Ready to welcome a furry, drooling, four-legged pal into your home? Awesome–you are in for so much fun! But before you shell out a small fortune for a purebred Corgi or a French Bulldog, consider rescuing a dog from your local animal shelter. Need convincing?
Here are 27 reasons to adopt a shelter dog:
- Betty White would approve. Honestly, what better reason could there be?
- Every dog deserves a home. Whether old or young, purebred or a mutt, all dogs lives matter.
- The ASPCA estimates that more than 3 million dogs enter animal shelters each year.
- 3 million dogs x 2 eyes each equals 6 million sad dog eyes.
- Each of these dogs desperately wants a home.
- Adopting a shelter dog opens up a spot in the facility for another desperately needy dog.
- Rescuing a shelter dog makes you part of the solution.
- Plus, adopting a homeless dog makes you feel like a really good human.
- Every rescue dog comes equipped with an inexhaustible supply of love.
- There’s no better feeling than watching her sad shelter dog eyes turn to joy when she realizes she’s finally home.
- When you come home, sometimes your rescue dog will wag his tail so hard that his hindquarters will actually lift off the ground.
- Every shelter dog is unique.
- When you think about it, doesn’t their basic mutt-ness make shelter dogs more American? A mutt is like a doggie melting pot.
- With a rescue dog, you’ll never have to remember where you put those pesky pedigree papers.
- The adoption fee for a shelter dog won’t break the bank. Many shelters charge less than $100. Meanwhile, the average cost of that French Bulldog is around $3,000.
- With a ”Heinz 57” shelter dog, you can get several breeds in one! This leads to hours of fun as you try to guess which breeds match the traits your pup exhibits.
- We live in amazing times. If you truly want to know your dog’s genetic makeup, you can get a Doggie DNA test. How cool is that?
- A shelter dog will always see you as a hero.
- The way your rescue dog looks at you–he knows you saved his life and the loyalty is tangible.
- If you aren’t a First Responder, how often do you get to save a life?
- “Gotcha Day” celebrations! You may never know your pup’s birthday, but you’ll always remember the day she came home. And who doesn’t need a new excuse to throw a party?
- Lonely? Rescue dogs can be a great way to meet people. They make irresistible conversation starters when you go out on walks!
- When a stranger compliments your dog, you can reply, “He’s a rescue.” Stand a little taller when you say this.
- Just like a purebred, your shelter dog will serve as an excellent emergency back-up doorbell.
- Rescue dogs poop less. Just kidding! Seriously, though, many shelter dogs are already house trained.
- A rescue dog will consider you a superhero, even if you struggle just to keep up in your “everyday life”.
- Don’t we all need to be needed? What will ever need you more than a shelter dog?
BONUS: All rescue dogs come with a story. Be their happy ending.