Ken Roessler (CARA) why adopt a pet than buying.

Why Adopt A Pet Rather Than Buy?

– By Kenn Roessler (CARA)

If you are thinking about adding a new pet into your family you might want to consider adoption.  There are many good reasons to adopt rather than buy a pet. Here are a few of them:

• You’re getting more for your money if you get a mixed breed.  A mixed-breed animal is likely to live longer and cost less in vet bills than a pure breed. Many purebred dogs are prone to developing health problems ranging from breathing difficulties to hip dysplasia to an enlarged heart.

• A pet purchased from a pet store is a complete unknown. And, once you walk out of the store, you are on your own – most pet stores don’t provide any support if you have questions or problems with your new pet. When you adopt, especially from a rescue group, you know what you are getting because the group has a history on the animal. The rescue group will also help you through the familiarization period because they are invested in providing a good home for that animal.

• When you adopt a pet, you are saving a life. When you buy a pet, you not only deny a homeless pet a home, you are supporting an industry that thrives on shortchanging the welfare of animals. Puppy and kitten mills (which sell to pet stores) are in business to make a profit, so they churn out puppies and kittens as fast as they can. These animals are often in ill health and have problems like poor socialization skills due to lack of human companionship and genetic defects due to inbreeding.

• You get just as much love (if not more). An adopted pet is every bit as loving, intelligent and loyal as a purchased pet, even if you get an adult or older animal.

• When you adopt a pet from an area Humane Society, rescue organization or adoption facility, you free up space for another homeless, abandoned, or stray pets. Your actions, while they may seem small to you, are part of the ultimate answer to the great and growing problem of homeless animals in the Philippines.

If you’re interested in adopting a pet, and in turn saving an animal’s life, you can learn more from the local animal welfare groups CARA (Compassion And Welfare for Animals, www.caraphil.org) or PAWS (The Philippine Animal Welfare Society, www.paws.org.ph).  Both groups have been successfully rescuing, rehabilitating, and adopting out animals into loving homes for years.