vicki Davis
If you have decided to keep a pet, congratulations it will be the best decision of your life. Whether you have decided to keep a dog, a cat, a guinea pig or a bird that depends on your choice and lifestyle. The next question which comes to your mind is where should you buy your pet from. I say why buy when you can adopt. You can find your future companion in a local shelter or in animal rescue centres. The animals there have been cruelly abandoned by their previous owners and have been thrown to the streets to fend for themselves. Since these animals were previously pets they can’t find food on their own and can’t survive alone in this big bad world so ultimately they die of hunger or are involved in road accidents. Even the animal shelters can’t take care of them forever and ultimately they are euthanized.
By adopting an animal we are giving it another chance in life and another chance to find love. The animal shelters have all kinds of animals; dogs, cats and birds and I am sure one of them out there would be a perfect pet for you. It will surely catch your eye and you will love it forever.
REASONS TO ADOPT
The first and foremost is that you save a life- now isn’t that a wonderful feeling knowing that you not only saved a life but you are also getting a lifelong friend and more love than you can deal with. Adopting a pet will definitely make you feel better about yourself.
The adoption charges are also very less compared to those of buying a pet and the animals in animal shelters are not only spayed but they are also vaccinated.
You can choose your pet according to your choice – an adult cat or a dog or a puppy or a kitten. You will have a lot of choices and most of them will also be house trained.
Adopting a pet also solves the issue of overpopulation of pets.
It also brings down the amount of animals being euthanized each year and it is also a great lesson in compassion.
You won’t be supporting pet stores and puppy mills this way and you will be getting a pet anyway. It’s a win-win situation. Puppy mills are places where animals are over bred for profit and their living conditions are miserable. The animals in puppy mills suffer from all kinds of health problems and they spend their entire lives in cramped cages.
Money can’t buy happiness or love – this saying holds true in this situation. There are millions of animals, approximately 6 to 8 million, waiting to be adopted each year. By adopting a pet you will have saved atleast one life.
MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING ADOPTION
I can get a free pet so why bother adopting
That’s true, however vaccinating, neutering and flea treatments are expensive procedures but if you adopt all these procedures are added in the adoption fee and it still is very affordable and cheap.
Shelters don’t have the kind of pet I want
Believe me that is a completely wrong notion. Animal shelter workers spend a lot of time with the animals and they can find the right dog or cat for you. You just have to tell them about your requirements but in pet stores the salesperson will sell you just about any aniaml so as to earn a profit.
I have no idea what kind of pet I will get
You can always ask about the pet to the animal shelter workers. They will be able to tell you everything you need to know about the pets for example its behaviour and health whereas the pet store owners will have no idea about the animal’s reaction to a new environment.
The thing that must be bugging you the most probably is the question as to why was the dog or cat left in the shelter or abandoned. The answer is simple- their owners were heartless and irresponsible people. No animal deserves to be abandoned. But mostly owners abandon their pets because they move to a place where pets are not allowed ,they don’t have the time to take care of their pet anymore, allergies or they can’t afford their pets anymore. Think about these factors beforehand when you decide to raise a pet.
THE SAD PLIGHT OF ABANDONED ANIMALS IN OUR COUNTRY
In a country as large as India, a large number of animals are abandoned each year but sadly the animal rescue centres aren’t as efficient as they are in other countries. Animal shelters are still very scarce in our country and adoption isn’t prevalent at all. People heartlessly abandon their pets in forests and in places far away from their homes so that their pets get lost and can’t find their way back home. Only people as pernicious as the devil himself can do such a thing. Abandoning an animal that has loved you and only you for its entire life is just plain horrible and this deed should be made a punishable offence. We should have more animal shelters and people must inculcate the habit of adopting instead of buying. Adopting a pet will be like giving it a new lease of life and nothing can even come close to the expression of love and gratitude it will give us. As someone once said “A house is not a home without a pet” so start adopting and stop buying pets.