Reader says shelter dogs have very much to offer
Shannon Gallagher
Reader says shelter dogs have very much to offer
How much is that doggy in the window? While pet store windows are full of cute puppies this holiday season, cold cages of animal shelters are full as well.
But who can ignore that cute face in the pet store window? Maybe you can, if you understand that buying a pet store puppy frequently finances puppy mills and their deplorable conditions. Doing so also sentences another dog in a shelter to death — a dog that has been longing for a new home this holiday season.
If a guilty conscience isn’t enough to keep you out of a pet store, maybe a hefty price tag around the neck of a pup will be enough to discourage the purchase. Or maybe the fact that your hard-earned cash will fill the pockets of the pet store and puppy mill proprietors who may not consider the welfare of their puppies.
A healthy pup is a lucky find when purchased from a pet store. Most are taken from their mothers at a very young age and shipped in unsanitary trucks to pet store locations. Here, they may be exposed to illnesses which range from worms to parvo, or worse. The pet stores offer "insurance" for vet bills which are likely to rack up after treating a puppy for these diseases — but try to collect, and you’ll probably receive a "claims denied" letter from the company in the mail.
Puppy mill and pet store owners hide behind the faces of innocent pups. It isn’t the puppies that we blame, it is the money-making ring of puppy mill owners.
In shelters, however, this is not the case. Donations given by individuals who adopt pets keep the shelter running. The small donations just cover the cost of necessary vet bills in the shelter. The shelters rely mostly on fund-raisers and beneficiaries just to keep the doors open for orphan puppies. The people who work in shelters are volunteers who make sure dogs thrive in their new adoptive homes. They dedicate their lives to the welfare of animals.
You can find puppies in shelters, but also older trained and tested dogs with health certificates and a list of already-given vaccines.
So, before you ask "How much is the doggy in the window?" this holiday season, consider how you can save a life — and your money.
Shannon Gallagher is a resident of Millstone