Adopting a Rescue Animal

It's always an exciting time bringing a new pet home for the first time. Nearly 5,500 pets are killed every day in shelters across America because there aren't enough people wanting to adopt themselves. Adopting a pet means you can save a life and feel good about having a companion to share life with.

Why Adopt a Rescue Pet

You should adopt a pet, rather than buy one, because pets from rescue groups or shelters are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated beforehand. Since these services can cost your hundreds of dollars, you can save money while saving a life when you adopt a pet.

Every year, nearly 2.7 million pets are euthanized in the United States. This is because there are too many pets seeking refuge in shelters and fewer people wanting to adopt them. However, this number can decrease exponentially if people adopt pets, rather than buy them. Adopting a pet can offer your family a thankful new family member and an open space for another pet to seek adoption in a shelter, as well as lowering their risk of euthanization.

Fortunately, there are plenty of pets to choose from rescue groups and animal shelters. In most cases, the animals are completely healthy, but their owners had to surrender them due to a divorce or move. Plus, many are even house trained and family friendly.

How To Find an Animal Shelter

Finding a shelter may be the easiest process in adopting a pet. Nearly every community has pets that are looking for owners to adopt them. You should check with your city website and check which facilities house homeless pets. You can also use a few of the resources mentioned below. Fortunately, most rescue groups and shelters post pictures of their homeless pets online to make it easier for people to select which one to adopt.

Choosing a Pet

Once you have made the decision to adopt a new pet, you should the figure out what type would best suit your family. You can do this by either searching online or heading down to your local shelter to see if you adopt a puppy, adult dog, kitten, or older cat. Just keep in mind that younger pets will require more attention and training classes, which could be costly. If you don't think you'll have the time to put into obedience classes, we suggest adopting an older pet.

We also recommend talking to shelter staff to figure out which pet will best meet the needs of your family. The last thing you want to do is pick a pet that isn't compatible and has to surrender it within a few days.

Top 5 Routes for "Adopting a Rescue Animal"

1. PetFinder.com Pet Finder is a great resource for anybody looking to adopt a rescue animal. On this website, you can browse through ad listings for animals at shelters in your area. They also produce a lot of great articles for pet owners that contain advice and tips.
2. AdoptAPet.com Adopt a Pet is similar to Pet Finder. You can search through hundreds of listings of rescue animals that are up for adoption near where you live.
3. ASPCA.org One of the most well-known rescue shelters in the country is the ASPCA. They have locations around the country and help all sorts of rescue animals. Look through all sorts of listings or read articles aimed at first-time animal adopters.
4. VetStreet.com Once you have picked up your rescue pet, you will need to learn how to care for it properly. For all sorts of nutrition, training, and medical advice, be sure to visit Vet Street.
5. Pets.WebMD.com Another great resource for learning more about your rescue pet is the pets section of the WebMD website. You can learn all about pet training, medical needs, and general pet care tips.