October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, and the Best Friends Animal Society has a plea: if you are able and have the resources, please consider adopting a rescue pet from your local animal shelter.
While the no-kill rate is successfully trending down, many shelter animals still need to be euthanized, which is why it is important to adopt from a rescue if possible.
That being said, having a pet is also beneficial to our health as humans.
“Studies have shown that pets can reduce stress and reduce anxiety. This is especially helpful in difficult times like the one we have seen over the past year and a half, ”said Emily Katribe, Veterinarian and Medical Director of Best Friends, in a press release. “Dogs are also great friends for walking or hiking. It’s like having a personal trainer with four legs. “
Adopt a Shelter Dog Month is in October and Best Friends hopes you can adopt when you are able.
Many older dogs in animal shelters are already house trained, and relearning this behavior once the initial stress of moving is over is usually a quick adjustment.
Keeping your lifestyle in mind is also an important consideration when adopting a shelter dog – will it fit in with your family? (Do you have young children? A big dog probably isn’t a good plan.) Do you go hiking often? Then you might want more of an energetic breed. On the flip side, if you prefer to watch Netflix or read most nights, a couch potato would be a good snuggly buddy.
Grooming is also a great choice for getting used to the ins and outs of a new dog in your household beforehand, and knowing your dog’s medical history is also a good idea – if your human family members are having medical issues or if your human family members are having medical issues or weddings / divorces then an easy-care dog is not a particularly good plan, and puppies are wonderfully cute but also need a lot of time and energy to exercise.
Best Friends is an organization founded in the early 1980s in Kanab, Utah, which is where its headquarters are located, and it also has offices in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. Their goal is to avoid killing all shelters by 2025, and they put on a concert beforehand and teamed up with NASCAR driver Alex Bowman earlier this year.
Adopt a Shelter Dog Month would be a great time to adopt a new dog if you can.