5-10 million* shelter animals die each year because there are not enough homes.  Every animal that is born, intentionally or accidentally, takes a potential home from a wonderful animal that already exists.

If you want a pet, go to your local shelter and pick out a new friend that needs to be saved before it becomes a statistic.

 2. Stopping Puppy Mills and Backyard Breeders

If you buy from a pet store supplied by puppy mills or backyard breeders, you are directly responsible for keeping them in business. Without demand, there is no need for supply.

Puppy mills and backyard breeders exist today and in your community.

Pet stores are not required to truthfully tell you where they get their animals.

 3. What You See is What You Get

Shelters are full of adults, so you know what you are getting.

You know exactly how big the animal will get, how much they will shed, and what their personality will be like. 

Many people adopt a cute puppy that turns out to be huge, hairy, and slobbery, and then have to give it away.

4. The Adult Advantage

Babies are appealing, but adults are usually more practical.  Shelters are full of adults that are much calmer than babies and many are already housebroken and trained. 

Babies require around the clock, constant care and need a great deal of attention and that can be exhausting. 

Adults can usually stay at home while you work, babies cannot.

5. The Mixed Advantage

Shelters are full of mixed breed animals, which often have better health and temperament than many purebreds. 

Genetic defects are much less likely to occur in a mixed breed animal (i.e.: hip dysplasia, aggression, breathing problems, etc).

 6. Unconditional Love

Many shelter animals have been abandoned, abused, or neglected, yet they are still willing to love and do anything to please us.  Imagine finding a shelter pet that had been left for dead, and taking it home only to find out that this is what your life was missing. 

There is no stronger bond than that.

 7. Variety

Animals in shelters come in all ages, sizes, colors, and personalities.  Short hair or long hair, foo-foo or rugged dogs, playful pups or lap dogs, snuggly cats or mousers can all be found in shelters.

 8. Price

Purebred animals can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. You can adopt a pet from a shelter for a lot less, usually $25-$75.

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* The kill figure could be much, much higher. We may never know because less than half of the 5,000 American animal-control facilities report ANY statistics. And it has been stated that those that do may understate their kill rates to encourage donations and to maintain a positive image with the public.