Pledge To Adopt

There are a lot of animals in shelters and foster homes.  Most of them are perfectly nice pets who are homeless through no fault of their own.  In some cases their owner was neglectful.  In other cases the owner passed away, could no longer care for the animal, went into a nursing home, etc. 

Most shelters charge money for the animals.  You might think, "Why should I pay for a pet when I can get free puppies and kittens in the newspaper?"  Well, once you get that free puppy or kitten, you'll have to take him or her to the vet.  Once you pay for the exam, shots, getting neutered, and anything else that "free" pet needs you've probably just spent at least $250 hundred dollars.  Shelter pets, on the other hand, come fixed and up to date on shots.  And they're often less than $100!

Now you might be thinking, "Well, I don't really have to fix that free pet from the paper, so that would save me some money."  But pet overpopulation is a huge issue.  And did you know that pets that are not fixed actually have more health problems and don't live as long on average?  So by trying to save money and skimp on the neuter, you might be creating higher vet bills for yourself later on or even a shorter life for your pet.

A lot of shelters also put perfectly nice and healthy pets to sleep just because they're so overcrowded.  That means that by adopting, you're often literally saving a life. 

So the next time you're looking for a pet, adopt.  It's good for you, good for the pet, and good for the community!