Writer Feature: Why I Support Animal Adoption

Editor’s Note: Please welcome to our writer roster, Jennifer Haskell! Jennifer is an English graduate of Northern Kentucky University. She now lives in the greater Cincinnati area with her cat Chase.  

I am what some may consider a Crazy Cat Lady (complete with an affinity toward knitting and all).  Though I only have one cat right now, cute cat videos are a regular part of my social media presence and have a tendency to clutter my phone’s memory.  In my lifetime I have been the proud companion of six furry love fluffs and they have come to me via being found, a friend who could no longer care for them, or adoption. The cat that I have now, Chase, I took in because my friend had to move out of her pet friendly apartment and into a place that pets were not allowed.  Chase was two years old at the time, and despite my six year old cat’s reluctance toward him I told my friend I would foster him until she could find a home.  By the time she did Chase had become a part of my little family.  I am certainly happy to have him now, but back when I took him in I was thinking it would be temporary.

Despite the myth that animals in shelters have behavioral problems, Chase’s situation is a common story for many shelter animals.  Often, their previous families can no longer take care of them due to a variety of different reasons such as moving, pregnancy, illness, or not fully understanding the commitments that come with good pet ownership.  So, they are put up for adoption regardless of their behavior.

For kill and no kill shelters alike, adoption is so vital to saving lives. Euthanasia is common at most shelters and for no kill shelters, overcrowding can be an issue. I’m certainly not trying to bad mouth any local no kill shelter, but it’s a simple issue of logistics. Animal shelters provide a much needed service for our four legged friends.  There are so many benefits that come from adopting from a shelter instead of buying from a store, including but not limited to the animals having their shots and (if they are old enough) already being neutered/spayed. Additionally, adopting instead of buying from a store diminishes the profitability of puppy and kitten mills, where the animals are often kept in poor conditions. However, older animals are less likely to get adopted than kittens and puppies so their numbers in shelters begins to grow.  This contributes to the crowding that sometimes occurs in shelters as well as a deficit of handlers to give each of them the attention they need.

The greatest benefit there is to adopting from a shelter is that you are enhancing the quality of life for someone who truly needs it.  Even if you adopt a kitten or puppy it helps free up time and space for the older animals who tend to stay in shelters longer and need more attention from the staff.  If you are one of those rare people who take home an older companion you are gaining a true lifelong connection with someone who knows they needed you most.