Dog Adoption

There are many benefits to adopting a dog rather than going to pet shops (ew!) or breeders ($$$cha-ching$$$). I have been doing research on pet adoption, and it is amazing how many pets are given up everyday to shelters. In this economy, it's predictable that many families who have had a pet for either years or just a few months finds that they can't keep up with the cost of food, vetting, emergencies, pet daycare, etc. Many people don't thoroughly think through how much of a financial and life commitment it is to own a dog. So these poor pooches are heartbreakingly left at shelters, away from their families, and they just want someone to love them and make a forever home.

We have been looking at dogs in local shelters for months now. I tend to look (probably more than I should) each week at the dogs that are up for adoption. I want to know which shelters are run locally, which places people have had good adoption experiences with. I have read of horror stories of people who go through all the paperwork and process of adopting, only to have agencies or shelters heckle them for months after the dog has been brought home, "just checking in" and at times harrassing families for whatever reason.

In looking weekly, I have seen some really amazing dogs looking for homes. There is one in particular that I fell in love with last week. Lo and behold, they were having an adoption day on Saturday, and I knew she would be adopted. I still had hopes that if she was there after Christmas we would get her. She was a hound/lab mix with gorgeous coloring and the sweetest eyes I've ever seen. I checked yesterday - she was adopted. The downside of looking at dogs when we still have a month or two before we can actively pursue adopting.

So, I will still keep my eye out there. I hope families that can manage having a dog choose to adopt this holiday season. There are thousands of dogs, just in the greater New England area, that will spend the holidays in crates instead of curled up on someone's lap or cozy by the fire, where maybe they were last year. It's so sad...

I am going to be that lady that just keeps adopting dogs once we get our first one. Just you wait and see. I'll keep you posted once we get going with this.