Adopt a Shelter Dog Now

Photo Credit / Adam Lambert You can adopt a dog at your local shelter. Photo Credit / Adam Lambert
You can adopt a dog at your local shelter.

By Cassandra Sedler
Staff Writer

Three million, and three hundred dogs across the United States will enter a shelter each year, according to the ASPCA.

Millions of innocent animals that have been abused, malnourished, dropped off and forgotten patiently wait for a trusting owner and a place to call their forever home.

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, but an effort to rescue these animals should be made all year round.

Recently, California passed a bill called preventing the sale of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits in pet stores statewide.

Beginning in January of 2019, pet stores in California can only sell rescued pets from shelters or humane societies.

Considering California is the first and only state to block the incredulous workings of puppy mills, all other states should take this as a strong precedent and follow California lawmakers’ lead.

By forcing all pet stores to only sell pets from shelters, California will likely see a decrease in the demand for puppies from commercial breeders, which in turn can help stop the harsh conditions set forth by those breeders.

For years, breeders have been minimally regulated, as up to 80% proceed in business are unlicensed.

Animal cruelty is an understatement when describing the conditions of puppy mills that overcrowd dogs in cages.

These dogs that are rarely cleaned, overuse the females as breeding factories and offer their animals a scarce amount of water in a day.

Such blatant disregard and inhumanity for the rights of animals should not be at all tolerated by our society.

Although there has been a recent increase in awareness towards adopting pets from local shelters, a blind eye is still turned on the large-scale breeders that continue to operate in such a despicable manner.

Hopefully, the new bill passed by California will not be the last in blocking puppy mill chains and providing much deserved homes to needy pets.

Email Cassandra at:
csedler@live.esu.edu