Why I Want to Adopt

Editor’s Note: Please welcome our newest intern, Kristian Porter! Kristian is a Nothern Kentucky University student majoring in English with a double minor in Business and History. She lives in Cincinnati with her dog, Jordin, and her two cats, Percy and Oli.

I have fallen in love three times in my life.

My first pet was a long haired Dachshund named Carly that my family got through friends. I was really young and have very few memories of her, but one very vivid one I have is the day that she died. I was in Kindergarten and she was hit by a car while I was at school. I was devastated. Absolutely crushed. No one was ever going to replace her in my heart. No dog could possibly compete—and they didn’t for several years until I came across the cutest, sweetest ball of black fluff that I had ever seen just sitting in a pet shop window. She was my first love.

I was eleven years old when I got my Cocker Spaniel, Jordin, after several hours of begging, pleading, and negotiating on the phone with my dad. I had to have her. There was absolutely no way that I was going to leave her in the pet store. She was the same black ball of fluff that I could remember Carly being and bringing her home was one of the best days of my life. Playing with her, taking her through training, and going for walks are still some of my favorite memories from my childhood.

The second time I fell in love was when I was seventeen. My mom brought me home a surprise. I had no idea what it could be when I first walked outside to meet her at the car. In her arms was a small, adorable, perfect orange kitten. As F. Scott Fitzgerald once wrote, “there are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice.” The love that I felt, and still feel, for my cat is a completely different kind than puppy love (Ha! Punny!)

Percy–named after another orange-haired fellow that you may know, Percy Weasley from the Harry Potter series—has since then grown into the sweetest, most loving cat I have ever known. I don’t know how I lived my life before I had a cat to cuddle with every night. I feel like a proud mom sometimes, watching him grow up. It has happened so fast– I still remember waking up in the middle of the night to a kitten attacking my toes.

Both Jordin and Percy were store-bought and I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world, but I do wish I would have considered adoption. When I got my second cat, it really opened my eyes to the realities of some animals and the necessity of finding them good, loving homes.

My best friend, who lived with me for a short period of time, found a small kitten wandering alone on the side of a busy street. She was dirty and shaking from the cold air and she didn’t appear to have an owner, so my friend brought her home. One look at her and I fell in love for the third time. I just knew I had to keep her.

Together my friend and I bathed her, got rid of her fleas, and coaxed her into eating some food. She was pretty skittish around people for a little while, but she’s just as loving and cuddly as Percy is now. I really got lucky in the cat department. Her name is Oli, short for Olivia Dunham from “Fringe,” and I just adore her.

 

Taking Oli in and giving her a new, loving home has really made me think harder about animal adoption. There are so many animals in shelters all across the country who would love a family of their own. According to The Humane Society of the United States, 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year because the shelters can’t hold all of the animals that are in need. Adopting your next pet instead of shopping could literally mean saving the life of your new furry friend.

My animals are my best friends. They have listened to more drama and tears as I grew up than any of my two-legged friends ever did. My dog has gone through nine years with me. We went through my teenage years together and (thank goodness) made it out the other side. I would not trade the life that we’ve had together for anything, but my next pet will definitely be a shelter animal.