Adopt, Don't Shop

The age-old saying, "A dog is a man's best friend," is a saying for a reason. Dogs really are man's best friend. I mean, let's just admit it: dogs are freaking awesome!! In most cases, they're even better than people. They have the most selfless love you can ever experience, and their hilarious antics will keep a smile on your face no matter how crappy your day was. They are always overjoyed to see you come home, even if you were literally gone 30 seconds to get the mail. They will look at you with the same level of adoration whether you've done your makeup flawlessly and look like Beyoncé or you've just rolled out of bed and have dried drool crusted on your face. Dogs. Are. Perfect.

Now that we've established how awesome dogs are, I need to tell you this: I am a huge advocate for adopting rather than buying dogs, so if you're looking around for your next best-furry-friend, I've given you some reasons why adopting from a shelter is SO much better than buying from a pet store or a breeder.

1. It's way cheaper.

Let's face facts — purebred dogs are expensive as f*&@! Who has $2000 to drop on a puppy? And then pay for vaccines and spaying/neutering and toys and food and obedience school on top of that? Nobody. At least, not most people. Dogs from shelters are usually between $50–$150, making them an actually affordable addition to your family.

2. Mutts are actually healthier than most purebred dogs.

OK, let me explain this one. You can find mutts and pure breeds at shelters, so it's not like a mutt is your only option. If you have your heart set on a certain breed, that's completely fine; be patient and sooner or later you'll find one in a shelter. But back to my point — mutts generally are healthier than purebred dogs because purebreds have been "perfected" for thousands of years to be what they are, which means there are many health problems directly related to certain breeds. For example, pugs have an incredibly difficult time breathing because they have absolutely no snouts and basically no noses, and Dachshunds usually develop back problems because their exceptionally long bodies can't handle all their weight. Shih Tzus develop many ingrown eyelashes which can even lead to losing an entire eye! But mutts have a beautiful combination of breeds, giving them a healthy balance of traits that usually makes them sturdier and less prone to breed-specific issues.

3. Your shelter dog will adore and appreciate you!

I've had dogs all my life, both from breeders and from shelters, and I can tell you, I believe with all my heart, shelter dogs know you're saving them. Any dog will love you, but there's a special bond between a rescued dog and the person who rescued them. They know you took them out of a cold, loud, overcrowded shelter and brought them into your warm, happy home, and they will never let you forget their gratitude. Once you adopt, you will never again shop!

4. You're making room for another pup at the shelter.

When you adopt, you're kind of saving two lives instead of just one because you're taking one dog home and giving another dog a place at the shelter where they can hopefully be adopted too. Shelters are notoriously overcrowded, and every day millions of animals are euthanized because there just isn't enough room. The chance you give another dog by opening up a space at the shelter is priceless — it may mean the difference between life and death for that pup.

5. You are helping put an end to puppy mills.

If you've never heard of puppy mills, let me tell you about them. They are hell on earth for any dog. State laws are incredibly lax when it comes to mandatory care for animals, so because of this, lazy people looking to make lots of money cram purebred dogs into tiny little crates and turn them into puppy-making machines. These poor dogs get no love or attention and usually live out their lives in those tiny, awful cages. They're not given toys or time outside, they have to poop where they lay down, they don't have soft blankets to snuggle in, they don't even receive proper medical care. And when a dog is no longer able to produce puppies, they're usually killed. It is a horrible existence and no dog should ever be subjected to such conditions! And what's even worse is that most of the puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills, even if the pet store will not admit it. And in some cases, the puppies are sick and die after being bought. So puppy mills are terrible for everyone involved, except the heartless, greedy people running them...but if you adopt from a shelter, you will help us come one step closer to closing down puppy mills!

Adopting from a shelter is so much better than buying from a store or breeder. I will never again buy a dog — I will always rescue them from shelters! It's a win-win for everyone involved, and I hope you'll join me in making the same choice!