How to Adopt Instead of Shop

Pet overpopulation is an ongoing crisis in the United States with only about half of animals that end up at shelters finding homes—so that means approximately 5 million dogs and cats get destroyed in the U.S. each year. This doesn’t have to be—and a good way to start is just adopting a pet instead of buying one. Here is how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check your local shelters if you are thinking about adding a pet to your family. Shelters have dogs, cats and rabbits. If it’s a specific breed of dog or type of cat you are interested in, odds are you will find one at a shelter. About one-third of the dogs at shelters are purebreds. There are also breed-specific rescues specializing in every kind of breed imaginable.

2. If you prefer not to visit a shelter in person (it's tough for many people), you can search the websites of city and private shelters in your area. There will usually be a picture of the pet and a description including the gender, breed, age (or approximate age) and personality traits.

3. Petfinder.com and Adopt a Pet.com are great sites for finding a pet. They contain a database of pets from over 10,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the United States, Canada and Mexico. On these websites you can put in your zip code, the type of pet you are looking for (including age, breed and gender if you like) and adopt the pet of your dreams.

4. Visit a mobile adoption event. Again, if you have trouble going into a shelter, these events are held at locations such as pet supply stores and parks—and are either sponsored by private rescue organizations or city shelters in your area. Some pet supply stores have homeless pets available for adoption on an ongoing basis (not to be confused with shops that sell animals).

5. Get on a waiting list at a shelter or rescue if you can’t find the pet you are looking for right away. Keep in mind there will always be plenty of adoptable pets to choose from without ever having to buy a pet. There will be an adoption fee, which should be considerably lower than purchasing a dog from a breeder or pet store—plus you’re saving a life! And as a wise person once said: "Papers are something a puppy pees on."

Tips & Warnings

• Pets from shelters and rescues are normally current on their shots and spayed or neutered before you adopt them.
• The number one reason that dogs end up at shelters is behavior problems. Most of these problems can be easily fixed with a little training. Many city shelters offer low-cost training classes and there are tons of training articles right here on eHow, including videos from Dog Training Expert Eric Letendre.
• Pets in shelters are primarily dropped off by their owners, not picked up as strays. In Los Angeles shelters, for instance, about 95 percent of the pets are owner surrenders. Often times it's only because they are moving and can't take their pet or can no longer care for their pet. Due to the home foreclosure crisis, the number of pets being dropped off at shelters has increased dramatically.
• Aside from city shelters, private shelters and rescues are great resources for adopting pets. They are "no-kill" and by adopting a pet from a private shelter or rescue you are freeing up space for another pet from a city shelter's "death row." Private shelters and rescues are also good about screening for health and behavior issues, as well as making sure a pet is the right fit for your home and family.
• National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week is Nov. 2 through Nov. 8 and is sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States (see Resources below).
• City shelters normally euthanize their pets after a certain holding period, depending on space and resources. Certain shelters only keep animals for a brief period of time.
• If a shelter pet is “red-listed,” it means they could be destroyed at any time.
• Never buy a dog from a pet store. Just about all pet store dogs are from puppy mills. The only way to shut down puppy mills once and for all is to stop supporting pet stores.

Resources

• Petfinder.com
• Adopt a Pet.com
• Animal Shelter.org
• No-Kill Organizations by State

[cmyamamo]

on 4/19/2009 Great article on how to adopt instead of shop!

[Sondrac]

on 4/5/2009 Very informative and well written

[HonestShawn]

on 2/16/2009 Very Good Article. There are so many pets that need a loving home and there are so many avenues of approach and I am glad you laid out a few easy steps people can take to make a difference in a pets life.

[FrazzledNanny]

on 1/14/2009 Thanks for the Article. Every pet we have had has been adopted by a shelter or because the animal was abandoned. We have always prefered to spend money on the care of the animal over the breed. :) 5*s

[painthorse42]

on 12/11/2008 Excellent advice! 5*