Dillinger the Dog

This afternoon, Josh and I played with a dog at the animal shelter. His name was Dillinger and he was a Beagle mix. Although, he didn't really look like a beagle. Anyway, he was a great dog! He was surrendered to the shelter because his previous owner didn't think he/she could train him. But, he was really well-mannered and seemed to even be housebroken! If we were in a position to take care of a dog, I would definitely consider adopting Dillinger. For now, I'm glad to know that we brightened his day by taking him outside and giving him some love. Whether you're looking to adopt or not, playing with a shelter dog is an easy way to volunteer if you love animals. Playing with Dillinger didn't just brighten his day, it also brightened mine. (I think it brightened Josh's day, too, but I can't really speak for him on the subject.)

The point of this story is that, when looking to adopt a dog, it's a good idea to look at a shelter first. Contrary to popular belief, the dogs in shelters are not all abused, abandoned, or 'bad' dogs. (Although, I think these dogs are especially in need of loving homes, but not everyone has time for the training necessary to rehabilitate a formerly mistreated dog.) For the most part shelter animals are in shelters simply because their owners couldn't care for them. They're sweet, healthy animals who just want to love and be loved.

3-4 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters every year. By adopting from a shelter you not only save your new friend, you also open up a spot in the shelter for another homeless pet. Plus, by refusing to by from a pet store, you withhold your buying power from puppy mills. Every dollar spent that supports a puppy mill gives them fuel to continue existing because it's a "profit-driven business." If you don't buy, they don't breed. Incidentally, without puppy mills continuously breeding dogs for whom there are no homes, the number of euthanized animals would also decrease.
Top Five Reasons to Adopt

Reason #2 to be Vegetarian: 72% of all grain grown goes to feed livestock despite the fact that 925 million people worldwide are hungry. In fact, a child dies from starvation every 5 seconds. The grain currently used to feed livestock could feed 800 million people, which lessens the problem of hunger significantly. Why feed a cow when a person is hungry? By being vegetarian, you lower demand for meat worldwide. If the demand lessens then so will the supply. Maybe then we can feed children rather than chickens. Furthermore, exporting the grain that we currently feed to livestock would boost the US trade balance by $800 billion/year. Why let a pig eat $800 billion?