You walk into the shelter, look around for a while and then there it is. The animal of your dreams. You found the one. 

Many people want a pet for various reasons: the joy and liveliness that having a pet brings, maybe to encourage you to get some exercise, or that it can help with depression. However, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with owning a pet. Walking, feeding, and playing with your pet may gradually become a hassle with a busy schedule. 

Not everyone is a pet person, so making sure you have the resources and time to care for your pet is vital before making that decision to welcome a new pet into your home. Some people may start out loving the pet, but that can change. Some hoard animals and then neglect them, failing to provide a good home for them. As well, there are many people who have suffered violence themselves and then turn to beating animals as a result. These actions cause the animals to become vicious to the point where no one wants them anymore and they are too dangerous to be kept as pets. If found by the authorities these animals often get euthanized. As well, animals can be intentionally bred, beaten, and trained to participate in dogfights. This causes the animals many injuries, including “…severe bruising, deep puncture wounds and broken bones. Dogs used in these events often die of blood loss, shock, dehydration, exhaustion or infection hours or even days after the fight.” This is illegally done by many who have suffered violence in the past, and want entertainment. 

Animals that are abused could have much more potential and deserve so much more. You cannot judge an animal before looking into its past. They should be given the opportunity to change. We need to appreciate the true value of every animal, even the smallest ones, and realize that they can be made into something better with the right resources. 

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Once these animals are considered a threat and are no longer wanted, many get euthanized. “Each year, approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized (390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats)”. 

Before adopting an animal from a shelter, WE need to create a type of background check and licensing requirement so that every animal is going to their right forever home and will be loved. Many people don’t realize that having a pet takes a lot of work, just like having kids. Because there is no licensing required to have a kid, parents may not be financially stable and fit to raise a child in this world leading to many children suffering a rough life.  

Having a pet should be a great experience for both the animal and the owner, so let’s make sure that all animals are treated with kindness and find their rightful owners!