The Sad Reality

I know if you have a fur-baby of your own, you love him or her with all your heart. You melt whenever he gives you puppy eyes, begging to go for a walk. You feel giddy when he greets you after being gone for only five minutes just as excitedly as if you’d been gone for months. Or how about the way he just adores you and wants to be in your presence every second of every day? Now, imagine all those dogs out there who don’t have a home as safe and loving as yours. 

According to the ASPCA, 6.3 million dogs and cats enter the shelter each year, yet only 4.1 million are adopted. So, what happens to the remaining 2.2 million? Some are lucky enough to be reunited with their previous homes—maybe they escaped from their yard and simply got lost temporarily. But about 920,000 of them end up being euthanized. This number absolutely breaks my heart, especially when you consider how many of those are very healthy, friendly, and loving adoptable animals, just dreaming of a home and person to call their very own.

Adoption Saves Lives 

In belated honor of Adopt-a-Dog Month (celebrated every October), Bo’s first birthday (November 4th, 2022), and the first anniversary of Bo joining our family (January 5th, 2023), I plead with you to consider adopting your next pet. In fact, I highly recommend it. I have adopted and rescued every pet I’ve ever owned since Tanner came into our lives, and I have not once regretted that decision. Even better, adopting one animal actually saves the lives of two. By giving one animal a home, you have saved that one and also opened up a space in the shelter for another animal in need.

If you have the capacity to adopt an adult dog or cat, please do so, as they are far less likely to be adopted the older they get. However, adopting doesn’t mean you’re boxed in to getting an adult with an unknown history. If that doesn’t quite mesh well with your current situation, you could also get a puppy or kitten if you prefer. Even more amazing, there are rescues for every type of potential pet out there—dogs, cats, chickens, horses, goats, feathered, furred, scaled, two-legged, four-legged, walking, hopping, crawling, or swimming. Whatever it is you are looking for, it’s out there. Your perfect dog is just waiting in a kennel somewhere for you to find him and take him home.

If you think you are ready to adopt your next best friend, please check out your local shelters. You can also look on PetFinder, which allows you to search a wide database of literally any type of adoptable animal. You can set your search to be within a specified distance from your zip code, and even input specifics such as breed, age and size ranges, gender, coat length, color, and more to really narrow it down and find your perfect match.

What Else Can You Do?

If you are unable to adopt right now, but you’d still like to get involved with your local animal shelter, there are countless ways to do so. You can apply to foster, where the shelter provides everything you need for the dog or cat and you are simply providing a warm, temporary home. This yields amazing results for the animals and makes them far more likely to be adopted. Being in a home rather than a kennel helps anxious, pent-up animals find themselves in the security of a home setting and teaches them manners and social skills while building up their confidence and unique personalities.

If you can’t quite commit to fostering, you could also volunteer to walk the dogs or become a play buddy, spend time with the cats, help with events and adoptions, and so much more. And if you find you just don’t have the time for a regular commitment, you can still help! Shelters are always in desperate need of food, collars, leashes, beds, toys, etc. Call them up, ask what they need most right now, and make a donation. You could also attend the fundraisers hosted by your local animal shelters. Usually, you will find things like a delicious meal, exciting raffles, silent auctions, shirts and hoodies for sale, games, and much more. The best part is while you are busy having fun, every penny you spend goes to helping the animals in need.

Shout Out to My Local Heroes!

I want to end this series on pet adoption with a shout out to my local animal rescues: Mendo Shelter Pets Rescue, the Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County, and the Ukiah Animal Shelter. Of course, I have to acknowledge the wonderful way in which PetFinder makes it so easy for people to find and adopt their next fur-baby. I also couldn’t possibly forget those who foster (like Julie!), volunteer, donate, adopt, etc.

Thank you for all you do for those who can’t advocate for themselves.