National Adopt A Shelter Pet Day
Each year, National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day on April 30th raises awareness for thousands of pets that are waiting for (and needing) adoption from the shelters.
Animal shelters require year-round assistance and adoption is a part of the process. Since animals come in daily, the shelters must work quickly to ensure the animal's health and well being. Only then can they be adopted into their forever home. This day also encourages you to visit a shelter near you and find your new fur baby. Visit with the shelter to consider all the needs the dog or cat requires for the long term.
If you feel you can't meet those needs, consider helping in other ways. Give your time by volunteering. Not only will this help the shelter by providing the animals with exercise, companionship, and socialization, but it also gives you that wonderful animal love we all so enjoy.
You can also check the shelter's donation needs list. Bring the items you are able to give. This will help the shelter animals find their forever homes more quickly.
You can observe National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day by
- Visiting a shelter today and consider adopting.
- Spaying and neutering your fur babies. It helps reduce the number of unwanted pets in the population. Recent studies are showing we are making progress. Keep up the good work!
- Celebrate the day by sharing pictures of your adopted pet on social media using #AdoptAShelterPetDay.
Here are just 5 fantastic reasons to adopt a shelter pet.
- You Can Save an Animal’s Life
Unfortunately, when some animal shelters run out of room, they end up euthanizing perfectly healthy dogs and cats. In fact, the Humane Society of the United States says 5,500 animals are killed every day. This equals about two million animals a year. By adopting a pet from one of these shelters, you can save a life.
- You Can Save Money
Some people pay hundreds of dollars for a cat or a dog. When you adopt a pet from a shelter, you won’t have to pay this much money. Most shelters simply charge a minimal adoption fee to cover things like vaccinations and sterilization. Sometimes fees can be waived entirely.
- You Can Adopt an Adult Cat or Dog
It’s a lot of work to housetrain a new puppy. Besides that, puppies like to chew on things and kittens are apt to claw. And even though it’s not their intention to hurt you, both puppies and kittens sometimes bite. Adopting from a shelter means you can adopt an adult cat or dog, which means you can bypass the kitten or puppy stage. This makes like much easier for many pet owners.
- You Can Help to End Cruelty to Animals
Some people who sell puppies and kittens do not take very good care of them. They breed animals for profit only. Places like this are called puppy and kitten mills and can be cruel for many reasons. Oftentimes, animals are kept in confined spaces with too many other cats or dogs and can be malnourished and poorly cared for. Puppy and kitten mills are illegal in some states. By not supporting these kinds of places, you are doing your part to shut them down.
- You Can Support Your Local Animal Shelter
Even though there are 3,500 animal shelters in the United States, this is not enough to curb the nation’s homeless pet problem. There are 70 million stray animals in the United States. Sadly, only 5 to 8 million cats and dogs are placed in an animal shelter. When you adopt a pet, not only are you making space for other homeless animals, but you are helping the shelter continue to do the important work they are doing.
