Kay's Obsessions

This is the post where you are going to see my passionate and fiery personality really show up. This will definitely be the most passionate post yet for the blog. But, I feel like it’s for a good cause. What better cause than the very thing I am dedicating my career for; the animals.

My point here: adopt pets. Do not buy them from breeders. Let me explain more. There are so many cats and dogs on the streets, without homes, without food, without clean water, without protection and care. These animals suffer from illness, injury, fleas, ticks, scratches, wounds, infections, and daily dangers of wandering the streets. Pets in rescue programs, foster homes, and shelters, are in need of safe and loving homes. It is quite literally a matter of life and death for them. Shelters have limited space, and for some reason whoever made this idea happen thought it was great. Animals who are not getting adopted within their set time period, are ‘taking up space’ and are euthanized. This is the sad reality of county animal shelters.

A lot of people choose to go get pets from breeders because they are concerned about history and behavioral problems. Even the breed. Particularly with dogs. Many people frown upon Pitbull breeds and do not want a dog with baggage. Unfortunately, most of these people never actually visit a shelter to look for themselves. There are so many types of dogs in shelters. Yes, there are a lot of Pitbull breeds. But there are also Labradors, Terriers, Dachshunds, Hounds, and so many more. Shelter dogs are not one size fits all. Each dog has their own story and temperament. Each dog has a tolerance level for kids and their own level of calmness. Each dog has it’s own needs. It is your job to meet each dog and decide which one is a good fit for your family. But don’t go down the road of ‘shelter dogs are difficult’ or ‘they are all Pitbulls’. Because that’s just not true.

Sure, breeders can be great. There are a ton of good, reputable, breeders out there that will produce good quality dogs and other animals. But there are also a large portion of them that abuse their breeding animals and keep mass amounts of animals in an inappropriate location. Many breeding facilities are too small, they do not feed enough nutrients, animals are used for breeding and then tossed away. But if you do research, you will find a good place to visit. Unfortunately though, going to a breeder is most people’s first choice. The rescue and shelter animals are not considered. Animals bred from a breeder, will always find a home. You can trust that. Most breeders charge high prices for their animals, meaning they are targeting a higher income bracket. Those people are more likely to look for pets from breeders, and not have an issue with the money. Also, good breeders, do not kill their animals if they don’t get adopted right away. Shelters do. Shelters keep kill lists. There are hundreds of dogs killed, or as they call it, “euthanized”, every week at county animal shelters. These animals should be top priority when looking for a companion.

At the end of the day, getting a pet is not about the money. It should not matter what breed it is, how old it is, where it came from, if it was abused, or how much money you paid for it. The main purpose of having and keeping pets is for companionship. We find security in our pets. Emotional and physical. We love them, they love us. We take care of them, they take care of us. So why does it matter where it came from? If you are looking for a pet, PLEASE, go to the county shelters first. Take a look and see which animals call to you. Each and every one of them, large and small, is desperately looking for a home. You can provide them with a good, safe, loving, home that they deserve. So many animals sit in shelters just waiting for somebody to take them home. They sit there bored, lonely, scared, overwhelmed. Sad. So go pick a new companion who is going to be so grateful. Grateful for the second chance. Grateful for your love and care. Grateful that you chose them. They deserve so much more than to sit in a shelter kennel for the rest of their life. So go adopt them, don’t shop for them.