Reasons to Adopt a Dog

Picture of the author with her rescue dog Zoey

Since October is National Adopt-a-Dog Month, I decided to share a few great reasons to adopt a dog instead of buying one. If anyone spots a reason that I missed, please add it in the comments!

• If you get a dog from the Almost Home Foundation instead of a pet store, you won't be supporting puppy mills. Puppy mills are places that breed dogs, often in unsanitary, cramped conditions. The breeding dogs spend most of their lives in a cage, with little or no freedom to run and play. Medical care is generally not provided, so it's no surprise that pets from these environments often have health or behavior problems. Unfortunately, dogs you see in pet store windows frequently come from puppy mills. By adopting from a rescue or shelter, you are disagreeing with puppy mill practices.

• At the Almost Home Foundation, you'll find dogs of various ages. Adult animals are more likely to be house trained or know a few basic commands, especially if they've had a foster mom or dad taking care of them in a home. 

• Dogs at shelters and rescues cost less than buying from a breeder. Breeders charge from the upper hundreds to thousands of dollars for their animals. If that price range is too high for you, Almost Home can still match you with a pet that will be a great fit for you and your lifestyle. (The pet will be just as loving, too)!

• Since the Almost Home Foundation has an all volunteer staff, the money you spend on the animals goes directly to their care, not to employee salaries. Some of the volunteers at AHF work so hard I'll bet you're surprised they don't get paid!

• This is my personal favorite reason for adopting--the knowledge that you made a difference in the life of an animal by giving it a forever home. In addition, you make room for the AHF volunteers to take in another animal in place of the one you adopt. Since Almost Home is a no-kill organization, you can save the lives of two animals by just adopting one!

If you haven't seen the adoptable dogs currently available at AHF, please check out the website at www.almosthomefoundation.org and click on available dogs. As mentioned above, if you've ever adopted a pet, please add your own reasons for doing so. Bloggers love comments!