Before I dive into such crazy assertions, let me tell you the story of how I met my dog, Stella. She was not planned at all; in fact, getting a dog wasn’t on my radar whatsoever. However, on one Saturday afternoon while shopping with my family, we came across a bunch of dogs for sale. Intrigued, my brother and I went over to see the cute pups wiggle their tails, but after giving it some thought, getting a new dog wouldn’t be completely out of the blue, especially since we had recently lost one of our dogs. Seeing the cute dogs locked inside the cages urged me to help.

I eventually stumbled on a dog named Rumor. After convincing my parents, we got her, and off we went, clothing in the trunk with a new dog in our back seat. Her little excited wags and her tongue sticking so far out you wonde red how that was even possible filled a new sense of fulfillment, a feeling of heroism, giving her a new home with a new family.

This sense of feeling that adopting her gave me is why I sit here and write on why you should adopt and not buy. And by the end of this post, I hope you come to the same realization as I did sitting in that car.

A common thought that is very looked upon when adopting a dog is the fact that they aren’t as energetic or can have behavioral issues with children and other animals in the household. And while this can be the case, the same can be said about animals who are bred. But giving the same chance to these animals as you give the animals who have not been in the pound is what everyone should strive for. From my own experience, these dogs are just as energetic, playful, and loving as any normal dog. In summary, the dogs are the same whether or not you buy them. So why not save a dog's life? Adopt Don’t Shop.