Adopt Don't Shop: The Truth

Adopt Don’t Shop.

What is it really? The motion #adoptdontshop is as simple as it implies. It encourages people to adopt animals from shelters rather than buying them from shops. There are countless reasons to back up this term, all of which are valid and should seriously be considered before getting a pet.

First of all, one of the main points is that when you buy animals from pet shops, you are indirectly supporting hundreds of puppy mills and other breeders which are cruelly forcing animals to reproduce, sometimes until they pass away. The point which comes along with this, is that adopting an animal from a shelter will help save the lives of millions of pets that are euthanized every year. You can adopt a pet knowing you saved a life. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Of course, another fact is that adopting a pet is most definitely cheaper than buying one most of the time. Not only is the adoption cheaper, these pets are sometimes already house-trained, vaccinated, sterilized, and microchipped, which makes it much simpler to welcome the animal into your family.

It sounds pretty neat, right? And it is.

However, there are important factors to consider while mentioning #adoptdontshop. It is important that we don’t alienate anyone and ensure this covers all points. First of all, as much as supporting puppy mills and other sounds terrible, there are animal breeders out there that work healthily and provide all care needed for the animals, rather than the cruel manners of others. These are the breeders we must support to promote a healthy life for all animals. So rather than going to every single breeder and telling them to close down for #adoptdontshop, you should evaluate their efficiency in caring for animals and ensuring safety. This way, shelters and breeders can work together to ensure a friendly animal community. Another reason #adoptdontshop shouldn’t be carelessly thrown into the open, is that some people do prefer certain breeds or don’t even have the choice to get just any dog from a shelter. This includes people with allergies or other specific restrictions which should be followed to ensure the animal’s well being. What this means is that the right pet is not always available in shelters, and if the owner is passionate about getting a pet they will be forced to buy one. Pushing #adoptdontshop into these people’s faces, voluntarily or involuntarily making them feel guilty about buying their pet, rather than adopting, isn’t morally correct, and could possibly even turn away people looking to get a pet and save countless animals in the world.

Of course there are many issues involved in this topic, which go much deeper into the topic of animal breeding and the number of animals in the world, however this article hopefully covers most of the viewpoints related to #adoptdontshop.

So next time you use #adoptdontshop, make sure you support the right people, and don’t support others. You should enforce the case that not everyone is in the right position to adopt, and buying certain animals is acceptable as well.

In this animal-loving community, we should all get along and understand each other’s views in order to communicate our thoughts properly and ensure a safe environment for animals all over the world.