Look at this face! Her name is Hope, and she was adopted from a shelter over the pandemic by our logistics manager Pat and her hubby. April 30 is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day, and if you’re looking for a new pet, skip the puppy mills and inbred purebreds and head over to a local shelter instead.

We at Lift Your TableⓇ folding table risers are committed to rescuing our fur-babies.  Puppies and kittens are awfully cute and they are an awful lot of work too! Older pets, even if they’re only a year or two, are past the chew-everything stage and usually are potty trained as well. (Granted, most cats “get” the whole litterbox concept pretty quickly.)

When you adopt instead of buy, you’re probably saving your animal’s life. Feral cats that live outdoors have shorter lifespans than pet cats. Unfortunately, many areas still have shelters that euthanize animals when they’re overcrowded or an animal can’t be adopted out. 

Sometimes people believe that if they get a purebred dog (or cat) that they “know” what they’ll get in terms of personality. But that’s just not true, and every pet has its own personality. There are mean purebred labrador retrievers that don’t play well with kids, and sweet-as-pie snugglebug pit bulls. 

When you go to a shelter, the staff has already assessed the animal you’re looking at. Some of them color-code according to personality, as some pets are ready to be active and rough-and-tumble with the kids in the family. Some would LOVE to be your hiking buddy.  Others prefer to hang out on your lap all day. 

Maybe they’ll give you the animal’s “Hogwarts house” – surprisingly, not all cats are Slytherin. They’ll have determined how the animal plays with other animals, or doesn’t. 

So you will know to some degree what you’re getting from the shelter. You might even  have much better insight into an individual animal’s personality beyond “Siamese cats are vocal” and “greyhounds mostly want to Netflix and chill with their pet parents after they’ve had a good mad dash around the neighborhood.”

But wait, there’s more! There are additional benefits to adopting instead of buying.

1. They mostly come from good families

So many people think that animals are given up to shelters because of bad behavior, but the truth is it’s usually the people who can no longer care for them who give them up. 

An elderly owner may have passed away without relatives that can take the pet in. Sometimes pets are given up in a divorce, or because the breadwinner has lost their job and the family can’t afford to keep them.

Many of the families have potty trained their pets and the animals are already used to being with people. If they’ve been rescued from an abusive situation (which is the person’s fault, not the pet’s), with some training the pet can lead a happy, healthy life with a new family. 

Our other office family dog, Bunny (who you’ve seen before, sometimes eating a pupsicle) came from an abusive situation. Even though she’s a big scary-looking pittie mix, she was frightened of people and other animals at first. But after we put in the time to work with her, she’s a big lovebug who likes meeting new people and plays well with Hope and other doggies.

2. Adoption can be SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive

Your purebred breeder may hand over a pup that hasn’t been neutered, but the animal shelter won’t, and they typically pick up the cost as well. The adoption fees are much, much lower than what you’ll pay for a purebred pet. Often the first vaccinations are done in-house, and they microchip too.

One of the problems with purebreds is that if the breeder isn’t careful, inherited maladaptive traits can be transferred from generation to generation. You could end up with an animal that quickly goes blind if blindness is an inherited trait in the breed. All the breeds of animals with short noses (both cats and dogs) can inherit breathing problems that shorten their lives.

Getting a mixed breed from a shelter is not a guarantee that your pet will be healthy into old age, but you do have a better shot at avoiding the purebred problems. 

3. Extra health boost (for you)

You’ve probably seen all the studies that show animal companions can help you destress and bring down your blood pressure, improving your mental health. And if you adopt a pet that likes to play or needs good long walks, you’ve got physical benefits too.

Additionally, you don’t have to feel bad that you may have contributed, however inadvertently, to a puppy mill. You get the added satisfaction of knowing that you saved a life and helped another pet get to the shelter instead of living homeless and unloved. 

4. Fighting puppy mills 

The problem isn’t so widespread with cats, but puppy mills are designed for profit and pay no attention to the welfare of the animals. Not only are the mothers, who are constantly bred their entire short lives, sick, but contagious conditions often result in sick puppies as well.

And when a dog can no longer produce a litter, they’re disposed of: killed, abandoned, or sold. Most dogs need human companionship and they don’t get any when they’re basically a cog in a machine for breeding more money. 

You may not want to support them, but if you buy an animal through the pet store, on the internet or through a classified ad, you’re more likely than not supporting the mills in some way. Adopt and reduce the demand for purebreds (or specific crossbreeds like labradoodles), which helps put the puppy mills out of business!

What are you waiting for? If you’re in need of an animal companion – or your current pet could really use a playmate – head on over to your nearest shelter THIS WEEKEND and see what they’ve got!

Lift Your Table Ⓡ folding table risers is proud to support our local Humane Society and invite you to do the same!  

Lift Your TableⓇ… SAVE YOUR BACK!

NOTE: Did you know Lift Your TableⓇ folding table risers are compatible with many portable grooming tables?  If you groom or show your animal and you could use a higher work surface, consider our risers. Here’s a quick grooming video to show you how it works:  https://youtu.be/ExYSGdqFAe4.  Check out our full product line of folding table risers here.