Writer Feature: Why Adoption Is Important To Me
Editor’s Note: Please help me welcome our newest intern, Brooke Wall! Brooke is a native Houstonian and is currently attending Sam Houston State University. She is an honors student majoring in English. Currently her family has no pets due to a recent loss, but they do raise chickens.
When I was fourteen I wanted a cat more than anything in the world. My mother took me to the local shelter so I could search for my new friend. When I met Zoey, it was an instant match. She was sweet, loving, and the best cat in the world. I loved her until the day she died and beyond. After she passed, it took a long time until I was ready to bring a new friend in my life and when we did it was a stray kitten, most likely dumped. She was small, too small to be away from her mother, and absolutely pitiful looking; wet and dirty with the tiniest meow you have ever heard. Cecily grew into a beautiful calico and thrived. She lived a long and happy life. Many years have passed, and Cecily is now with Zoey playing with that big yarn ball in the sky, but they will forever be my first pets and have a special place in my heart.
As an adult when the time came we felt ready to get a family pet we got a dog, something completely new to me. We found a local lady whose dog had given birth to a litter and only the runt remained. Sherlock stole our hearts and was just the cutest ball of fur you’ve ever seen. When he was three we decided that it was time he had a friend and rescued Addy who had been dumped on a country road. They were instant friends and loved our family, they were protective of the kids and home making us feel safe and loved. Sadly, one day we found them missing from our backyard. After weeks of searching, lots of tears, and many sleepless nights, we finally had to accept that they weren’t coming home. It’s still too fresh to think about, but when the time comes that we feel our family is ready to welcome a new member we will rescue a pet that needs a loving home.
Those cute little puppies in the pet shop that cost hundreds of dollars tend to come from horrible situations and may have horrible health problems due to those situations. What I learned from adopting Zoey, Cecily, Sherlock, and Addy is that there are too many animals that are in need of a home, abandoned by people who didn’t understand the care that a pet requires or dumped there because they became too old and were no longer fun or needed special care. With such high numbers of animals in shelters, many of these pets are euthanized without the chance of finding a loving home. With many animals that need a home there is no need to support these bad businesses and money-making practices that have no concern for the well being of the animals. There are a lot of people who see an animal as a way to make money instead of a loving family friend. Pets should be part of your family as opposed to a way to make money. Adopting a new friend will bring your family happiness and give that same chance to another animal in the shelter.