Every year, millions of animals sit in animal shelters and adoption centers, waiting for a home they may never get. According to the American Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals “Nearly over 6.5 million animals enter shelters each year but only 3.2 million are adopted.” Many shelters struggle with poor conditions due to overcrowding and lack of resources, with sick or diseased animals being sold.
Meanwhile, it is crucial to see the insights of fellow adopters and their opinions. Freshman Emma Ramirez shares her experience with adopting. The safety and overall state of these shelters can typically be unsatisfactory to many, even raising awareness among adopters like Ramirez.
”For me whenever I adopted my dogs it was a good experience, there were lots of dogs there, almost too many,” said Ramirez.
Even with shelters and loving families, there are many animals without a home. Adopting is the best way to combat this issue as most shelters typically have dozens of sweet animals ready for new homes. With a wide range of animals to choose from, most people on estimate would rather shop than adopt, particularly for specific breeds. Freshman Gracie Padilla shares their opinion on what animals are the most popular to adopt.
“Golden retrievers are the most popular to adopt, because they are a commonly owned dog,” said Padilla.
While dogs are most commonly thought of in relation to adoption, cats are also very popular in shelters. Dozens of cats from the age of tiny kittens to full grown, spend most of their time lying in a cold, unfamiliar space. Some could say that dogs are the most family-friendly pets but studies show that both are equally as friendly. This conversation could potentially explain why there are more cats in shelters than dogs. In addition to animal adoption with animals other than dogs, many small animals are available just like these others in shelters. While some shelters do not have them, they are still accessible in many shelters everywhere.
Many shelters according to PETA say that because of severe space limitations, they are forced to euthanize animals who are old, seriously ill, or aggressive as well as those who remain unclaimed or don’t get adopted after a certain number of days. Many animals, especially dogs and cats, are waiting to be taken home. These animals deserve to live a happy life outside of the shelter, fulfilling the basic instinct of being free. This would be much more beneficial rather than spending their time in a cold, dirty kennel that has no home for them. Freshman Lauren Rendayne explains how she feels about shelters.
“I feel like shelters are just sad, it’s hard to pick one animal versus when you are at a store and have more of a variety to choose from, but I would say either process is good,” said Rendayne.
Shelters are bursting at the seams, filled with animals running out of time. Animal shelters are now exceeding the space capacity available for these animals. With shelters overcrowded and animals in need , adoption can be the difference between life and death for many pets.