Puppies are adorable! Their little paws and round tummies. Their funny, playful behaviors and cuddly naps. Is there anything better than puppy breath? Adult dogs are set in their ways. What do they have to offer besides uncertainty? I learned from Reese what a wonderful choice adult pet adoption can be for a family. I wanted a puppy for all the normal reasons but the story of how we got our adult dog Reese will let you know that we didn’t intend to adopt an adult dog but we are so glad we did.

Rescuing Reese older dog adoption @dapperhouse

Lets get right to the truth. . . owning Reese made me happy to be able to sleep through the night without the whining and crying of a puppy. Reese made me so happy because like a new puppy, he taught me about his funny habits and cute personality traits. It was great to have a running buddy who already had stamina, and a cuddle buddy that was so dang grateful to have a home.

Why adopt an older dog instead of a puppy @dapperhouse #BlogEase #PetMonth #rescue #chihuahua

It was scary at times being uncertain about his nature, but similar to a puppy we learned more about him over time. Much like a puppy we tried to train him to adapt to our family. Similar to a puppy, he brought our family love, frustration, excitement and pride. He made us feel how precious life is and grateful that we saved his.

What you can do to combat pet overpopulation:

  1. Always spay and neuter your pets.
  2. Always adopt your pets from a legitimate shelter or nonprofit rescue group.
  3. Consider all the responsibilities and consequences of pet ownership before deciding to get a pet and always make a lifetime commitment to your pet.
  4. Educate your children, friends, family members and co-workers about pet overpopulation, adoption and the importance of spaying and neutering. *Credit for this information goes to The American Humane Association

Can you picture how big 8 million is? That is the amount of stray and unwanted animals that are taken in by shelters in the US.  About 4 million of these animals can not find good homes and this makes shelter euthanasia the leading cause of death for both dogs and cats in the United States.

Do you have a rescue dog?