Whether you are a seasoned pet parent or a prospective newbie, it is not a bad idea to know the ins and outs of pet rescuing and adoption.
Rescuing often refers to pets being relocated from unsafe or unethical living situations. Adoption can be defined as rehousing an animal from a shelter or rescue group as opposed to a breeder or mill. Let’s discuss the importance of rescue and adoption.
The Importance of Pet Rescuing and Adoption
You may have heard the phrase “adopt, don’t shop” in reference to new pet ownership. When it comes to adding a new member to your family, it is important to prioritize what is best for you. So, if adopting from a shelter isn’t in your cards, that is okay! It is still great to be educated on this subject as an aware pet owner.
What I think is the important emphasis of “adopt, don’t shop” is to prioritize finding your next furry friend from a shelter or rescue – if you are able – rather than somewhere that focuses on profiting from pet ownership. This can lead to unfair or unethical treatment of animals of breeders or mills.
Prioritizing adoption focuses on unhoused animals, generally in shelters, as a great choice for your next furry family member. Adoption can help reduce the number of floofs in shelters, which are generally less than ideal living situations.
Pet rescues are important because they focus on removing pups from unsafe circumstances. Rescue organizations may help with saving animals from the streets, inhumane mills and breeders, or from risky living situations. Pet rescues may have direct adoption offerings or they may rehome animals to a shelter.
Finding Somewhere to Adopt From
If pet adoption is of interest, consider checking out shelters where euthanasia is utilized. Euthanasia may be used to mitigate overcrowding of shelters, but adopting from such a shelter can help rehome a cat or dog facing this potential.
Certain pet shelters have foster programs. Fostering can be a great way to support pets in transit to their forever homes. Or, fostering can be helpful to explore what kind of pet is right for you and your family.
Things To Know When it Comes to Pet Adoption
Pet adoption and rescue can have a bad rap. Oftentimes, people worry that animals with unsteady pasts may have behavioral issues or trauma. This isn’t necessarily the case as pets react differently in different situations. Not to mention, both dogs and cats have great training potential.
If given the chance, it can be great to spend time with a potential new furry family member. This way, you can get a sense of their personality and disposition. Additionally, it is wise to introduce your whole family – humans and pets – to your potential new addition. This way, you can gauge their reaction and comfortability to your other animals or the demographics of your household members.
For example…
Friends of mine recently looked to adopt a new pup. They had the chance to introduce their new pup to their older pup and knew their new addition was the perfect fit when they saw how compatible they were. Their new pup has a historic distaste for men, but with patient training, they have found their doggo’s increasing comfortability with all strangers.
Their new puppy found herself in a shelter due to a lack of compatibility with her previous owners. Although the previous owners cited behavioral challenges, her new family has found no such thing in their household, just that she needs some extra care and training. Ultimately, this pup has been the perfect addition to their family.
“Who Rescued Who?”
There are plenty of proud pet parents out there! Whether you are one yourself or you have a “crazy cat lady” friend or diehard “dog mom” in your life, there is no denying the bond between pet and parent is beautiful.
“Who rescued who?” is not only a pet rehabilitation and rescue organization, but it is also a popular tagline. This catchphrase that has caught on to be a popular bumper sticker highlights an important message…
Pet owners are proud to be adoptive/rescue parents! These individuals celebrate their pet’s historic challenging living situations and identify their involvement in “rescuing” and rehoming their furry family member. They also feel that pet had a substantial impact on their lives that they want to honor. I find this to be a beautiful, symbiotic celebration of the human/pet relationship.
Wrapping Up
No matter your pet’s origin story, your furry family member is someone worth celebrating. Pet ownership is not something that should be taken lightly, and it is important to know what kind of pet and adoption circumstance is right for you. Whatever their history, your pet is uniquely yours!
