| There are millions of dogs and cats that sit in shelters | | | | Another huge benefit of adopting a pet from a |
| waiting for some person to come take them home | | | | shelter is that mature animals are available. By |
| every day of the week. Millions more are euthanized | | | | adopting a mature pet, the family doesn't have to go |
| due to a lack of space or funding in the shelter each | | | | through the extremely destructive phase of chewing |
| year. While many people may feel that a pure-bred | | | | or housebreaking, in many cases. Another advantage |
| animal with papers is the only way to get a good | | | | is that the dog or cat is full grown. If a family has |
| dog or cat, this is completely untrue. There are | | | | limited space available, it is a good idea to adopt a |
| millions of deserving animals that just want a home | | | | full-grown pet rather than a puppy because the dog |
| and family. While it may seem that there are | | | | won't grow anymore. The dog or cat's temperament |
| disadvantages to adopting a pet from a shelter, the | | | | is also already known at the time of adoption. This is |
| benefits far outweigh any negatives to adopting an | | | | very important, particularly for people who will have |
| animal. | | | | their dog or cat around children a lot. |
| One of the biggest benefits of adopting a shelter | | | | Slightly less able to be proven is the generally |
| animal is that the fee to adopt the pet is far less | | | | accepted theory that shelter animals are more eager |
| than anything a breeder or pet store will charge. | | | | to please their new families than a pampered pet |
| Many shelters offer their pets for minimal fees in | | | | store animal would be. There is a theory that a |
| order to facilitate adoption. In addition, the animals will | | | | rescued animal feels so much gratitude for being |
| generally come with a microchip already imbedded as | | | | removed from the shelter by its new family that |
| well as have already been altered. These are two | | | | they try to express that by trying to please their |
| costs that the new owner will not have to incur after | | | | new family even more. |
| taking their dog home. Pets from shelters also come | | | | For animal lovers, adopting a pet helps to correct the |
| with all of their shots and have been de-wormed, | | | | problem of pet overpopulation. Purchasing a puppy or |
| something that frequently can't be said for pet shop | | | | kitten from a pet shop or breeder contributes to the |
| animals. | | | | problems of overpopulation. |