Pet adoption

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking ownership of and responsibility for a pet that a previous owner has abandoned or otherwise abdicated responsibility for. Common sources forare

• Animal shelters, in the case of dogs also known as dog pounds
• Rescue groups
• Pets out of captivity without identification, and which remain unclaimed by any owner
• Advertisements placed by individuals who are trying to find a new home for their pet
• Pets that have been abused or neglected and have been confiscated from the offending owner
• A fast growing source is online pet adoption through not-for-profit websites such as www.1-800-Save-A-Pet.comor www.petfinder.com. Public service sites such as these have searchable databases of pets, maintained by thousands of animals shelters, and are searchable by the public.

Dogs adopted from shelters are often referred to as shelter dogs or pound puppies; dogs adopted from are often called rescue dogs (not to be confused with search and rescue dogs).

Pets are taken to animal shelters for many reasons.

• Death: Owner dies and no one in the family wants to (or can) keep the pet
• Changed circumstances: Financial or living arrangements change drastically and people feel that they can no longer provide an appropriate home for the pet. This might also include someone having to move to a new living situation where the landlord or roommates do not allow a pet.
• Second thoughts: A pet was purchased after the spur of the moment decision or as a gift (frequently for Christmas). Some time afterward, owners discover that caring for the pet is much more work than expected, or requires more space or exercise than they are prepared to give
• Lost pet: Pet leaves home or cannot find its way back, and owner doesn't succeed in finding it.
• Health: Severe health problems make it impossible to have a dog in the house or impossible for the owner to care for the dog
• Moving across borders: People leave the country; quarantine laws in some countries can be traumatic to pets and owners, so to avoid the stress, the pet is surrendered to the animal shelter.
• Allergies: Many owners claim to have developed allergies to their pets, or that their children have developed allergies to their pets.

People deal with their unwanted pets in many ways. Some people have the pet euthanized (also known as putting it down or putting it to sleep), although many veterinarians do not consider this to be an ethical use of their resources for young and healthy animals, while others argue that euthanasia is a more humane option than leaving a dog or cat someplace to fend for themselves because there wasn't any room or place for the animal. Other people euthanize pets because of terminal illnesses or injuries, while still others even do it for common and treatable health problems. More responsible owners will take the pet to a shelter, or call a rescue organization, where it will be cared for properly until a new home can be found for the animal. Euthanasia is often used for the excess animals to make room for newer pets, unless the place has a no-kill policy. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that 3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the US because of a lack of homes. Animal protection advoces urge people to spay/neuter their pets and to adopt instead of buying animals in order to reduce the number of animals who have to be euthanized.

To help lower the amount of animals euthanized and save the lives of those animals, many shelters have developed a no-kill policy. These shelters keep their animals as long as it takes to find them new homes. They don't euthanize any animals. Most city shelters don't have this policy though because of the enormous amount of animals they get in. They simply don't have the space for all of them. No-kill shelters are usually run by groups that have volunteers or individuals with an abundance of space who foster pets until a permanent home can be found for that pet. Many of these groups and individuals, however, will not take in new pets. They will take back pets that they have adopted out, but not those from individuals simply needing to rehome their pet. This is because they would be left with more unwanted pets than they have foster families or space for.

The central issue in the adoption of a pet is whether a new owner can provide a safe, secure, permanent home for the pet. Many shelters and pounds cannot supply the animal with a suitable home.

A new owner might also face a pet who has been neglected or abused. In those cases, he/she must be extra patient with the animal and provide it with the right care to help the pet overcome the past.