Bringing home a pet can be a transformative experience, as it may bring a lot of joy, companionship, and warmth to life. Here, choosing to adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue is considered to be a much better option than buying. Not only is adoption a more practical decision in terms of expenses, but it can change the fate and quality of life of an animal for the better.

1. Save a life
Estimates suggest that more than 920,000 shelter animals are put down each year due to overpopulation in shelters. This can be attributed to not enough adoptions. So, adopting pets from a shelter can save their lives while also promoting the culture of adoption in society. One can visit their local animal shelters and pet rescues to bring home animals that will benefit from love and care. Adoption is often considered a second chance for animals to live the life they truly deserve. Further, one can consider donating to animal shelters to ensure the pets one cannot adopt are not deprived of care and attention due to a lack of resources.

2. Fight breeding facilities
By adopting a pet from a shelter or rescuing a pet, one can steer clear of products from puppy or kitten mills. These are breeding facilities that function like factories, prioritizing profits and commercial motives over the welfare of the animals. The animals in these mills often do not get adequate companionship and are mistreated. So, by adopting instead of buying pets, one can discourage others from buying and also contribute to the fight against unethical breeding practices.

3. Save money
Sometimes, adopting pets that are a year old or older means one gets vaccinated, at times neutered, trained, and even microchipped pets. Further, one is likely to spend less on adopting than buying, as shelter fees can at most be a few hundred dollars as opposed to thousands of dollars involved in buying pets.

4. Find the right match
While adopting, it is important to ask the caretaker for a detailed individual assessment of the animal’s temperament. Many shelters conduct health and behavioral assessments to ensure a smooth transition of adopted pets into new homes. It is often easy to find healthy, well-behaved pets at shelters, given that there is an abundance of options at these centers. One may be able to find exactly what they want in a pet in terms of behavior and age. So whether one is looking for a playful, chirpy pup, a quiet cat, or a senior pet to give them a comfortable life in old age, shelters will likely have options throughout the year. So, adoption and rescues can offer a range of options, and one can choose a pet that matches their lifestyle and personality.

While adopting a pet can be a practical alternative to buying, it is also about giving rescued animals a new life. What’s more? By adopting, one is also encouraging adoption as an option and making room at the shelter or rescue for more animals.