How to Educate People About Pet Adoption

Suggest to anyone you know who is looking for a pet that they adopt from a shelter or rescue. If it's a specific breed of dog for instance, inform them that roughly one-third of dogs in shelters are purebreds. There are also breed-specific rescues for just about every breed in existence. Due to the home foreclosure crisis, there are more pets in shelters than ever before, and many of them are purebreds.

Let them know that adopted pets will normally be spayed or neutered and updated on their shots before they bring them home. Shelters and rescues take care of this.

Tell them they will save a great deal of money by adopting as opposed to buying a pet from a breeder or pet store. Shelters and rescues will charge an adoption fee to help recoup some of the cost that was incurred for the pet's care, but it will be quite a bit less than what a breeder would charge and much less than what a pet store would charge.

Many people are under the impression that pets from shelters and rescues tend to not be as healthy as pets from breeders or pet stores. On the contrary, the overwhelming majority of dogs from pet stores are bred at puppy mills, mass breeding facilities that neglect the health of their dogs and tend to produce sickly puppies that are taken from their mothers too early. They overbreed their dogs because their bottom line is profit rather than the health of their animals, and many end up with genetic disorders. No responsible breeder ever sells their puppies to a pet store. Many smaller breeders are "backyard breeders" whose bottom line is profit as well. They also overbreed and tend to neglect the health of their dogs.

Shelters and rescues have their pets examined by veterinarians, and rescues, as well as many shelters further screen for temperament, as well as try to match pets up with the right owners. Additionally, mixed breed dogs, which are prevalent at shelters and rescues, tend to be healthier than purebreds in general.

Inform people that AKC papers do not guarantee health, because aside from the fact that you can never guarantee the health of a living being, the American Kennel Club registers dogs from puppy mills. After all, they are in business to sell papers, and money is money. The only real reason for AKC registration is to show that your pet is a purebred, which you can usually tell by looking.

Let them know there's a good chance of finding a dog at a shelter or rescue that's already housebroken or a cat that's used to going in litter. They may have already been trained by their former owners. With a new puppy, they would have to start from scratch. Also, puppies from pet stores are used to going in their cages, so they will be a lot more difficult to crate train.

Tell prospective adopters that if they would rather not visit a shelter in person, they can attend an off-site adoption event. Many shelters and rescue organizations sponsor these events, usually on a weekend at a place like a pet supply store or park. They can also search online for a pet to adopt without having to comb the shelters. Most shelters (including city and county) and rescues list their available pets along with pictures and descriptions. Petfinder.com and Adopt a Pet.com list thousands of pets up for adoption at shelters and rescues throughout North America. All they would need to do is put in their zip code and what type of pet they are looking for. There are dogs, cats, rabbits and more.