Adopting vs. buying a pet

Getting a new pet might seem like an easy decision but there is one important direction you need to choose, adopting a pet or buying a pet from a breeder. While there are positives to both adopting and buying an animal, adopting is a much more humane way to welcome a new pet into your home. If you are still undecided here is everything you need to know about adopting vs. buying a pet:

What's The difference between adopting from a shelter and buying from a breeder?

Breeders know everything about the specific breed you want. If you have a specific breed in mind you'll be able to find everything out through them. This route can be very expensive and inbreeding can lead to medical issues down the road.

Puppy mills create an unhealthy environment for dogs and often produces behavioral problems due to lack of human contact.

Shelters often have mixed breeds and they don't know the entire history of the animals. It is more difficult to find puppies but the animals that get adopted often appreciate the new home more than an animal from a puppy mill or kitten mill.

You can adopt dogs of any age and behavior type at your local animal shelter.

There are 70 Million stray animals in the U.S. alone. Over 6 Million animals are put into shelters and 3 to 4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the United States. These staggering numbers are due to the lack of animals that are spayed and neutered. Puppy and kitten mills create more animals and neglect the ones we already have. Here are 25 facts about animal abuse.
Adopting an animal from a shelter rescues two animals. The one you adopt and the room you make at the shelter for the next rescue animal.
Adopted pets are just as likely to be good pets, regardless of mixed breeds.
You'll save a lot of money by adopting a pet. Puppy mills and kitten mills will charge you double the price, sometimes 10 times the price of a shelter animal.
In-breeding hurts the animals coming from breeders. A shelter pet might have a healthier life coming from a natural birth.

Pros of adopting From an animal Shelter

Save The Lives Of Countless Rescue Animals

Every year in the U.S., Millions of dogs and cats are killed because of overpopulation in animal shelters and lack of staff and resources to take care of them. There are too many pets and not enough shelters or adopting pet parents.

If we decided to only adopt and never buy from a breeder, we could save countless animals from being euthanized.

Save cats and dogs when you adopt from a local animal rescue center.

Receive A Great Pet

Many animals in these rescue centers are healthy and well behaved. Typically the shelter animal will be vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and provided with medical care before adoption.

If you're concerned about temperament, don't worry, most of the animals that come to rescue centers are well known by the people accepting them.

The top reasons that animals end up in shelters is due to people reasons, not pet reasons. People move, people get divorced, people have financial restrains and lack of time. Adopted animals are just as benevolent as animals from a breeder.

Happy dog looking up — 99 percent of dogs in animal rescues are healthy and ready to adopt!

You'll Save Money

Buying a pet from a breeder can cost more than $1000. Adoption from a shelter costs between $50 and $250 and they will also spay, neuter, and vaccinate. That makes shelters much more cost effective.

You Won’t Support Puppy or Kitten Mills

When you buy from a mill you are supporting inhumane conditions in factory-style breeding facilities. These puppy mills and kitten mills are for profit and loosely regulated.

Many puppy and kitten mills ship animals across thousands of miles to pet stores creating behavioral problems.

Puppy mills and cat mills house animals in inhumane ways and breed them constantly to produce the highest amount of animals for profit.

You Can Choose a Pet of Any Age

You'll be able to select the age of the dog or cat when you adopt from a shelter. There are pros to each age group that you choose from and this can fit your lifestyle in any capacity. If you need a dog that is housetrained you can always find an adult dog that is ready for a home. If you want to raise a puppy there's always plenty to choose from.

Animal Rescue Centers Are Helpful & Flexible

Most animal shelters will allow a trial period for your new pet after you have adopted them. If your adopted animal is not fitting with your pets or other family members you can typically try again with a new animal or get great tips from the shelter on how to better incorporate them into your home. Here are the 10 benefits of fostering a dog before you decide to adopt.

Here are 14 more reasons why you should adopt a dog.

Pros of buying from a breeder

If you are looking for something very specific, an animal breeder might be the option for you.

There is work to do on rescuing animals across the U.S. but sometimes you have your eyes set on a specific breed of dog or cat. If you decide to buy from a puppy mill or kitten mill, here is what you can expect:

You'll Get Breed Guidance From The Breeders

Choosing a breed can give you more predictability and might fit your lifestyle slightly more. Puppy mills and kitten mills are bad news but a private breeder can have good insight on the animals they have already raised and how their breed interacts with others.

Your Kitten Or Puppy Will Be A Good Representation Of The Breed You Want

You get what you pay for when you shop for a pet. The desirable coat length, height, color, and behavioral traits. If you need to hunt, heard livestock, get rid of pests, guard a home, or you need a specific dog or cat for your disability, a breeder is a great choice.

You’ll Know Your Kitten or Puppy’s History & Family

Breeders have familiarity with the parents of the puppies and kittens. They go back generations to attempt to produce healthy puppies that represent the breed well.

You will also know the parents behavior and other relative's behavior. This can help narrow down your search for what behavior you want from your pet.

Should You Buy From A Breeder or Adopt From A Shelter?

There are pros and cons to buying and adopting but it all comes down to what you are looking for.

If you want to save animals from abuse and neglect, provide resources to animal shelters, save money, choose a pet of any age, and stop animal mills, choose animal adoption.

If you want a better representation of a specific breed, know your animals history, need a specific type of animal for a job, and get very specific on behavioral traits, consider buying from a breeder.

Black lab dog laying on deck — Adopting an animal saves more than one animal life. You free up resources for the next animal to be welcomed into the shelter.

How you can help shelter animals

If you want to help these rescue animals receive proper care, shelter, medical treatment, and a chance at adoption, consider donating a car to Animal Car Donation.

Here’s how you can donate a car to help rescue animals:

Call 1-888-969-4857 or visit our easy online donation form.
A representative will contact you within 24 hours of the next business day to set up your free towing at your earliest convenience.
You’ll get a tax deductible receipt in the mail within a few weeks. It’s that easy!

Here are the animal rescue charities you'll be helping when you donate your car to Animal Car Donation:

Helping rescue animals is just one car donation away. Donate your car to help rescue animals today!