Adopt vs Shop
Adopt vs Shop
If you are thinking of adding a new pet to your family, consider adopting from a shelter or rescue before reaching out to a breeder.
The Humane Society of the United Stated estimates that 6-8 million cats and dogs end up in shelters each year. About half of these never find a home and are put to their death. Adopting from a shelter can save an animal's life.
If you are considering buying from a breeder, do your research! Make sure the breeder is reputable, ethical, and follows responsible practices. By choosing a trustworthy and reliable breeder, you are supporting all animals and discouraging dangerous environments, such as puppy mills.
An Amazing Adoption Story
This is Hamlet - an English Setter rescue
Hamlet was found in the parking lot of the American Legion in Edinburg, Indiana. He was covered in fleas, and very skinny. He had chewed and scratched off much of his fur, because he was so itchy from the fleas. Hamlet had no microchip, and thus, no owner easily identified- and no one claimed him after posters went up. Hamlet was most likely a pure breed for hunting in the country. But, it was found that he does not like loud noises, which would include shooting guns. This would make him gun shy, so he was most likely abandoned by his owner at the time.
A survey was sent out to middle school students about whether they adopted or bought their pets. These are the results from the 80 people who answered the survey.
19% have adopted
46% have bought
34% from a breeder
12% from a pet store
35% have adopted and bought
About Me
Hi, my name is Katherine Pope. I am an eighth grade student at Saint Andrews School. I created this website for my 8th grade MYP Community Project. It combines the skills of investigating, planning, taking action, and reflecting. I chose the topic adopt don't shop. It basically means that pets should be adopted from shelters and rescues instead of being bought from breeders or pet stores. The pet I am mainly focusing on is dogs. I picked this topic because I really care about animals, especially dogs. This is one of many things I have done to bring awareness to this topic. This background is a photo of my two dogs.
Tri-County Animal Rescue
Big Dog Ranch Rescue
Above and Beyond English Setter Rescue
email: intake@esrescue.org
more: https://esrescue.org/
My Story
Hi, my name is Kate. My whole family loves dogs and my parents always knew they wanted one. Our first dog we got was from my elementary school's fundraiser in December 2014. Her name is Lucy and she is a Yorkshire Terrier. I was scared of her for the first three days we had her, even though she was only 2 and a half pounds, and I would not touch the floor. We loved her so much and would always run around the house with her. At the end 2019, my family decided to look for a new puppy. One day, my mom, my sisters, and I bought some things at a pet store and then went to donate them at Tri-County Animal Rescue. While we were there, my sisters and I decided to look at the dogs they had up for adoption. We went into the small dog room because I was scared of big dogs at the time, even though I wanted to get a big dog. That is when I saw Ava, whose name was Stacy at the time, and fell in love with her. The moment I saw her I went out to get my mom, who was in line at the front desk, to come and see her. My mom thought she was also very cute and I knew she wanted her. I took a picture of Stacy on my mom's phone and sent it to my bestfriend. (this is the picture on the right) She was all we could talk about. We scheduled a meet and greet with Lucy and her the weekend after. They didn't really get along but the adoption center said that was normal and that they would be okay if we adopted Stacy. After that, we knew we were adopting her and we talked about what we would name her. I wanted it to be something that started with an A. so we discussed some names and came up with Ava. Next thing I knew, she was at our house and we were playing with her. She slept in a crate in my room and whined the whole night, but I still couldn't get enough of her. Ava Lane is a mutt, whose breed we have still not found out, but will someday. She is tall and currently around 70 pounds, so she is pretty big. Both of my dogs are deeply loved by my whole family and friends. They bring such joy and relaxation, when you are down and will forever be part of our family.
Works Cited
"Adopting a Dog from a Shelter Means Saving a Life." PRWeb Newswire, 7 Oct. 2016. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A465824286/GPS?u=boca20225&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=165d9712. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
Carty, Dave. "Rule of Thumb ... Good Breeders Produce Good Puppies." Gun Dog, vol. 35, no. 6, Oct. 2016, p. 26. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A464353743/GPS?u=boca20225&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=57d7cbc9. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
"Chihuahua puppies awaiting adoption" by jeffreyw is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
"Dog in a Shelter" by spotreporting is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
"Dog in a Shelter" by spotreporting is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
"Dog in a Shelter" by spotreporting is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
"Home Page." Big Dog Ranch Rescue, 2008, www.bdrr.org/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
"Home Page." Tri-County Animal Rescue, www.tricountyanimalrescue.com/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
"Howls for Help; Pets in the Recession." The Economist, vol. 394, no. 8666, 23 Jan. 2010, p. 42EU. Gale in Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A217089536/GPS?u=boca20225&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=c1f4adbe. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
Jennings, Gary D. "Sheltered Dogs." Capper's, vol. 136, no. 3, May-June 2014, p. 11. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A393796233/GPS?u=boca20225&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=83577c8e. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
Miller, Pat. "Adopt or Shop: Whether You Buy or 'Adopt' Matters Far Less than Selecting a Puppy or Dog from an Ethical, Responsible Source, Because Immoral, Unscrupulous Breeders, Shelters, and Rescues Abound!" Whole Dog Journal, vol. 23, no. 8, Aug. 2020, p. 19+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632137381/GPS?u=boca20225&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=4d969e93. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.
Romero, Jhair. "Dogs, Cats Find Homes at Adoption Event." Houston Chronicle (TX), 23 Oct. 2023, p. A003. Access World News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/194D84F513AF17D0. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
"Shelter Dog" by Steven-L-Johnson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Szabo, Julia. "Pre-owned Purebreds: Here's a Bighearted Way for Purebred Fanciers to Get a Pet: Breed Rescue." Country Living, vol. 30, no. 2, Feb. 2007, p. 66. Gale in Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A158633516/GPS?u=boca20225&sid=bookmark-GPS&xid=d1e8f5fc. Accessed 5 Nov. 2023.