Why Pay for an Pet?

Why Pay for an Pet?

Every year about 2.7 million dogs and cats living in shelters are euthanized. I think it is sad that some people would rather buy an animal from a breeder than rescue one without a home.

Backyard breeders and puppy/kitten mills breed dogs to sell at very high prices. Most of these animals at these places are neglected. There are about 10,000 mills across the U.S., and the more we buy animals from these organizations or breeders, the more successful they become.

Adopting doesn’t save just one life because when an animal finds a new ,another animal can come in to the shelter.  When acquiring a rescue dog there is a fee, but it covers vaccines, micro-chipping, and sterilization. The cost ranges from $50-$200 compared to buying dogs from a breeder, which can cost over $1,000.

Most animals in these shelters aren’t there for being bad, but they are there because of unforeseen circumstances or tragedies. These animals are normally house-trained and happy just waiting to be adopted. Changing a homeless dog or cats life will also make you feel so much better than encouraging animal mills and backyard breeders by buying the animals they provide.

Mills and backyard breeders don’t take care of the animals that they breed. These poor innocent animals are usually malnourished and don’t receive affection or healthy amount of exercise. When dogs and cats at these mills can no longer produce puppies or kittens, they are discarded. This could mean euthanizing these harmless animals or giving them to someone who is willing to pay money for them.

There are shelters and rescues everywhere, so going out of your way to get a brand new puppy from these terrible mills is absurd. Saving a homeless animal’s life will always be the best way to go. Stopping the spread of these mills is the first step in saving the 2.7 million animals that are euthanized a year.  

Adopting an animal from a rescue shelter is always a better alternative than buying a dog from a backyard breeder or mill. My hope in the future is the amount of animals being euthanized will be at a lower rate than it is today.