Whether you are a dog or cat person there is one common denominator between everyone, we love our animals. We want the best for them and they end up becoming a crucial part of the family offering companionship and unconditional love. 

But imagine an animal that experienced this love only to have it betrayed or misused. Then this animal is rescued from this mistreatment and put into a shelter or rescue program waiting to feel this love again. They will wait in those spots until they get chosen by a person, while they get older and lower their chance of getting adopted.

In a a recent study, puppies less than a year old have a 21% chance of being adopted and kittens of the same age have a 42% chance. However, at 7 years old the chance for dogs goes down to 14% and the percentage for cats goes down to 8%. For cats, that is a seventh of what it was like when they were kittens. 

This is because people want to have animals for as long as possible to keep them a part of the family. Most older animals will end up staying there until they pass away or are faced with euthanasia due to overcrowding in shelters. Due to this many rescue shelters have “Clear the Shelter Day” where adoption fees are often less expensive and it gets people to adopt these older animals. 

Now take an animal shop, where all the animals are younger. These animals are, as far as puppies are concerned, mostly from puppy mills. Puppy mills are facilities that profit from the mass breeding of dogs and treat dogs inhumanely. Part of the money from purchasing the puppy from the store, most likely goes to a puppy mill and will allow those mills to stay in business. These dogs mainly come with poor health and come with mutiple medical issues due to the amount of breeding that is done at these puppy mills. Most of the time these animals come with a hefty price tag compared to adopting an animal for a rescue center. Adoption fees typically range from $50 to $300 including neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping versus breeders charging anywhere from $500 to $5,000. Many rescue and mix breed dogs end up living happier and healthier lives and come at a wallet friendly price. 

Some families looking to adopt a furry friend tend to want specific breeds of cats and dogs. While it is okay to want a certain breed of animal sometimes for allergy reasons, or just out of preference, many shelters keep a variety of breeds and mixed breeds to choose from. These breeds are often just as loveable, loyal, and trainable as purebred dogs and cats.

If you are looking to adopt a pet and welcome a furry friend into your household, go vist your local animal shelter. If you unable to take care of an animal, many shelters have volunteers work for them. If you are on the Bloomsburg campus, there is a club dedicated to helping these animals called Students Saving Shelter Animals.