Once you’ve made the decision to expand your family and add a pet, we strongly recommend that you adopt rather than purchase from a breeder for the following reasons:
1. Supply and demand
There are too many companion animals and too few people consider adoption when looking for a pet. As a result, there are many more animals entering shelters than there are people willing to give them a home. On average, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized every year (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats). Forty-five percent of all cats who enter shelters end up being euthanized. When you adopt, you are saving the life of that animal, as well as freeing up much-needed space for another animal. Therefore, you are potentially saving two lives. Rescues include young, healthy, beautiful, purebred animals that have been abandoned through no fault of their own. The vast majority of them were thrown away by the owners they loved and trusted simply because they became an inconvenience. Remember that ‘rescued’ does not mean ‘damaged’. It means that they have been let down by humans.
2. Shelters and rescue groups are eagerly waiting for you
You can find your ideal pet at a shelter or rescue group assuming you are willing to take the time to look. Dogs and cats and rabbits and ferrets and guinea pigs go in and out of shelters daily. Many of the dogs in shelters are expensive bred animals that people adopted for the wrong reasons (as a status symbol, to look cool or to brag to their friends); and soon after they’re purchased many of them end up abandoned in a shelter because the people who bought them didn’t understand, or care, that they needed love and attention and stimulation. Most people cannot tell the difference between a $300 dog and a $3000 dog.
3. Older animals tend to have better manners
Of course, all cats are naturally litter box trained, but all dogs are not potty trained. Puppies are a lot of work, just like a human baby. Their sole purpose is to poop, pee and chew all over your home; and they need to be fed multiple times a day and taken out at all hours. By adopting an older rescue dog who is past the puppy nipping and training years, you can avoid all that hassle.
4. Cost
Adoption fees are considerably lower than breeder fees. You can adopt an expensive dog or cat that was left behind and has already been spayed/neutered and vaccinated, which is yet another substantial savings. Puppies from breeders will need multiple vet checks and vaccinations during their first year of life. In addition to this expense, you would need to cover the cost of sterilization. This means that if you purchased a puppy from a breeder, you would likely pay much higher costs just getting it to adulthood.