Written by Kelly Cotter, Posted by Tim McCue
April 30th is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day. Shelter pets are animals that were abandoned and have no owners. They stay at animal shelters until they are adopted.
Many shelters struggle because they have to accept all animals. This means that they might take in animals they cannot support. Most people buy pets from breeders. This means that there are too many pets in shelters. Every year about 6.8 million animals enter shelters. Less than 30% of animals are adopted.
National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day encourages people to visit shelters. There are other ways to support shelters. You can tell friends and family to adopt animals rather than buy them from breeders. This will make sure that there are less animals in shelters. There are other ways to support shelters. You can:
– Donate money to local shelters
– Volunteer at local shelters
– Donate pet toys to local shelters
– Learn more about shelters.
Pets can help people with disabilities. An Australian study says that people with autism are happier and chattier around animals (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0057010). Service and Guide Dogs are also very helpful. They can help people with many disabilities by
– Helping a person with impaired vision walk
– Open a door for people without motor control
– Reduce anxiety for people with autism
– Be a friend
– And much more!
Owning a pet takes a lot of work, but adopting a pet can be very fun! Try to visit a shelter if you want a pet!