Ella’s Adoption Story + 5 Reasons to Adopt Not Shop

earrings // sweater

We celebrated Ella’s 8^th birthday over the weekend, and I wanted to honor her today with this blog post.

Almost 8 years ago, I adopted Ella from the Human Society. I was just 20 years old at the time, and I was going through a bit of a hard time. I was figuring out my place in the world and what I was going to do in life. Even though I tried to fight it, something was calling me to rescue a dog. It may not have been the most responsible thing at the time, but I had a lot of support and a lot of time (hello college!) and I knew I could make it work.

I found Ella on petfinder.com and I knew she was the one for me. In her photos, she was this little black puff ball wearing a pink t-shirt. Ella was the only puppy in her litter, and her mom abandoned her and refused to feed her. Not knowing what to do, the owners of this dog surrendered Ella to the Human Society. When I saw the photos and heard her story, I knew she and I were meant to be. From the second I got her, all she wanted was to be held (some things haven’t changed!) I could tell she was desperate for a mama and a mama to her I could be.  

What I didn’t know at age 20, was that this rescue dog would be the be one rescuing me.

Ella has been with me through everything the past 8 years – new relationships, new jobs, new cities, new friends, and everything in between. I am so happy that I rescued her 8 years ago and gave her the life that she deserved. I know that I not only may have saved her life, but I gave her a home and a family to call her own.  

If you are considering getting a pet, please consider adoption. Before you put your name on that year-long wait list at the breeder, consider giving a dog a home that doesn’t have a single person on their wait list. You won’t change the world by saving an animal, but you will change that animal’s world. Also, if you can’t adopt, there are so many other ways to help. Foster, sponsor, donate, volunteer, or even just educate.

5 Reasons to Adopt (Not Shop!)

You save a life

Dogs and cats are euthanized every day because there are far too many pets in shelters and too few people considering adoption. If more people adopted pets instead of buying them from a breeder, the number euthanized could be drastically reduced. In addition, you save another life too! When you adopt a pet, you free up the shelter space for another animal who may really need it.

They are great pets

People seem to think that all dogs in shelters have behavior issues. A lot of dogs are in shelters because of divorce, death, etc. Many are house-trained, well-behaved, and used to living with people and other animals. Adopted pets are just as loving and loyal as pets from a breeder.

It’s cheaper

Adoption fees are significantly less than the cost of a pet from a breeder. The fee also typically includes the spay/neuter and first vaccinations. Ella cost $150 and she came spayed and with all her shots. Also, that fee goes toward helping that shelter take better care of the other animals. How can you not feel good about that?

You can get a pure bred or a mutt

The whole ‘purebred’ thing is a reason I hear from people on why they didn’t adopt. There are tons and tons of website devoted to purebred rescues! But mixed breeds are where it’s at! I personally am biased towards a mixed breed. Mixed breeds statistically live longer and cost less than a pure breed. Purebreds also have a lot more health problems and genetic defects due to inbreeding (breathing problems, bad hips, enlarged hearts, etc.)

You’ll change that dog’s whole world

These are dogs that are unwanted, helpless, and abandoned. By giving this dog a home, you are giving them a second chance and a whole new life. I will never forget how Ella looked at me and loved on me when I rescued her. I love that girl!