HEAD: Adopt, Don’t Shop!
October is American Humane’s annual Adopt-A-Dog Month, celebrating shelter pups and the joy they bring to our lives. It also encourages those looking for new pets to seriously consider adopting dogs from shelters. Every year, roughly 3.5 million dogs wind up in shelters, and many never find forever homes. Many animals in shelters end up being euthanized because of shelter overcrowding, so adopting dogs from shelters or rescues actually saves two lives: the one you take home, and the one you make space for.
You can also celebrate Adopt-a-Dog Month by:
- Microchipping your pet. Microchipping greatly reduces the number of pets that wind up in shelters, as it allows authorities to reconnect owners with lost pets quickly and easily.
- Spaying or neutering your pet. This eliminates the possibility of an unwanted litter that could end up in a shelter.
You can see adoptable dogs in your area by checking out this list (link to local shelter or rescue) of local shelters and rescues, or searching by zipcode at Petfinder.com.