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.
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.
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:
- Always spay and neuter your pets.
- Always adopt your pets from a legitimate shelter or nonprofit rescue group.
- Consider all the responsibilities and consequences of pet ownership before deciding to get a pet and always make a lifetime commitment to your pet.
- 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?
Kungphoo
I think we all like puppies but if i were adapting i would not care of the age of the dog.. I am a big dog person.. Had one growing up and now have a 3 yr old pug.
Michelle F.
Aww what a sweet dog. If I ever decide to have another dog I would definitely give an older shelter dog a home.
Elisebet F
I chose adults when I adopted our kitties from the shelter. Granted, they weren’t much older than a year, so they were both pretty young, but they’d still been passed over many many times for kittens. They’d been at the shelter so long, they both were in danger of being put down.
Kimberly
I’m not a big pet lover, but I do like the idea of adopting from a shelter and giving an animal who might have been mistreated a loving home.
cindy b
Love, love, LOVE you for writing this! I’m a huge animal lover and rescue all my pets. I get so angry when I see people pay so much money to support breeding, especially when a lot of it is from horrible breeding conditions , and puppy mills. There are so many lives lost every day when we could all be saving them! Thank you for sharing!!
Stacey @ Cheap is the New Classy
I remember what it was like when our dog was a puppy – ugh, I never want one again lol! Our next dog will be a rescue!
Mistee Dawn
We have 2 cats, and we adopted both of them from shelters.
Cara
I have adopted all of my animals in the past from shelters. I think this is truly something everyone needs to do!
Heather
Ah! You saved that dog’s life! We may do the same in the future. Right now we have a cat, but we may add a dog to our family sometime in the future.
Catherine | Fit Armadillo
I love the idea of adopting from a shelter. Thanks for this post!
Felicia
OMG I loved reading this post. I already have a dog that I bought from a breeder four years ago, but I always tell Matt that if we get another dog, we are going to adopt from the SPCA or a shelter!
Andrew
Awe, what a cutie pie! Adoption is definitely the way to go!!
CrazyMom a/k/a Melanie
We adopted a 3 year old from a rescue last summer.. best decision we ever made..
Christy Denton
The first dog I ever had my parents took me to get at the shelter when I was two. I heard them say that one of the dogs was 2 years old too, so with my toddler logic, that was the one for me! She was a lab/beagle/?? mix, and was the sweetest most loyal dog in the world! In her last years (at the age of 19) she turned Krystal thief though. Funniest thing ever! Twice she brought home a full bag of Krystal’s that the neighbor had put on his trunk while he got his daughter out of the car.
Claudia Krusch
I just bought a puppy, I must confess I came from a failed adoption where the dog had issues and tried to bite my son out of nothing….he hated kids…I think it’s beautiful to adopt a dog, but I believe people need to take a look at the big picture before doing it!
Amber Nelson
This is such a great post. We have adopted and it was best experience.
jtemcio
my sister has a pug too! They are funny dogs 🙂
jtemcio
Getting puppies from a shelter is just as noble! I truly believe that giving any animal a home is great, not only from shelters… adopting from shelters is just a good choice for many reasons, but not the ONLY choice.
jtemcio
I support breeders when they are family oriented and loving. There is a lab breeder I know who is absolutely wonderful and her dogs are bred to be family dogs. But I agree with you 100% that puppy mills are real and rampant and should not be supported by buying $1200 pet store puppies.
jtemcio
YAY!!!
I think cats are the best pets but I am severely allergic 🙁 I’m glad you saved those cats!
jtemcio
But you love your dig and you are giving your pet a good home! That is 100% Wonderful!!
jtemcio
That is SUCH A SWEET Story!! Thank you for sharing it – so sweet!
jtemcio
I totally understand! Our Reese is very hateful and nippy at times but we are all older and know how to deal with him. If I had a younger child I would not feel safe with the chihuahua around them.
Rosey
I am that person that would adopt the oldest or ugliest pet just because I wouldn’t want them to die. I’ve been that way my whole life. I married a man, however, who won’t let us get a pet, no ifs ands or buts about it (he’s a mailman, many dogs hate mailmen, and he gets his fair share of reminders), so my kids haven’t gotten to experience the joy of owning one.
Holly @ Woman Tribune
Adopting an older pet is so important! We always hear people say that they want to get a kitten or a puppy, but not as often that they want a cat or a dog. You are very awesome for adopting Reese. He is a very lucky pup!
Petro Neagu
I was planning to get a puppy once we move into a bigger house but now I’ve got second thoughts. Maybe it’s actually better to get an older dog…
Kenneth Agudo
Oh my that is very adorable and charitable. The dog looks cute and sweet. That act of mettle is something that the world needs today.
Chasity Boatman
What a heartwarming story! I would love to adopt a pet for Benjamin. Both of my dogs growing up were rescues.
Mama to 5 BLessings
so cute! People are leery with adopting older animals because of their past history. Kuddos that you do not have that mindset!
Kassondra from Motherhood Community
As much as I know about the importance of spaying and neutering your pets, I hadn’t thought about the age of adopted animals. Thanks for the information!
Joanna Sormunen
My sister has two adopted dogs and two adopted cats, and some adopted bunnies, guinea pigs and I think she’s going to adopt some more. It’s a great way to save a life and give a home.