| > | | | | await a loving family to take them home. And if |
| | | | they’re never adopted, then they live out |
| Consider your local dog rescue shelter or Humane | | | | their natural lives in comfort and with human |
| Society when you're ready to adopt a new pet. | | | | companionship, albeit from volunteers at the shelter. |
| When I was a kid, dog adoption meant buying a | | | | I learned that dog adoption of strays from these |
| puppy from a store in the mall. I’d never even | | | | animal rescue facilities saves thousands of lives every |
| heard of such a thing as an animal rescue shelter. | | | | year, nationwide. And most of the groups are |
| It’s something I truly regret every day now | | | | overwhelmed with the numbers of stray dogs and |
| that I’m all grown up and dogs are such a | | | | people wanting to dump them for whatever reason |
| central part of my life. I wouldn’t even | | | | (usually for their own convenience). The ultimate fault |
| consider dog adoption from any place other than an | | | | lies with so-called puppy mills, which crank out litter |
| animal rescue organization or the local pound now. | | | | after litter to sell in your local pet store. And of |
| My enlightenment about ethical dog adoption is a sad | | | | course, the fault also lies with people not getting their |
| tale. Sparing the details, I met people involved in | | | | dogs spayed or neutered. Bob Barker was right all |
| animal rescue when I picked up a stray running along | | | | along! If even 50% of owners got their animals fixed, |
| the highway by my home. The poor thing was just | | | | the situation would improve dramatically. |
| about dead from starvation. When I took her to the | | | | So began my own journey to the good side of dog |
| local humane society location, I was informed that | | | | adoption. I ended up marrying a woman who owns |
| she would almost certainly be put down within a few | | | | an animal rescue organization that uses the no |
| days. Incredulous, I asked why. Their response: | | | | kill philosophy. We share our lives with many dogs, |
| She’s black and big, and large breed black | | | | all mixed breeds, and all of whom we love |
| dogs are a dime a dozen, so they rarely get | | | | completely. |
| adopted.’ | | | | Oh, and that stray I mentioned earlier who started |
| Needless to say, I took the stray with me. No way | | | | my dog adoption odyssey? Her name’s |
| was I going to give up on getting a dog adoption | | | | Cookie, and when I first found her she was skin and |
| success story out of the mess. After doing a little | | | | bones. That was before a loving family that lives |
| research, I discovered that animal rescue shelters are | | | | near a large park adopted her from that animal |
| all over, in every state. | | | | rescue group. The last time I saw her, she was |
| That’s how I learned about a local group that | | | | almost fat from all the food and having the time of |
| not only worked on dog adoption for strays, but | | | | her life playing in the park. I cried. Happy tears. |
| they also operated under a no kill philosophy. | | | | Next time dog adoption is on your agenda, please |
| This type of animal rescue organization, surviving | | | | consider looking at an animal rescue shelter near you. |
| primarily on donations from the public, provides | | | | Or go to the local pound. Save a life! |
| puppies and dogs with a good place to live while they | | | | |