1) Saving a life three times over
Close to 20,000 dogs and cats are put down every year in our tiny nation. If you ever get to hear it, you can never forget the wailing cries of these dogs while they wait for their turn to be culled. They committed no crime, except for the fact that they are homeless and erroneously projected as dangerous.
When you adopt a pet, you save one homeless dog from going to the culling room. At the same time, you have made space for another dog to be rescued in replacement of the one you adopted. Not only that, you also greatly improve the quality of its life; one which is totally different from being cooped up in a small kennel space for the rest of its life or one that suffers the harsh circumstances as a street dog.
You cannot save all, but it does not mean you don’t save any. Do your best to make a difference and set an example. It has got to start somewhere. The joy that you gained from saving that one life is something that cannot be measured.
2) Gratitude of a lifelong friend
Besides the fact that mixed (cross) breeds are generally hardier because they are less susceptible to inheritance of genetic defects of purebreds, these rescued dogs also tend to show more gratitude to their owners and appreciation of comfort and shelter.
For instance, a dog rescued from the streets has never experience the feel of a hug before, so you will observe that they love to have you hug them or they snuggle close to you very often. Before meeting you, they don’t even know how a fabric feels like because there is no such comfort on the streets or in the bushes. So adopted dogs tend to cherish their dog bed or even a simple floor rug as their treasure.
3) Personality of dogs above a year old is more apparent
When you adopt a dog that is above one year of age, you can be pretty sure that:
a) it has reached its full-grown size more or less
b) you don’t have to deal with the puppy stage of handling teething or chewing problems
c) the character and temperament of the dog has more or less stabilized and they begin to mellow, being less playful or attention
seeking.
4) Cost-saving
Buying a pet dog from the store costs at least $1,500 averagely nowadays. If you include the initial costs of doctor checkups, compulsory vaccinations and sterilization, it can add up to more than $2,000 in the end.
Sadly, pets are now also being used as a reflection of social status. It is a wrong objective for getting a pet in the first place.
On the other hand, adopting a dog will either be free or only involves a nominal charge of less than $200, depending on the circumstances surrounding the rescue of that particular dog.
A dog that is put up for adoption would usually have been vaccinated, micro-chipped and sterilized (if more than 6 months old). Hence, most of the initial costs are already covered.
Adopt!
Don’t support profit-driven puppy mills or irresponsible home breeders.
