What Is Pet Adoption

Behind the Scenes: What is Pet Adoption?

Pet adoption is the process of taking responsibility for a pet or animal. The pet or animal may have been abandoned or surrendered to a shelter because their owners are unable to care for them.

Common places where you can adopt a pet would be in animal shelters (for dogs, it is more known as dog pound). Pets that are in captivity without any identification and unclaimed by the owner are also adoptable pets. There are also people who put up advertisements putting their pet into adoption. Aside from this, the internet is a good source of adoptable pets. There are several websites that displays information, photos about adoptable pets.

Irresponsible owners, owners who abuse their animals continuously, may lose their pets altogether. There are animal rescue groups that save animals from abusive and violent owners. Not only animal rescue groups or organizations respond to calls of abused animals, but also they take abandoned, unwanted and stray pets. Rescue groups are frequently run by volunteers.

Pet adoption from rescue groups most of the times has stricter or more rigid process. Most of the times, it would include veterinary reference, background check and conducting a home visit. There would be adoption fees but these do not cover transportation for picking up the pet, providing veterinary care, vaccinations, training and food.

It is important for most rescue organizations to do these since pet adoption really is about knowing if the new owners of the pet will be able to handle the responsibility and care of their new pet. This is to avoid that the same thing happen again to the unfortunate animal.

Animal shelters on the other hand, are run by the government. However, animal shelters are the best place for pet adoption. Not only do they have adult animals, they also have kittens and puppies. An interesting fact about an animal shelter is that about 25 to 30 percent of animals in the shelters are purebreds.

Animal shelters also follow necessary procedures to ensure the proper care of animals put up for adoption. Many shelters offer adoption counselling and follow up assistance. This process serves as a background check on the persons who will adopt but also an effort to provide good matches between people and animals.

Animal shelters also do require adoption fees. But adoption fees are much less than the animal's purchase price in the pet store. Another benefit from adopting from shelters is that the pet is more likely to be already vaccinated, dewormed and spayed or neutered.

Even so, the new owner, most of the times, still encounter some challenges with the pet. These cases happen mostly with animals victim of abuse and neglect. The new owners should always provide extra patience in understanding and training the animals. These will help the pets to overcome the past.

According to Kelly Connolly of the Humane Society of the United States, there is an estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters each year. With these big numbers, there are just ad estimated 3,500 standing animal shelters in the United State, not including an unknown number of smaller, local and home-based rescue organizations. These figures only show that there are not enough places that could accommodate our pets.

For people who are interested in having pets, pet adoption is a great way of saving money. At the same time provide a life-long home and love for animals in shelters and rescue groups.