The stray animal population in Europe alone is at an astounding 100,000,000. An estimated 7,6 million animals alone enter U.S. animal shelters every year. These numbers are way over the top. Despite the diligent efforts of international and local animal rescue organizations working around the clock to find homes and support these rescue animals, the numbers continue to grow due to irresponsible pet owners and lack of spaying.
Animal rescue organizations in Europe continually search for and find homes for stray dogs and cats inside and across their borders. FAPF (the Foundation of Animal Protection in Füzsabony) is a perfect example. Zsanett Moinár started the foundation with her sister, Izabell Moinár, in 2007. My family got to know FAPF while my daughter was studying veterinary medicine in Budapest. During her time there, she worked as a volunteer fostering FAPF rescues. Also, many veterinary students there volunteer their time to support the organization in re-homing their animals.
The biggest problem is despite all the work being done and the many success stories shared, the numbers of stray animals don’t go down. They continually go up! There are still too many stray dogs and cats on the street who have not been so lucky to find new homes.
After I wrote my first book, “The Magic of Princess Patsy,” I decided to become an advocate and support animal awareness and education. I also decided that creating donations to different organizations would be a great first step. So, I intend to grow a strong social media presence with tips for adults and children on the how-tos in choosing and adopting a pet.
Any house pet requires lots of love, time, and energy. However, it can often be expensive if the animal has existing medical issues or develops new ones during its lifetime. But these animals’ ability to love unconditionally is often overlooked and taken for granted. So, if you care about animals, you can offer them a loving home by adopting them, and thus, get a lifelong partner.
Advantages of owning a rescue animal versus buying a full breed
Animal shelters in Europe and the US often have difficulty due to the lack of funding. Their stray animals await loving homes that provide unconditional love after adoption. When you adopt them, they are happier and can turn out to become your lifelong partner. Not just love, it is also about adequate grooming and cleaning, which your home can provide.
Let’s look at some of the advantages of owning a rescue animal.
- It saves two lives at once. Not only are you saving the life of one pet after adoption but also making space at the shelter for another animal that needs help. Unknowingly, you can also enhance your own life as pets tend to be a great form of therapy for those dealing with mental health issues.
- Most adult rescue animals that have spent some time at the shelter are already up to date with their vaccinations. This saves you the money and energy of taking them for the initial doctor’s visits. You also save on the expense of spaying or neutering the dog as the shelter does it unless it’s a puppy.
- Adoption is much more affordable compared to buying from a breeder. Breeders usually sell pets for an exorbitant price because these are typically classy breeds like German Shepherds or Huskies that are purebred. On the other hand, adopting rescue animals is cheaper because they are already neutered and vaccinated. Also, animal shelters do not consider it a business, unlike breeders. Their main purpose is to find a loving home for the little ones.
- You can find almost any breed you want at an animal shelter because shelters do not discriminate when they bring in stray dogs and cats. So, if you are looking for a specific breed, you can always do some research online and find a shelter that has it.
- Shelter dogs are always eager to follow your instructions. Studies have proved that rescue animals are much better at interacting with humans and following their lead when compared to dogs sold by a breeder. This is mainly because rescue animals come from great distress and are always craving love. The adult ones already have experience being around humans in the shelter. Hence, they tend to adjust better to a new home provided they receive unconditional love from you.
- Here’s a fun fact: rescue animals can help you find dates very easily. A survey by Slate proved this as they pointed out that “82% of people felt more confident approaching a person if they had their dog with them”. While this should not be the only motivation for you to adopt stray dogs and cats, it can definitely be an advantage. People with pets are often very approachable, caring, and interested in conversation.
- Rescue animals are often easier to housetrain compared to those bought through breeders. When applying for adoption, one can’t expect the animal to be trained already. They have been abandoned, and many have been left alone in deplorable conditions. However, the advantage of such stray dogs and cats is that they learn easily since they want to fit in quickly and want you to shower them with unconditional love. Adults have a better grasp of learning new things than puppies. This is one of the many pros of bringing home a rescued adult animal.
- By adopting an older rescue animal, you can also skip the chaotic puppy years. It requires time and energy to take care of a puppy as it requires to be trained and can only be left alone for short periods of time. However, an older dog is usually already trained or can easily be trained. This will save you a lot of trouble. You won’t even have to deal with issues like stolen and chewed-off shoes, torn cushions, and the havoc that puppies are known to create.
- It is easy to find a pet that matches your temperament and personality at an animal shelter. This is so because adult animals have already developed a personality which makes it easier for you to choose— no surprises there. With a puppy, you are in for a truckload of surprises as you do not know how they will turn out. If you are at a stage in your life where you want stability and balance, an adult rescue animal is the best kind.
Importance of Spaying/Neutering Rescue Animals
When it comes to the health of pets, there should not be any compromise, especially if you have taken on its responsibility. Rescue shelters immediately spay the stray dogs and cats they find to allow them a better chance at life without the onset of serious diseases. The stray animal population in Europe is neutered when the shelters find them. Here is why.
1. Necessary for the animal’s health and longevity
A study carried out by the University of Georgia shows that neutered dogs and cats live a longer and more fulfilling life than those who are not. Stray animals tend to roam around the streets a lot, and this means getting into fights with other strays, getting injured, infected, meeting with accidents, etc. Their lifespan is severely reduced due to not being neutered to face these challenges. In addition, unaltered female stray dogs and cats have a high chance of being diagnosed with uterine or mammary gland cancer, while the male ones can have testicular cancer.
However, neutering comes with certain cons like decreased metabolism and maturation, which leads to the animals becoming overweight. Their weight must be strictly monitored to avoid complications.
2. Neutering curbs unwarranted behaviors
Urine marking is a common form of marking territory for adult cats and dogs. While the males are known to do it more often, females do it too. Having a pet peeing around everywhere can be distressing and embarrassing when people visit. If you wish to curb such unwanted behaviors, the best thing to do is to neuter the animal. It lessens and sometimes even stops the urine-marking.
Shelters tend to neuter the rescue animals as soon as they are found. This is because the longer you wait, the more likely the surgery won’t solve the urine-marking problem. That might automatically reduce the chances of adoption for the animal.
3. Cuts future costs
Animal shelters do a huge favor to future pet owners by neutering the animals because it saves on a lot of medical costs later. Unneutered pets run the risk of being diagnosed with many complex health issues, which can end up being very expensive for pet owners.
Neutered rescue animals are the best deal you can think of getting. Apply to adopt today. You won’t regret it!
Final Thoughts
The world is not kind to stray dogs and cats. People often mistreat them, harm them, and many times they end up on the streets alone and abandoned. They are left alone, scared, and must fend on their own. Despite the efforts of animal shelters doing all they can to rescue and rehome these animals, many people still continue to overlook the call for help and insist on buying their dogs from expensive breeders.
If you genuinely love animals and care for them, you can provide a loving home for those who need it the most. Adoption is a noble deed, and I do hope you will consider it!