Adopt a Pet This Holiday Season

by Alexandra Pauline - December 21, 2011

The Truth About Cats & Dogs

This may be the season of holiday cheer and good will toward men, but what about our furry friends out there looking for a warm and loving home?

More than ever, shelters all over the country are packed with strays and abandoned cats and dogs in need of a good home. And we've heard that YOU just might be considering bringing a furry addition into your family? Well, you're in luck: adopting a shelter animal is the Fab & Fru way to find a cuddly critter - while saving the life of a deserving pet!

Why Adopt?

Choosing to adopt a pet is an affordable and humane alternative to purchasing one from a pet store or breeder. Not only is it far less expensive (usually just the cost of shots and neutering), adoption helps to mitigate pet overpopulation. John Everette, who represents Aimee Gilbreath, Executive Director of Found Animals Foundation, an L.A.-based animal welfare group says; "More puppies are sold at pet stores during the holidays than any other time of the year. Pet overpopulation is such an epidemic that many retailers are beginning to take notice and make positive changes by severing their ties with substandard backyard breeders and puppy mills, which supply many of these stores." In fact, many pet stores in cities like New York, don't sell dogs and cats, but rather work with mobile divisions of local shelters who set up their adoption trucks outside of stores like Petco, and encourage shoppers and passerbys to adopt.

It Takes All Kinds


Adopting a pet isn't just a one sided good deed. You have more options than you think when searching for your ideal kitty or canine companion. You'll be surprised to find a vast variety of dogs and cat breeds at your local shelter. In addition Petfinder.com can also help you locate your perfect pet by searching local shelters and foster care situations as well as facilities and adoption programs around the country. And if you have your heart set on a pure bred, the Humane Society says that 25% of animals in shelters are! So unless you need to know every detail of lineage of your pooch, you can adopt a pure bred - without the pedigree price tag!

No Money for Mutts

If we still haven't convinced you, the sad reality is that the current state of the economy has had a major effect on the amount of perfectly healthy pets that have been abandoned. "The toll on pets is just as big as on people," says Dawn Lauer of the Humane Society of the United States. "We are seeing many more pets relinquished to shelters or abandoned because of the recession", and unfortunately, many shelters can no longer handle the volume. Randee Goldman, founder of Lhasa Happy Homes, a private non-profit animal foster center in Santa Monica, California, rescues dogs endangered of being euthanized in shelters. And although her organization would like to help all pets in need, Randee says they've; "stopped taking owner-surrendered dogs and chosen to only take dogs out of the shelter."

How Much Is that Doggy in the Window?

A new pet is truly the gift that keeps on giving! But never adopt a pet yourself or give an animal as a gift unless you are 100% certain that you -or the person receiving the pet - wants to and is financially and time wise able to care for the animal. The worst thing you can possibly do is to put an undue burden on yourself or someone who is not ready for the responsibility of owning a pet. It you have any doubt, please don't risk jeopardizing the animal's life - again. So, before adopting a pet, do the math! Create a pet budget and make sure you have the monthly funds to care for your new addition!

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