Why You Should Adopt A Dog Instead of Buying
There are two options to getting your dream dog. You can buy from breeders and puppy mills, or adopt one from a shelter or dog rescue. While buying and adoption serve the same purpose, many dog lovers will always recommend adoption as the best option.
Why? From averting overbreeding, supporting a noble cause, to saving a dog’s life, there are endless reasons to adopt your dream dog. If you still feel skeptical about adoption, here are more benefits that come along with the noble act of rescuing a canine.
1. Canine adoption is good for your pocket
Buying a dog isn’t cheap. On average, breeders and puppy mills sell a pup for at least $500. The price can soar up to as much as $10,000 for rare, designer puppies. Add the cost of shipping, vaccination, neutering, and buying new dog accessories, and you will feel like having a dog is a privilege for the wealthy.
But, the good thing is, you can always get a pocket-friendly deal at the shelter or rescue center in your hometown. In these facilities, you can get a healthy canine for as low as $150. And the best part, you can at times bypass the costs of vaccination, neutering, and training, should you go for an adult dog.
2. Adoption keeps dog shelters running
Dog shelters and rescues do a world of good for an untold number of homeless and rejected canines. They provide shelter, food, and lifesaving services such as surgery and emergency care for the unfortunate dogs that are yet to find love.
Despite the noble work, these facilities run on limited funds. They barely get enough funding from the government, non-governmental organizations, and other well-wishers who support their cause.
Therefore, if you love the work of shelters, support them indirectly by adopting a dog. That way, you will relieve them of some burden, create space for the next unfortunate dog, and support them financially by paying the price of adoption.
With an adopted dog, you’ll get the fulfillment of supporting noble causes in your community, though indirectly.
3. Adopting saves a life
Unfortunately, 56% of canines that find themselves in shelters and animal rescues get euthanized. Shelters have to do this as a way of controlling overcrowding in their space-limited facilities.
Therefore, adopting a dog will save it from the jaws of euthanasia. Fido will live to see another day under the care of affectionate pawrents like you. It will no longer stay in crowded kennels and miss that close affection as it awaits euthanasia.
Adoption won’t just save the life of the adopted pooch. It will also create one additional accommodation space for another dog out there abandoned, lost, or suffering in the hands of an irresponsible pet parent.
4. Adoption perpetuates harmful breeding practices
With so many people looking to buy canines, dog selling is becoming a lucrative business. Less reputable breeders, commonly known as backyard breeders or puppy mills, employ irresponsible practices to churn out puppies.
They overbreed the high-demand dog breeds, and they provide inadequate veterinary care to minimize breeding fees. Also, the backyard breeders confine adult dogs in overcrowded cages for breeding.
Dog adoption helps put an end to these breeding malpractices. It will drive out the less reputable breeders from the business. They will no longer enjoy the high demand for pups which prompts them to overbreeding.
5. Adoption lets you choose a dog with the personality you want
There’s no better way to find a perfect dog than by adopting. Unlike breeders, shelters and rescue centers have a wide range of dog breeds of different sizes, ages, and known personalities. You can always dictate the exact dog you want.
For instance, you can request your shelter to give you a confident, outgoing, calm, or independent pooch of a specified age and breed. Trust us, many shelters won’t hesitate to give you a dog that fits your expectations, as long as it is available.
Unlike shelters and dog rescues, breeders sell puppies that are yet to develop and show their real personalities. As such, you are likely to end up with a dog with the personalities you dislike.
6. Adoption saves you the headache of dog training.
House training is hard. This task needs enough time and patience to instill good habits while shedding the bad habits that could restrain the canine-to-man relationship. And while dogs are intelligent, training isn’t always smooth.
Some dogs will break the rules right after the training session, and some dogs will take forever to master good habits. We bet, if you aren’t patient, you will feel like letting your dog go.
