Ode to the adopted pet

One of the best feelings in the world for me is when I look at my animals and know how happy they are. Knowing they trust me through thick and thin. Knowing I can get down on their level, put my face in theirs and I will be greeted by loving kisses and purrs, not fear. Knowing that I am giving them a wonderful life full of love and free of lonliness, misery, and possibly pain. It is immensly fullfilling. As I look at them today, I was inspired to write about them.

Brody and Linus - adopted from city shelter

People who know me know that I have always been very passionate about adopting vs. buying from a "breeder" or pet store. When I look back at all the pets I've had, even when I was a kid, every one of them was rescued or adopted in some fashion or another. Most of them mixed breeds.

Cookie - Mutt adopted from a family member

I often wonder why so many people buy their pets instead of adopt or why they must have pure breeds? Unless they are going to be used as show dogs or future breeding, why buy from a breeder? We have all seen that gut wrenching commercial with Sarah Maclaughlin singing as you see all those sad faces behind bars. How can you see that and not adopt? I want to believe it is a lack of knowledge about the alternatives. In my opinion, mutts are the best breed out there. But adopting from a shelter or rescue does not mean you have to have a mutt. It is possible to find the specific breed you are looking for. It may take a little extra effort, but it is very possible.

Cheyenne - pure bred American Eskimo adopted from my brother

My brother's dog Moose - a 'Puggle' (Beagle Pug mix) rescued from a bad breeder

So why am I droning on about all this? Because I like to remind anyone and everyone who is looking for a pet to stop and think about it carefully. If you are considering bringing a new pet into your home, I urge you to explore these options:

1) Research the breed you want. If you want a pure bred dog, look for rescue organizations and search the shelters. Pure breeds are abound. People are constantly getting pure bred dogs and getting rid of them when they realize what work they are. Make sure you know their temperaments before you seek a breed out blindly.

2) Consider a mutt. Mutts are my favorite breed. In a mutt you can find the great temperament you want and less medical problems from over breeding.

3) If you insist on going with a breeder, please do your homework! There are many wonderful breeders out there but make sure to look for red flags. If they don't want you to see their breeding facility, that is a BIG red flag! That happened with our dog Angel and she ended up having heartworm that almost killed her.

Angel - rescued from a BAD breeder

4) NEVER buy from a pet store. Sure, the animals are so cute in that window, but pet stores buy their puppies and kittens from breeding mills. And we all have heard the horror stories about them. My Cheyenne was bought from a pet store before I adopted her and she had parasites, giardia, and has a permanent problem with her knees.

5) Adopt. Adoption is the best route to go for so many reasons:

• The fee is much cheaper - usually 75-100 bucks


• Fee includes shots, spay or neuter, and microchips


• All the animals are given a thorough medical exam so you know you are getting a healthy animals
  
• Shelters are overcrowded with animals needing good homes


• You are supporting the drive to eradicate puppy and kitten mills
  

So with that, I digress and step off my soap box.

Hey, the blog is A Brief Paws. We gotta talk about the furry kids too once in a while! :-)