So, you’ve determined that you’re mature, responsible, and caring enough to have a pet. Now, the next question is where is the best place to find a pet?
If you want a low-maintenance pet, such as a fish, bird, rodent, or lizard, the local pet store is your best bet. Not all stores are created equally, though. You may want to look around to find out which stores care for their animals best. Avoid pet stores that look run-down and dirty. Chances are the animals they keep aren’t healthy. Look for a well-lit pet store that with a knowledgeable staff that takes good care of the animals.
Meanwhile, if you want to adopt a dog or cat, consider looking into pet adoption fairs, a shelter, or a humane society. There are many reasons why you should consider adopting a pet from foster care, rescue, or shelter. Among these are:
• You may be saving the animal’s life
• You’re helping the organization make room for more animals in need
• You’re helping with the worldwide problem of pet homelessness
• It’s more affordable to adopt a dog from shelters
• The shelter staff knows the personality of their animals so you can ask their advice on which pet would be the perfect match for you
• Rescued dogs know that they’ve been rescued, they are more loyal as a result
You also can ask local reputable breeders to sell one of their puppies to you. Pet stores also sell cute puppies. Unfortunately, if you look deeply enough you will realize that though these puppies look cute and healthy, they actually came from “puppy farms”. Puppy farms are owned by breeders who don’t care about the living conditions of animals. Their aim is simply to breed as many dogs as fast as possible for profit. Ask your pet store where they source their dogs and try to find out if the breeder has a good reputation before you buy.
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Some pet stores are just down right scary in their appearance. There are many I won’t visit anymore because of they way they seem to operate.
I had a rescued dog as a pet, and I agree that they are very loyal. He always wanted to be near me. I would recommend adopting a rescue dog very highly.
Not knocking adoption, but if you do enough research and choose wisely, you can get the perfect pooch from a reputable breeder. This is coming from 25 years of rescuing animals (everything from birds, dogs, cats, goats and even a pig) and nearly two years ago, I obtained my first purebred from a breeder. Never buy a dog from a pet store, as they come from puppy mills – no matter what the sales person tells you. No decent breeder would sell their fur baby to someone not knowing about the home it would go to, much less a pet store. As for rescuing those pups from the pet store, by bringing one home, you are supporting the puppy mills, encouraging them to continue. When in doubt, don’t do it. Research, research, research, and it will pay off. Even before going to the adoption center, know what you want and don’t want in an animal. It will make the decision all the easier when you are at the shelter, and you will be less likely to regret your decision because you have done some research. By the way, my purebred is probably the most loyal and loving animal I have ever had the joy to own (with about 1 1/2 years of research!!).