Blogger’s Unite For Dog Adoption

  Posted on July 23, 2012  by Joy of Living  No comments

Today, bloggers worldwide are writing to educate readers about pet adoption.  According to statistics from the Humane Society of the United States, only about 20% of dogs come from adoption, the remaining 80% come from other sources.  Many people that purchase a dog from a pet store are unaware the dog may very well have come from a puppy mill.

If you are thinking that only mixed breeds are available for adoption, that’s not the case.  At least 25% of dogs available from shelters are purebred.  In addition, there are many breed specific rescue groups that have purebreds available for adoption.  The breed specific rescue groups are usually foster based, meaning the rescue group members keep the dogs at home with them until they’re adopted.  With this arrangement, they often have a good insight into the dog’s personality and have worked to socialize them.

When looking for a specific dog breed, petfinder.com and adoptapet.com are great resources.  You can search by breed, narrow the search to those closest to your zip code, and can even enter other criteria like gender and age.  If you don’t find what you’re looking for at a given time, the pets available for adoption are always changing, with new adoptables coming in very frequently.

Before adding a dog to your family, do your research to be sure your home, schedule and lifestyle will support owning a dog.  If you live in an apartment, check with the apartment managers to be sure pets are allowed and what rules apply.  Although dogs are great companions, there is a cost to keep them safe and healthy.  Cost of pet maintenance is a leading reason dogs are relinquished to shelters, doing the research in advance will help decide if your budget will support them.

Dogs are wonderful companions, but be sure to do your research in advance to give them a happy, loving lifetime home!