Be a Champion for the Underdog or Cat…

Everyone is emotionally touched by an animal at some point in their lives. For me, having a dog in the house since the day I was born forever cemented canines in my heart, and later in my early twenties I got my first cat—a calico who lived to be twenty. In Lost and Found, the first book in Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls series, the main character, Meagan Walsh is forced to do community service hours in the local animal shelter. I, myself have worked in an animal shelter, so this story is near and dear to my heart. For those of you thinking about expanding your family to include a furry friend (especially during the holidays), here are some things I’ve observed in my short stint as an animal care attendant…

Overbreeding and interbreeding have caused so many genetic defects in dogs and cats that the ‘art’ of breeding has gotten to the point today that some breeders are obsessed by the conformation of their breeding stock while ignoring their personalities. Now certainly not all breeders are bad and not all purebred pets are defective. But the fact is that the common mutt is likely to live a longer, healthier life. Let’s hear it for the underdog…and cat! Some of the best pets can be saved from certain death and obtained rather inexpensively from a local animal shelter.

Now, before you head over to the closest animal shelter, there are a couple of precautions about adopting a shelter pet. First, you never know the background of the animal. Was it abused? Was it well nourished? For young animals these are important questions because the social behavior of dogs and cats depends on how they were treated as youngsters. Major aberrations in the socialization of a young animal may affect it for life no matter what you do to correct the problems. Severe, early malnutrition can cause physical problems for the life of a pet.

For those considering adopting an older pet from a shelter, a key question is, “Why was the pet discarded?” I’ve heard many excuses from people dropping off pets with the most common being financial, to moving to an apartment, and my least favorite—I didn’t realize the work involved in owning a dog. Um, really? Many pets are brought to a shelter because of behavioral issues, though that’s not what they tell the shelter personnel, so they make up some other excuse. The good news is that many ‘behavioral’ problems are due to the pet owner and not the pet.

Another concern when adopting a pet from a shelter is the health of the animal. Many pets at the shelter have not been raised in favorable conditions. The shelter staff do their best to get every animal vaccinated and their needs taken care of promptly upon arrival. The most common mistake people make when adopting a pet is that they feel sorry for a sickly animal. As pitiful as the sickly, runt of the litter may look, I wouldn’t recommend it for a pet unless you have unlimited financial and emotional resources. And believe me, I’ve seen some wonderful Good Samaritans with these resources adopt just to give that sick animal a good, loving home for the rest of its life.

It’s so important to do your research when shopping around for a pet, and make sure you have the time, energy, and necessary funds to invest in the animal for as long as it lives. If you’re thinking about getting a dog or cat to add to your family, then I urge you to adopt a pet from your local animal shelter. You’ll not only help an animal in need, you’ll receive something we ALL need—unconditional love.