Tucker the Maltese
He was a very small and scruffy puppy at the animal shelter, huddled in the corner. Tucker was roaming the streets in a small town, all by himself. Dog catchers found him and picked him up.
The local shelter was full. They transported him to another shelter a few miles away from where he was found. It was very doubtful that anyone who knew him would be able to find him since this shelter was located so far from the place where he was originally found.
Tucker went into a cage with other dogs. They provided food and water and somewhere to lie down, but it was a scary place for a small puppy. He was so frightened, and all the dogs barked at everything. It was so loud!
Time seemed to crawl by…
Then he saw them! Two people coming toward the cage where he and another puppy were being held.
The door opened. The people picked him and the other dog up. The two little pups were enveloped into big hugs. “You are coming home with us.”
The other puppy was dropped off at a vet’s office to wait for her adopter to come. ThenTucker and his people drove back to San Diego. He got to explore his new home.
Finally! Fun humans to love him, lots of toys, a warm bed, good food and treats, and his own everything.
Sometimes that is all it takes. Tucker was in heaven!
The Pet Industry Statistics
The pet industry is worth $85 billion in annual sales of all goods sold and services provided! It is estimated that 68% of all households in the United States own a pet (2017 – 2018 APPA National Pet Owner’s Survey) totaling 89.7 million dogs and 94.2 million cats. Many of those animals were adopted from the local shelter.
The Animal Shelter is Sometimes Known as The Dog Pound
The animal shelter is a place where animals who are lost, abandoned or surrendered regularly end up at. The shelters are mostly run by the city or county municipalities, but there are also numerous private non-profit and rescue groups across the country. The animals are checked for health, and if healthy, hopefully adopted out. Those who are not adopted within a given period of time are often euthanized to make room for the next ones.
The ASPCA estimates that approximately:
- 6.5 million companion animals enter animal shelters in the US every year
- 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million cats
- 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized
- 670,000 dogs
- 860,000 cats
Dog Rescue Organizations
There are many dog rescue organizations in the country. Some are national in scope, some are based on breed, and some are local and near to your location.
PetFinder is a wonderful organization who has helped more than 25 million pets find their forever families through adoption. You could meet your next dog through them.
Another adoption website to look at is Adopt a Pet who will help you find the perfect pet for you.
All of our dogs came from rescues. Tuck the Maltese came from a shelter in Riverside CA. Wilson was saved by a rescue and came from a shelter in San Bernardino CA. Sammy is a breeder’s left-over dog. Adopt don’t shop!