However, you can bypass dog training by adopting an adult dog rather than buying a puppy. Many, if not all, shelter dogs are trained. You will only need to refresh their house-training skills once you get one.
Retraining the adopted dogs won’t be as demanding as house training a puppy from scratch. If you do not want to return home after work to a pool of pee and poop from your untrained puppy, then getting a house trained adult furkid from the shelter is definitely a better choice.
7. Shelters offer multiple dog breeds
Dog shelters offer a one-stop canine shopping experience. In these facilities, you will find bulldogs, German shepherds, poodles, Chihuahuas, retrievers, terriers, Pomeranian puppies, and many more dog breeds.
Therefore, if you have no particular dog breed in mind, walk to a shelter nearby, and sample the dogs housed in these rescue kennels visually. Afterward, pick one that charms your heart most.
8. Dog shelters and rescues offer post-adoption support
Many shelters will not end your relationship after you adopt a canine. Instead, they will proceed to support you with post-adoption services tailored to help you have a smooth canine-to-man relationship with your adopted furry friend.
They might offer training classes, discounted spaying/neutering services, and low-cost vaccinations, amongst many other support services.
On the other hand, puppy mills do not typically provide any support services unless there is a pre-existing agreement in place with an owner. Your relationship kind of ends when you pay and receive the dog you want.
9. Adoption saves you from the hassle of vaccination
Dog vaccinations are not as easy as going to the vet and coming back home with a vaccinated dog. There’s a lot of time, effort, energy, paperwork, and money spent on this important vet care milestone.
Canine adoption will help you bypass this process since a majority of adult dogs are fully vaccinated. And if they aren’t, the vets at the shelter of your choice can give the shots at a subsidized price.
Different from shelters, puppies from breeders aren’t fully vaccinated. You will have to spend some time and resources to get your puppy vaccinated against those life-threatening conditions like rabies, canine distemper, parainfluenza, and canine parvovirus.
10. Adoption reduces the expenses of neutering and spaying
Neutering and spaying cost money and time. The price of a spay surgery runs from $50-$500 in the United States. Neutering costs about half that amount. You could pay more if your dog has a pre-existing condition that makes spaying or neutering difficult.
Besides the costs, there is also a risk of complications. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that one in 20 dogs experience some form of complication from spaying or neutering, such as infections and wound healing problems.
Therefore, if you don’t wish to battle the stress of spaying or neutering your pet, adoption would be the better option for you. Most of the adopted dogs come spayed or neutered.
11. Adoption reduces dog population
Buying a puppy from breeders and puppy mills supports dog overpopulation indirectly. Your chosen breeder will have to keep breeding to supply you and other dog lovers with puppies.
While overpopulation might not bother you, it isn’t a great thing. It is the major culprit of the millions of free-roaming dogs out there. Therefore, if you are a dog lover who hates seeing free-roaming dogs, adopting a dog is the best option.
Dog adoption will also reduce the number of canines that are being bred on purpose, and it’ll also help keep shelters less crowded.
12. Adoption will help you skip the hectic puppy stage
Though puppies are adorable, bringing up one isn’t a great experience. You’ll have to train them, which is not always smooth. In addition, you’ll need time each day to exercise them, as well as give them the attention they love.
Managing such demanding pet care tasks can be hectic, especially if you have a day job to manage, a family to take care of, and self-development projects that need your active involvement.
With an adult dog, you can skip the demanding puppy stage. You will have a well-trained companion that already knows how to behave. You’ll need to retrain, help it keep fit, and groom it regularly but not as frequently as a puppy.
Final Thoughts- Why you should adopt a dog instead of buying
Getting a dog is a life-long decision because it will stay as your companion for many years. You want to make sure that you’ve made the right decision. You want a healthy dog and to know that you’ve done a noble deed with your choice.
Thus, if you are looking to bring a new dog home, don’t rush to puppy mills and breeders which typically produce puppies that are unhealthy. Support your local dog shelter or rescue by adopting that dream dog you want.
