Designer breeds and purebred cat or dog competitions may be appealing, and understandably so!  But when you solely look towards breeders and pet stores for your new pet, you miss out on the wonders of pet adoption. The “Adopt, don’t shop” mentality is on the rise, and for good reason….well, five actually.  Before looking up breeders or visiting your local pet store, consider the following reasons why pet adoption is the best option.

1     Overpopulation

First and foremost, pet adoption is an issue of global importance purely because of a- believe it or not- animal surplus. Sure, a puppy or kitten overload doesn’t sound like that bad of a problem, but this overpopulation issue is one of the top reasons for animal euthanasia in the United States.

The large number of the states do not spay/neuter cats or dogs and then animals do what they do and continue to reproduce. The abundance of animals and shortage of permanent homes lead to overcrowded shelters that resort to euthanasia just to enable them to maintain a quality of care for the animals in residence.

Choosing to adopt, rather than feed the notion of continued reproduction to meet supply and demand, is a win-win situation. You get a loving pet, the risk of overcrowding diminishes, and animal euthanasia rates lessen. There will never, EVER, be a risk of purebred extinction, but there is a very real risk of continued overpopulation and resulting euthanasia.   

2     You get a comprehensive, firsthand account of the animal

Oftentimes when going through a breeder, you may not get the opportunity to meet your new pet before making the purchase. When pursuing pet adoption from a humane society or rescue, however, your decision to take the animal home depends almost entirely on your firsthand experience and initial bonding moments.

You’re also getting as complete a view of the animals as possible. Sure, you may not always get their life story depending on their background- strays in particular are pretty mysterious. But for every stray there is a surrender or a foster that has a lifetime behavioral history and an idea of what they will be like in a home.

Most importantly, when you pursue adoption, you’re not getting the information from someone with an agenda. Of course humane societies and rescues want you to adopt from them, but they also have a diverse selection of animals can steer you towards the best pet for you. Adoption counselors don’t get paid on commission or have any personal investment in adopting out a specific animal. All they want is to match the pets to their perfect home.

3     It’s financially beneficial

When you pursue pet adoption, you get a full-vetted, altered, and completely vaccinated pet. As with any animal- adopted or purchased- you may need to visit the vet a little sooner if they are too young for certain vaccines. But shelter pets are as current on medical records as possible. Also, dogs must legally have a certificate of veterinary inspection before adoption.

So not only do you get a fully vetted pet, but you get that pet at a drastically lower cost than when you purchase from a breeder or pet store. Purebreds or “designer breeds” (Which, lets face it, are mutts with a fancy name) can go for thousands of dollars while pet adoption fees rarely pass half that price.

4     It’s less time consuming

It can be an agonizingly long time frame to purchase your pet from a breeder. It often takes months of buildup and anticipation before you can finally bring home your furry friend. Pet adoption, however, is often done on the same day, depending on location.

Some facilities do have a short waiting period before approval, but there are several humane societies that exclusively do same day adoption. In these cases, you arrive or set an appointment to meet the animal(s), spend a few minutes with the animal and adoption counselor, and sign the papers! The whole process can be done in under an hour- if it’s love at first sight and not very busy at the shelter. Of course, you should always come prepared with questions and take the time to be sure you’ve found the right pet. But the point remains that you often determine the pet adoption timeline.

5     It makes you a hero

There’s a reason people often refer to their adopted pets as “rescues.” As the overcrowding issue makes clear, adopting could be the difference between life and death for homeless pets. Many shelters don’t have the luxury of being a no-kill facility, and adoptions are a big part of making sure they don’t have to resort to euthanasia. You will never find a more grateful, loving pet than an adopted animal and there are few things more rewarding than knowing you saved a life.