According to the Human Society Website, every year 2.7 million cats and dogs are available for adoption. The number is high since many people are reluctant to adopt the pets which are heartbreaking to most pet lovers. I wish I could help fix this problem, but you can help by adopting a pet instead of buying it from a pet store or a breeder. The speech is to enlighten all people on the importance of adopting pets and the various procedures one can follow to acquire the pet they desire.

Firstly, adopting pets makes the owner understand the medical history of a pet and any immunisations needed. For example, I got my first dog from a person who was selling them. We knew nothing about the parents of the dog and if it had not done its shots. When we got it home, we found out that it had fleas and worms. If I had adopted the puppy, all of these problems would have been taken care of, and I would have saved a dog from inevitable poor health. The people in animal shelters work hard to make sure animals are healthy and vaccinated before they adopt them unlike when you buy them from a breeder or a pet store.

Moreover, pets present in shelters are kept in good conditions and are well taken care of by the people. These animals are given regular checkups, sprayed and needled, and the workers undergo immediate treatment for any disease. Some animal shelters such as Animal Protective League give the animals’ regular warming sessions. Most of the animals bought however are usually not kept in excellent conditions. A place where many pet stores get their puppies is a puppy mill. Puppy mills are factory-style breeding facilities that put profit above the welfare of dogs. Pets in puppy mills are sickly and troubled as they do not receive the necessary care.

Nevertheless, the website petmd.com highlights the various myths that exist concerning the adoption of pets. Firstly, all the shelter animals have behavioural problems. In an interview with the Astar Lab, the director of operations for Cleveland APL Ayse Dunlap said that most of the animals in the shelters were trained to behave well. Secondly, the shelter personnel do not know about the animals in the shelter. This myth was debunked in the same interview with Dunlap when he explained the information he received from the personnel concerning the guinea pig he had adopted

Finally, if animals are adopted instead of bought, this will drastically hold down the rate of euthanasia in shelter homes and hopefully shut down puppy mills entirely. If people continue to buy animals instead of adopting them, they will just be supporting puppy mills and other unethical facilities instead of giving the animals in shelters a chance to live. Adoption is an excellent way of giving animals a second chance at life whereas buying animals helps unethical facilities like puppy mills stay in business.

In conclusion, pet adoption will ensure that the animals adopted are healthy and the owners understand their character. Shelters provide essential information that is needed for the survival of a pet which is not provided by people who sell them. Let us encourage people to adopt pets instead of purchasing them. When adopting one should be physically available in the [et store so that they can inquire any information on the pet they need to adopt.

Reference

Website: Humane Society (2017). Top Reasons to Adopt a Pet. Retrieved from humanesociety.org

Website: Smith, J (2017). 10 Common Myths About Animal Shelters Debunked. Retrieved from petmd.com

Website: Jennifer (2017). How does it work to adopt a pet?. Retrieved from adoptapet.com

Website: Battista, F (2017). Reasons to Adopt a Pet. Retrieved from bestfriends.org Website: Plesset, Em and Jankiewicz, Er (2016). Why You Should Adopt a Shelter Animal. Retrieved from cleartheshelters.com

Website: Kathy. (2012). 46 Reasons Why You Should Adopt (Not Buy!) A Pet. Retrieved from petswelcome.com