7 Reasons to Adopt a Dog

When it comes to adding a new addition to your family, you’ve likely considered adopting a rescue dog. If you’re nervous about adopting, we’re happy to alleviate some of the nerves. There are many reasons to adopt a dog, and we are happy to give you the extra nudge you need to make the leap from considering to meeting some lovable, adoptable dogs that may be the right fit for your family.

1. Join the Growing Club of Adoptive Dog Parents

I always assumed the vast majority of dog owners adopted their best friends from shelters. However, this isn’t true! In Australia, the amount of adopted dogs just slightly outweighs the number bought from breeders. According to Statista, 38.6% of Australian pets come from shelters, while 37.8% are purchased from breeders. The remaining dogs were either gifted to their owners (18%) or found through an adoption agency (4%).

This makes being a parent of an adopted dog an exclusive club!

2. Save a Dog’s Life… and Many More

One of the most heartbreaking facts is that not all dogs that go into a shelter come out. In fact, according to the RSPCA 40% of the dogs that enter their care are adopted out. That means that 60% were less fortunate. Opting to adopt can prevent one more dog from being euthanized.

Additionally, when you adopt from a shelter, the adoption fee goes beyond just providing for your dog’s vet care. It also keeps the shelter’s doors open and allows them to provide vet care for many other pets.

3. Adopted Dogs Repay The Favor in Pure Love

Most dog owners agree that their rescued pups love them unconditionally. While they can’t express it in words, adopted dogs are quite grateful to their families. They know that their humans rescued them, and they bond deeply with their owners. 

4. Reduce the Expense

Purchasing a dog from a breeder averages 4x as expensive as adopting from a shelter. This makes owning a dog more affordable–and gives you more spare cash to purchase all the necessities you’ll need for keeping your canine companion content.

5. Eliminate or Reduce Initial Vet Bills

Not only does buying a dog from a breeder cost more upfront, but a puppy from a breeder requires vet services, such as getting desexed, vaccinated, and a wellness check. Most shelters perform all of this vet care before making the dog available for adoption. Plus, most rescues worm and microchip their available dogs. 

6. Skip the Training and Learning Curve

Shelters are filled with healthy dogs with healthy minds–many of which are already filled with commands and other skills. This allows many lucky owners to skip the potty training phase, the teething phase, and the puppy messes that come along with both. 

A lot of shelter dogs are also well-socialised with other dogs and children. 

7. Find Your Pawfect Size and Personality

Adopting a dog allows you to pick out the doggo that is ideal for you. You can compare them by size, energy level, coat style, and more! Many dogs in shelters are mixed-breed dogs, which can have perks when it comes to their long-term health.

While many shelter dogs are mixed breed, you can find some full-breed dogs looking for homes, too.

Why Do Dogs Wind Up in Shelters?

There’s a myth that shelters are filled with dogs that have behavior issues. This is simply not true. Many dogs wind up in rescues for reasons outside of their control and their pawsonalities. The most common reasons dogs in up in a shelter include:

• Owner allergies
• Their owner’s housing isn’t pet-friendly
• Moving overseas
• Divorce or break-up
• Financial insecurity
• Death of the owner
• The dog becomes a stray
  
  

Adopt Your Next Dog & Give the Gift of a Life

There are thousands of dogs awaiting homes in shelters across Australia. If you're looking for your next best friend, there's a good chance your dog soul mate is waiting for you right now in a shelter near you. In fact, you don't even have to go in person to explore them--most shelters post their adoptable dogs online. So, go check them out!