Adopt don’t shop
At FOUR PAWS we are passionate about adoption and encourage everyone to support their local shelter or animal welfare organisation by either adopting, fostering or donating.
When you adopt from an animal shelter or rescue organisation you are:
- Literally saving a life: Organisations and shelters deal with an incredible influx of pets as people are constantly abandoning pets. Unsterilised pets left to breed often mean owners end up with too many mouths to feed and then need the help of a welfare to rehome animals. Organisations also care for animals who were taken away from previous owners due to neglect or abuse.
- Helping break the cycle of pet overpopulation: Pets adopted from shelters/ rescues are always sterilised, which means no unwanted babies can be born. There is so much intentional and unintentional breeding as well as abandonment (for various reasons) happening that there are even breed-specific rescues/ welfares like Boston Terriers, Poodles and Pit bulls.
- Helping bring an end to cruel mass breeding facilities: This includes cruel ‘puppy mill’ setups as well as ‘backyard breeders’ and sidewalk puppy sellers. Here dogs are treated as money making machines and the females used as breeding machines. Animals are often forced to live in filthy environments and neglected. Tiny pups may be separated too early from their abused mothers to be sold for cash meaning puppies are often sick and they and the mother receive no medical care. It is a cruel business focused on profit with no care taken for the wellbeing of the animals.
- “Paying” less: An adoption fee at a shelter or rescue will always be less than purchasing a pet through a breeder (professional or backyard). Most rescues in South Africa have an adoption fee ranging between R700 and R1 000 (including sterilisation). Many wonder why so high or why a fee at all, and the reasons are simple: They have spent time and money on rescuing, feeding, vetting and sterilising the animal. Most animal welfares struggle financially, so the adoption fee is a means they can use to survive and continue helping animals.
- Encouraging others to do the same: People are creatures of habit, and tend to follow trends. By adapting to the ‘adopt don’t shop’ culture, more and more people will see what wonderful companion animals are available at shelters for adoption.
Do the right thing, adopt don't shop!
We can all #LiveKinder. Let’s be kinder in what we eat, kinder in what we do and kinder in how we treat animals and the planet.
