Have you been thinking of getting a pet? Wait a minute before you rush down to a pet shop. Adopting a pet from the Ferndale Shelter is often a wiser move than buying one. However, many families hesitate to visit the shelter because they aren’t aware of its advantages or have mistaken ideas about what they will find there. To begin with, you may believe that you’re more likely to find a healthy, well-adjusted dog or cat at a pet shop. From what I have seen here in town, not all pet shops are the same.
Some good shops are run by animal lovers who try to give good care to the creatures they sell, although they lack time to give much individual attention to each one. In other shops, the animals are treated like merchandise, like cans of soup or boxes of soap. These shop owners may buy dogs from puppy mills, businesses that turn out puppies as if they actually were cans of soup. The people running these mills provide food, water, and a place to sleep but not much else. Sometimes they let the animals live in appalling conditions. The pet shop puppies from mills are definitely not healthy and well adjusted.
On the other hand, a definite point in favor of the Ferndale Shelter is that only animal lovers work there, and there are plenty of them to give the animals good care! During my visit to the shelter, I learned that its two paid staff members and 13 volunteers spend time with every animal. They make sure each one gets exercise, has clean quarters, and is seen by a veterinarian. They de-worm the dogs and treat mange. This isn’t to say that all their animals are healthy. Sometimes the animals arrive at the shelter very sick. However, the shelter workers will not allow anyone to adopt a seriously ill animal.
If an animal has curable health problems or has been underfed, the workers inform the adopting family and give advice on how to care for the animal. Also, they will not allow any pet to leave the shelter until it has had its shots and has been neutered. This policy helps cut the numbers of unwanted animals in the community. You won’t have a problem finding a gentle or sociable pet at the shelter.
You might have the idea that all the animals there have something wrong with them. If they aren’t diseased, they must be vicious. “That’s just not so,” according to Toni Troy, who volunteers at the Ferndale Shelter. She says that the majority of its inhabitants are sweet and fearlessly affectionate. Good pets are often abandoned by selfish owners who move, have a change in their family situation, or dump the litters after letting their animals breed. Sometimes people just decide that they don’t want a pet any longer, even if that animal has been with the family for years.
Other animals wind up at the shelter because they strayed too far from their homes and their families can’t find them. Another advantage to visiting the Ferndale Shelter is that the workers have gotten to know the pets well and can help you make your choice. For example, as Toni showed me around, she pointed out a fat orange cat and told me, “Ginger is very jealous, so she’ll do best in a one-cat home. ” Of one timid gray tabby, she said, “Joey’s always shy around strangers but very playful and friendly when he gets to know you. She showed me dogs that were relaxed with children and others that were more suited to live with only adults. A great benefit that might surprise you is that pets are not expensive at a shelter. A family friend wanted only a purebred dog, so he refused to go to the shelter.
Instead he paid hundreds of dollars to a breeder. According to Toni, 25 percent of their cats and dogs are undoubtedly purebreds. All that someone needs to pay for is the cost of their vaccinations and neutering. One of the most important reasons for adopting a pet from the shelter is that you are giving a home to an animal that will be much happier in a stable household. The volunteers’ care is good, but it can’t make up for the full attention of one owner. Animals, like people, need familiar surroundings and daily routines to feel comfortable. Even the shelter doesn’t provide a consistent home. When the shelter gets too crowded, some of the confused animals have to be sent to temporary foster homes.
To me, the very best reason for adopting a pet is that you get back tremendous loyalty and love from your rescued pet. I happen to think that animals from shelters appreciate good homes even more than pet shop animals do, making them more faithful and affectionate. Whether you agree that these animals are more faithful and affectionate or not, I think that you really can’t argue with at least visiting the Ferndale Shelter. You won’t be wasting your time, and you just might find the perfect pet for your family.
