by Katrina Chapman

Created on: July 11, 2008

Why should you adopt from the humane society where you have no idea the pets pedigree or background instead of purchasing a "papered" kitten or puppy from a breeder or store? I mean who knows what kind of mongrel you'll be getting and they're not worth anything if you later need money. You can't breed them or sell them. So why would anyone want a shelter animal?

There are many different reasons to adopt from a shelter or humane society. I could go on for years about why you should but I'm only going to touch on a few reasons here.

First you're not getting a "papered" pet. Pure bred pets are very frequently predisposed to certain health issues due to inbreeding. Some come with hip dysplasia, some are prone to tumors, some have breathing problems, the list can go on and on. A "mutt" or "alley cat" that you get from a shelter however is less likely to develop or have these problems because they haven't been inbred. Generally speaking non-pure pets are healthier and live longer which means more love.

You're also not supporting puppy or kitten mills where the pups or kittens and their moms are treated to very harsh conditions. But that argument is for another article.

Secondly you're getting a pet with all their first year shots and pre-sterilized. That is a huge money savings. For example at the shelter near me if you adopt a cat 2 years or older it's only $15. That doesn't even cover the cost of the shots and the sterilization. At the vet hospital I used to work at these procedures would cost upwards of $200 depending on the sex of the animal.

Third you're giving a pet a good home. As much as they might seem happy when you visit them in the shelter those animals are not happy. Imagine being stuck in a cage barely larger than yourself and having to stay there all day long. Nobody to talk to. No room to really exercise. Cold metal floor under your feet. Not the kind of existence I'd like.

Fourth you're helping to keep an animal alive. Most shelters now are no kill shelters. However the ones run by state agencies are usually not. They give an animal 6 weeks before they kill them. Yes it is a humane killing and the animal doesn't feel anything but that doesn't mean that just because they're not cute they should die. If we killed all the unwanted people in the world we wouldn't have to worry about overpopulation but the world would be a very boring place.

As I said before we can go on for years about why you should adopt a shelter animal but I'm not going to take all your time. These are, at least how I look at it, the major reasons why you should adopt a shelter animal. So if you're looking for a pet and not a show animal please go down to your local shelter and look there first.

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