Adopt Don't Shop
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding rescue dogs in shelters. These misconceptions often prevent people from adopting and instead turn to breeders or pet shops to purchase their new family members.
Misconception: All Rescue Dogs Have Behaviour Issues
Rescue dogs like any other dogs require training to mold them into the perfect pet. You can’t expect a perfect dog right from the start. If you are worried about the training process, try adopting a dog that has lived in a foster home as they will most likely be potty trained and know how to live in a home with people.
Many rescue dogs are loving and well behaved. Many dogs are surrendered. This means they are most likely friendly, trained and already used to living in a house or apartment.
That isn’t to say that some dogs won’t require some extra training, but experienced rescue organizations usually do not put these dogs up for adoption unless you have experience dealing with dogs like this. Dogs that have been abused or mistreated often just need a lot of love and patience to help them regain their confidence and trust in people.
Now that we have the biggest misconception out of the way lets discuss why you should adopt instead of purchasing your furry loved one.
Save a life
Saving one dog will not save the world, but for that one dog the world will change forever! – Unknown
Making the decision to adopt will save a life. Many shelters and rescue organizations are at their limit with animals and may have to turn away animals in need. Adopting a dog allows more room for the organization to help another animal in need.
You are also drastically changing that one dog’s life. A shelter is a very loud and sometimes traumatizing place for dogs. By adopting you are giving a dog stability, love and exercise they so desperately yearn for. This is not to say that shelters workers don’t provide this to the dogs in their care, but with the amount of rescue animals in shelters all over the world it is hard to give each individual dog the love and attention they deserve.
Unconditional Love
Rescue dogs are always so grateful to be off the street or out of the shelter. They seem to know you are taking them somewhere better and are unconditionally grateful and loyal. Every time I see any of the dogs I’ve rescued or fostered they always greet me with the biggest tail wags and mass excitement. I always laugh and say that they remembered who rescued them.
This makes it worth it seeing where they came from and how happy they are now.
Stopping Puppy Mills
By making the decision to adopt we can slowly put a stop to puppy mills. If people aren’t buying dogs, then there will be no need for subpar breeders or puppy mills that put money before the health and wellbeing of the dogs. Many of the dogs purchased from places like this end up being very ill or diseased.
I just want to clarify I am not saying all breeders are bad. There are some fantastic breeders that truly care about the dogs and love what they do. Just do your research to make sure you find a reputable one that cares for the wellbeing of the animals.
