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Great Article Referencing Why Shelter Pets Are The Best Pets

A recent article in the Huffington Post aptly titled “Why Shelter Pets Are Good for the Soul,” encouraged me to write this post inquiring how “shelter” or “rescue” pets have enlightened my life. I grew up in a family surrounded by animals because my Mom grew up on a farm with pigs, cows, horses, goats, chickens, you name it, they more than likely had it. My mother’s deep love for animals transcended to all of us, but more than that, she taught us they are a responsibility, just like a child or job, and you have to be diligent in your care taking for them. She taught us that you can’t just want an animal and expect someone else to take care of it, or that you didn’t want it anymore when it went past it’s puppy stage, because it wasn’t “cute” anymore; a pet is for the long-haul and for the durain that they’re with us. I’m so grateful she taught and instilled this in us, because I value and appreciate all our pets past and present for those very things, and other unexpected surprises. They really do become a part of you and are family, and it’s a very sad loss when they leave us. I’m a firm believer we will see our pets again. I know everyone has different views on this, but this is just mine.

I had a domestic short-haired kitten from an unexpected litter, when I was 12, and he was with me until I was 25 and he passed in my arms. I’ll never forget him, and he is always with me. We had chickens who were such a blessing to us with baby chicks at one time, and we had Bandit, who was abused in a puppy mill and was with us (and wholly protected us) for 13 years. We gave Bubbalicious who had been chained most of his young and adult life the best final 2 years of his life, and we now have our German Shephered Rescues, Lucy (Lulu Belles) and Beba (Bebabay), her daughter who is the only surviving puppy-now-adult out of her 3rd and final litter. She was a “guard” dog at a garage shop and was malnourished, standoffish, and very skinny when we got her. They’re both well-fed and spoiled rotten, and I’ve helped with that. I can tell you they’re definitely a part of my soul, because after living at home for over 10 years and helping raise them, I had a life change when I moved to Charlotte, NC the first weekend of January, and cried so hard when I left them, as if I’d never see them again. They’re not really left, and are with my parents who take exceptional care of them. Needless to say, I look forward to when I see them again in about a month!

Take a moment to reflect on this:

” are approximately 2.7 million healthy or treatable pets out there who still need our help to find a home each year. Since the Shelter Pet Project launched in 2009, euthanasia is down 12 percent. But we still have work to do. Currently, just 29 percent of dogs and 33 percent of cats in American homes were adopted from shelters or rescue groups.

The Shelter Pet Project has just released a new series of PSAs to inspire people from all walks of life to find out how amazing shelter pets really are. And of course, the only way to really find out is to meet one! The ads showcase the personalities of real-life adopted shelter dogs and cats who lick or paw at the screen to show that they want to meet someone just like you.”

Check out one of the many Shelter Pets featured in the playlist below:

“TheShelterPet.org is a terrific resource to find thousands of adoptable pets in your area. You can search by breed, age or gender and see tons of amazing photographs! You can also see available pets by zip code, read adoption success stories and learn more about the adoption process.”

So, what do you say? Is it time for you to have your very own shelter pet, or do you have a shelter pet and want to share your story? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-shaffer/why-shelter-pets-are-good_b_4861602.html

articles, Cats, Dogs, pet care news, shelter pets