Ivy says:
Anyone who has ever read me over at Animal Shak knows I’m somewhat of an animal advocate. I love animals. LOVE! I have 3 pets- 2 cats and a dog who were all rescues or quasi-rescues. I have a hard time understanding why people are still buying dogs and (sometimes) cats from backyard breeders and pet stores.
You can save a good deal of money if you’re willing to invest the time and research involved in getting an animal from either a rescue or a shelter. Petfinder.com makes this task a bit easier. You can simply input the type of dog or cat you are looking for and find a list of animals available in your area. Many times, there are breed specific rescues in your area that you may not know about.
Deciding between rescuing an animal from a high kill shelter or a rescue can be a tough decision. Each has its benefits. Animal shelters aren’t usually as picky about your housing conditions as rescues can be. Something that greatly frustrates me about a few local rescues is their insistence that you have a fenced yard. I don’t have a fenced yard, but my dog never goes outside off-leash, unless we’re at the dog park. I understand people may lie about this, but it limits the people who can adopt a dog from them. Most high kill shelters don’t insist on a fenced yard.
The rescues, however, are better about telling you what a pet will be like in your home, since most of the pets are in foster homes while they’re waiting for a forever home. This gives them a chance to test out whether or not a dog or cat gets along with other animals or children. In a shelter, dogs are usually scared to death and may act meek when they are actually somewhat aggressive, or vice versa.
Often the spay or neuter fee and shots are included in the rescue or shelter’s adoption fees and this can save you some money initially on the pet. If you’re looking for a new pet, check out your local animal shelters and rescues! You can find a great pet there.
