1. Why you should adopt a pet.

2. Pet Adoption vs. Breeders How many of you have a dog or a cat? Did you buy it from pet store, or from an ad in the newspaper? Did you even consider adoption? Attention

3. Preventable Deaths Each year more than 7.5 million dogs and cats enter shelters. Of these 2.7 million will be euthanized in the US alone (36%) (ASPCA). These animals aren’t much different than your own dog or cat, except nobody came to their rescue. https://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics Need

4. How does this happen The rate of pet abandonment remains high. Pets are being bred by people in order to make profit, despite the fact that shelters are overwhelmed. Pets are not spayed or neutered enough. Not enough shelter space, fosters or sponsors.

5. Ways to a solution Adoption: The best way is for more people to adopt versus buying. Fostering: Pet fosters give a pet a home while a new owner is found. Shelters have limited room and can’t wait long for a new owner to arrive. Fosters help this greatly. Sponsoring: Donating money to shelters helps them give better care to the animals and perhaps keep them longer. Shelters are always looking for volunteers. Satisfaction

6. They can’t protect themselves. 2.7 Million a year means; 7,000 a day or; 300 every hour; 5 every minute Photo from http://www.jcspan.org/Euthanasia.htmlhttp://www.jcspan.org/Euthanasia.html Visualization

7. Cruel and Unusual Punishment How did these animals end up here. Owners moved to a new residence that doesn’t allow pets. Life change (divorce/new job/new family member) “Dog got to big.” Too expensive. Sadly, these animals have no control over any of this.

8. Be part of the Solution Bottom line up front: If you adopt a pet you save a life. Don’t abandon your pet Plenty of renters rent to pet owners, don’t be lazy; look! If you buy a Saint Bernard puppy cause he’s cute, remember he will get bigger. Make sure you know what kind of pet your buying. It’s not your pet’s fault your relationship ended. Don’t punish the animal. If you must part ways with your pet, do the leg work to find him/her a home, shelters should be used as a last resort. Solution

9. Fosters/Sponsors Even if you are not able to permanently care of a pet, you can still help via fostering a pet or sponsoring a shelter. Fosters care for the pet temporarily until a permanent owner can be found. Sponsors can help raise funds or help shelters keep cost down by volunteering.

10. Take Action! If you decide to add a pet to your home, consider adoption. Every dog sold at a pet store means a death to one in a shelter. Consider fostering an animal or sponsoring a local shelter. DON’T ABANDON YOUR PET! Pets are forever. If you can’t take of your pet for the entirety of their life then don’t take them, let someone who will care for it have them.