At Florida Animal Friend, our mission is to help save the lives of countless unwanted cats and dogs by supporting organizations that offer free or low-cost spay and neuter services across the state of Florida. In the spirit of the month of love, we’d like to shout out some of our favorite valentines: our 2019 grant recipients, including organizations such as North Florida Animal Rescue, Osceola County Animal Services and the Humane Society of Manatee County.
Whether it’s an animal control organization in South Florida, a pet adoption center in Central Florida or an animal rescue in North Florida, we want to make sure we support these organizations that work toward finding homeless pets their forever homes. We’ve all heard the phrase “Adopt. Don’t Shop.” But if we all took it to heart, we could save many animal lives in the process of bringing home even more furry friends.
5 Reasons to Adopt, Not Shop
Adopting your next pet from a shelter helps society as a whole (animals and humans alike). Learn the different benefits of adopting and spread the word to encourage others to adopt—not shop.
1. You’ll save more than one life.
Not only are you saving the life of the cat or dog you take home, but you’re also making room at the shelter for another animal in need of a second chance. There are simply not enough homes for all the puppies and kittens born each year, and many end up being euthanized. Rescued pets are spayed and neutered, so you’ll be directly fighting overpopulation.
2. You won’t be supporting puppy or kitten mills.
Mills are for-profit businesses. They are incentivized to churn out puppies and kittens as fast as possible to sell them to pet stores. This leads to the cruel practice of ignoring the health and welfare of the animals, just to make a buck. When you adopt from a shelter, like North Florida Animal Rescue, you’re showing your disapproval of these mills and decreasing demand for their services.
3. There are wide selections of pets at shelters.
You can find both mutts and purebred animals at shelters. So if you’re looking for a specific breed, ask someone! However, on average, mixed-breed animals live longer than purebreds. Speaking of age, you don’t have to choose a puppy or kitten at a shelter. If an older pet would be a better fit, you can often find animals that are already house-trained and may even know some commands.
4. It’s cheaper.
Shelter adoption fees are much less than the price of purebred dogs or cats sold for profit. Plus, adopting a mixed-breed animal likely means you’ll pay less money in veterinary bills over time because of something called “hybrid vigor.”
5. It’s an opportunity to support a valuable nonprofit organization.
Animal shelters, and even some animal control programs, do incredible, necessary work in communities across America. And supporting these nonprofits in Florida and beyond sends the right message to society and future generations about what we should stand for—or against.
Florida Animal Friend is committed to saving the lives of cats and dogs in North, Central and South Florida through low-cost spay and neuter and trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs. For more information on Florida Animal Friend, or to contribute to our goal of ending animal overpopulation throughout the state, please purchase a plate or donate today.