Adopt Don’t Shop: The Impact of Choosing Rescue Pets
Celebrating National Pet Week (May 5–11)
Every year during National Pet Week, we celebrate the unconditional love, companionship, and joy that pets bring into our lives. It’s also a powerful reminder of the choices we make when welcoming a new furry friend into our homes. One of the most impactful decisions a prospective pet owner can make is to adopt rather than shop.
The Overpopulation Crisis
According to the ASPCA, approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. shelters every year—around 3.1 million dogs and 3.2 million cats (ASPCA, n.d.). Sadly, not all of them find homes. Despite growing awareness, over 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized each year due to overcrowding and lack of resources.
Adopting a rescue pet helps alleviate this burden by giving a deserving animal a second chance. It also helps reduce demand from commercial breeders and puppy mills, many of which prioritize profit over animal welfare.
The Benefits of Rescue
Beyond saving a life, rescue pets offer incredible rewards. Studies show that adopted pets tend to be more grateful and form strong emotional bonds with their owners (Reevy & Delgado, 2015). Many shelters also ensure animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and health-checked before adoption, which can reduce upfront veterinary costs for new pet parents.
Adoption also supports community-based shelters and nonprofit organizations working tirelessly to protect animal welfare. By choosing to adopt, you're reinforcing a humane ecosystem where care, compassion, and responsibility guide pet ownership.
Debunking Common Myths
One of the biggest misconceptions is that shelter pets are somehow "damaged" or less desirable. In reality, pets end up in shelters for a variety of reasons—owner relocation, financial hardship, or family changes—not because they are flawed. Shelters and rescue groups often assess the behavior, temperament, and health of animals to ensure a good match between pets and their new families (Weiss et al., 2012).
A Sustainable Choice
Adoption is also a more environmentally and ethically sustainable option. Puppy mills contribute to the overbreeding crisis and often maintain substandard conditions. Choosing adoption over purchasing pets helps combat this exploitative system, promoting a more just and compassionate world for animals (McMillan et al., 2011).
How You Can Help This National Pet Week
Adopt: Visit your local shelter or check rescue organizations online. Websites like Petfinder or Adopt-a-Pet allow you to filter pets by location, age, and breed.
Foster: If you can't commit long-term, fostering a pet is a meaningful way to offer temporary care.
Volunteer: Shelters rely heavily on volunteers for everything from walking dogs to organizing events.
Donate: Supplies, time, or monetary donations all go a long way.
Spread the word: Share stories of rescue success on social media to inspire others to adopt.
References
ASPCA. (n.d.). Pet statistics. https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
McMillan, F. D., Duffy, D. L., & Serpell, J. A. (2011). Mental health of dogs formerly used as "breeding stock" in commercial breeding establishments. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 135(1-2), 86–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2011.10.006
Reevy, G. M., & Delgado, M. M. (2015). Are emotionally bonded humans more likely to adopt shelter cats? Anthrozoös, 28(3), 459–470. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2015.1052267
Weiss, E., Slater, M., & Lord, L. (2012). Frequency of lost dogs and cats in the United States and the methods used to locate them. Animals, 2(2), 301–315. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani2020301