Why you should stop shopping and start adopting.
On Christmas morning in 2017, a black and white mutt dressed in a Santa suit sat under our tree. At first, fourteen-year-old me was thrown off by the unusual appearance of the animal, he didn’t look like any of the dogs my friends had. I noticed his duck-footed legs, oddly curved spine, rare markings, and the severe thinness of his body. I couldn’t pinpoint the specific breed of this dog; I assumed he was some mix between a Beagle, Dachshund, and penguin. Before entering a kill shelter, Homer was abused by his previous owner. He was rescued by my mom the day before his euthanasia, he even had his own tag number. Though at first paralyzed in fear from his traumatic past, it didn’t take Homer long to grow into a happy, energetic dog with unconditional loyalty and the kindest heart. I couldn’t ask for a better dog.
Homer was very close to being a part of the 1.2 million pets killed every year by animal shelters. The next time you are looking to welcome a new furry friend into your family, close the online breeding site on your web browser and instead, drive to the nearest shelter. By doing this, not only are you fighting against the evil industry of dog breeding, but you are also saving the life of a neglected, uncared-for animal who is in need of a loving home.
35,000 animal shelters stretch across the United States, taking in well over 6 million pets each year. And that is only about 10% of the 70 million stray animals suffering on the streets, according to animal shelter statistics from 2021. These facts are heart-wrenching; that is 70 million animals stranded alone, frozen by harsh winters and heat exhausted by summers, crippled by the scarcity of food and clean water. And even the lucky ones, who are taken into shelters, have a fifty-fifty chance of surviving. According to the 2020 animal shelter statistics from Petpedia, shelters usually wait about 72 hours after an animal enters the facility before euthanizing it. This is mainly due to the mass overpopulation of stray animals, resulting in a lack of shelter space and resources. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently revealed the tragic truth that many shelters will use horrifying and inhumane ways to kill pets. Some still use gas chambers, decompression, or will even go as far as to shoot the animal in the head, forcing the other pets to witness. Oftentimes these methods aren’t immediately effective, causing excruciating pain and suffering to the animal. To help combat the tragic fate of so many innocent lives and to fight the overpopulation crisis, you have the power to rescue a perfectly loveable and tremendously grateful pet from your local shelter.
The main contributor to the pet overpopulation cycle is the dog-breeding industry. Over 2 million puppies are bred each year by puppy mills, which are hellish mass-breeding centers where animals are treated like reproducing machines that never receive any love, attention, or even the chance to stretch their legs. Newborn puppies are cramped in dirty cages barely any bigger than their own bodies. The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates only 3,000 out of the 10,000 puppy mills in the United States. Regardless of whether the breeding operates in a junky backyard or in an industrial-sized puppy mill, every single breeder is responsible for adding to the cycle of pet overpopulation. One female dog and her offspring hold the capability of producing a staggering amount of nearly 70,000 puppies in just six years, another shocking statistic from Petpedia.
Unfortunately, even after knowing puppy mills’ devastating realities and destructive outcomes, purchasing pets from dog breeders remains fairly popular in the United States. While you’re scrolling on breeding websites shopping for the perfect dog, just as one would shop for a Chanel handbag or a new pair of Gucci shoes, these puppies are tightly chained to trees or crammed in wooden hutches with wire flooring, rotting from diseases and injuries. Imagine being forced to live in your own waste, with aching ear infections, inflamed wounds, and fatal parasites. This is often the sad truth of life in a puppy mill. According to PETA, when breeders deem a female dog worthless after the animal’s body is worn out from back-to-back pregnancies and nonstop reproduction, they either send her to a shelter, auction her off, or kill the dog on the spot.
Most families who use breeders are searching for a dog of a specific breed. Meanwhile, thousands are already sitting in shelters waiting to be adopted; 1 in 4 canines in shelters are purebred. But personally, after five incredible years with Homer, I am a mutt lover.
Pets aren’t commodities. They aren’t possessions. They aren’t accessories. They have heartbeats, functioning brains, and just like humans, the inherent need to be loved and cared for. The pet-trade industry leads people to perceive animals as impulse purchases, like fashion items or home decorations, rather than living creatures that deserve devotion, affection, and respect.
Sources-
44 shocking Animal Shelter Statistics (2021 update). Petpedia. Retrieved January 11, 2022, from https://petpedia.co/animal-shelter-statistics/#PETA%20euthanized%201,614%20animals
Are dog breeders bad? negative effects of dog breeding. PETA. (2021, May 18). Retrieved January 11, 2022, from https://www.peta.org/features/are-dog-breeders-bad/
Top 10 reasons to adopt from an animal shelter. Helping Hands Humane Society. (n.d.). Retrieved January 11, 2022, from https://www.hhhstopeka.org/adopt/top-10-reasons-to-adopt-from-an-animal-shelter/
