The National Pet Day, April 11 every year, is a symbol of the love shared between humans and animals. It is also an occasion to raise awareness and further oppose animal cruelty. One relatively new concept that has been floating amongst the activists and several pet owners is the benefits of adoption rather shopping of pets. 

Here are the top reasons to adopt an animal: 

  1. Fight against the puppy mills: Buy a dog from a pet store, an online seller or even a flea market and know that you are funding the puppy mills. A puppy mill is a factory-style breeding facility mainly associated with heavy profit-making even at the cost of the animal’s well-being. These animals are generally housed in extremely poor conditions and our very often sick and troubled. Some are caged and bred for years with little or no human companionship. Once they fulfill their purpose, the animals are killed, abandoned or sold.
  2. Adoptees are good for health: Containing a strong feeling of helping an animal in need is a big boost over the general happiness one lives in when he/she get a pet. The animals – who mostly haven’t been loved before – show unconditional care towards the care-giver and provides a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
  3. Adoption costs less: An adopted pet – the one who has been living with someone else before – is usually vaccinated and trained, which saves a lot of costs. Adopting a stray animal might come with costs but these have learned a lot from life to make you put in more than any basic time to train them. 
  4. Millions of stray animals are helped: Millions of stray, abused and lost animals are taken into shelters. These shelters are overcrowded and when people start adopting such animals there is more room and better care for others.
  5. Because you’ll change a life: According to humansociety.org, more than one million adoptable dogs and cats are euthanized in the United States every year. This is because the shelters become overcrowded, leaving the authorities with very less options. So, adopting will mean saving a life and further taking the animal into your family, hence changing its life.