The Advantages Of Adopting A Shelter Animal
By Rick Rouse

My wife helps out at our local animal shelter, and every time I go down there I'm simply amazed at the wide variety of gorgeous pets that are in need of a good home. Many folks pay big bucks to a pet store for a dog, but what they don't realize is that in many cases those same animals came either from a puppy mill or... yep, you guessed it - an animal shelter!

While it's true that many shelter animals have worms and/or are in need of medical attention, the fact is that many "pet store" animals have the very same problems. The primary difference is the pet store charges hundreds of dollars for an animal that is just like those that can be had for as little as $25 at the local shelter.

It's a sad fact that thousands of beautiful and loving dogs and cats are euthanized each year because they are unable to find an adopted home. Cheria and I found our wonderful "son" Houdini at our local shelter the day before he was scheduled to be euthanized, and over a year later we simply can't imagine life without him.

If you're looking to add a wonderful pet to your family, I urge you to pay a visit to your local animal shelter to check out the lineup of dogs and cats they have available for adoption. Since most shelters have a bevy of pets to choose from, you probably won't need to go anywhere else.

Rick Rouse loves to express his opinions and "listen" to those of others on his blog at http://www.rickrouse.com