Pets Should Be Adopted, Not Bought

[FAM Times reporter Park Joo-hye] Most people prefer buying an animal from a well-known breeder or pet shop to adopting a pet from an animal shelter.

They are unaware that the young animals handled by breeders or shops come from puppy mills or kitten mills. These animal mills fail to provide young animals with sufficient care and affection.

There are also many misconceptions about adopting animals from shelters. Many people commonly assume that animals in shelters have behavioral problems.

In fact, most animals end up in shelters because their previous owners could not provide adequate care. Previous owners usually surrender animals to shelters for reasons such as financial difficulties, moving, or not having enough time to care for them.

Some animals in shelters are victims of abuse, and shelter staff and volunteers devote great care to preparing abused animals for adoption and helping them open up.

Shelter staff and volunteers ensure that every animal is in good health before adoption, and veterinarians are also on hand at shelters to examine and treat the animals.

Shelters implant microchips in animals, saving their new adopters the trouble of arranging it themselves. This contrasts with some pet shops, which charge adopters enormous fees under the pretext of vaccinations, microchipping, and other services.

Every year, 6 million to 8 million dogs wait to be adopted from animal shelters. However, because there are so many abandoned animals and shelters can accommodate only a limited number, some dogs are at risk of euthanasia despite the efforts of shelter staff and volunteers to find them adoptive homes.

Animal experts recommend that people considering getting a pet adopt rather than buy from a pet shop. They argue that doing so not only saves an animal's life but also allows local shelters to take in more animals and helps reduce animal overpopulation, abandonment, and abuse.

Reporter Park Joo-hye fam1@pcss.co.kr