That puppy in the window..

 Ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with animals. Maybe it came from my mother; always taking in strays and unwanted animals, or maybe I was one in a past life. 

Either way, all my dreams came true in the last week when I was finally able to adopt and save kittens. So first, one would wonder in this world of abundant unwanted animals, where do you start?!

 

Let's talk local pet stores. We have all at one point been walking through the mall and seen that display of cute puppies and kittens shoved in a window for us to "aww" and "ouuu" at. But where do those animals come from? All I had to do was ask friends and a simple Google search, and I had my answer.  I had read horror story upon horror story about the use of diseased animals mass produced in puppy mills, and also uplifting stories of protest in which people were trying to make a change. Needless to say that option was, well.. not an option. 

Option # 2?  the local Humane Society.  By following the local shelter on Facebook, you can recieve up to date information on new animals or animals that are desperately in need of a home that are being put down within a week. A quick search on Tumblr shows all the success stories and people talking about the pets they love.

 

Knowing that it is not possible to save every animal, atleast giving them some love gives me a little peace of mind. I had gone 2-3 times a week and really started to fall in love with a few of the cats. I would go back continuously to really get to know them and make sure they were a good fit for me. 

So one night I walked in and said "I WANT THOSE TWO!" and boy was I in for a surprise. 

I figured, since they knew who I was and knew my commitment, I could just walk in there and pick up the cats, sign a paper and be on my way, right? Wrong!

First, I had to fill out an application, atleast 6 or 7 pages. It asked me everything from who I lived with to where the litter box would go. Okay, so easy peasy right?  I still wasnt approved. The next day I had to bring each and every person in the house for a "meet and greet" with the kittens I wanted. Needless to say I was getting pretty frustrated, couldnt they just TELL I was a good person?

Nope.

I had to be interviewed, sat down and go through the cats medical history, go through each and every expense for a kitten in the next year (times two!) It was a lot of work, nearly 4.5 hours!

You know what this boiled down to? They care. They dont just send off their animals to any person who walks in the building with money, they take the time to suit every single animal to the right home, regardless of how overwhelmed and overcrowded a shelter may be. 

And everything was worth waking up to these beautiful, cuddly kittens...

 

So the question is, which would you prefer? Pet store or Humane Society? Have you ever adopted an animal, taken in a stray or bought a puppy from a store? Agree or disagree with shelter policies?

If you have, or are thinking about adopting a pet, just make sure you do your research!