October is Adopt a Shelter Pet Month

We celebrate "Adopt a Shelter Pet" month in October, by offering discounts on our spays & neuters, new pet parent exams and on pre-anesthetic blood work. In the attempt of educating and assisting, financially, with the expense of adopting a pet kid.

Stumbling through internet searches of statistics, I found an article, aptly named "Not all dogs go to heaven". In reading the article and the responses to the article the writer should have taken more time to stay clear of stereotyping specific people as the problem. Playing the blame game, will get us no where.

Overall the article was a difficult read, simply because of the mouth opening numbers of homeless pets. The nationwide number, is only a guesstimate, but it is staggering. Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. (http://www.aspca.org/about-us/faq/pet-statistics) What!? With social media, easily accessible internet and television, how are these numbers possible? Ignorance and selfishness...even the most educated people, make ignorant/selfish decisions.

We work closely with several rescue organizations and see the aftermath of these rescues. The emotionally damaged, the emaciated, the abandoned...it really is just too much sometimes. We do everything possible to not look at the negative and concentrate on creating a positive future for these pet kids. On a daily basis, we are amazed at their forgiveness for human cruelty. Some of these dogs painful, skin blistered with infection or mange and still putting up with our scraping and medicated baths with kisses. If only we were that stoic and loyal. The unbelievable ability to live the immediate now. We are honored to treat, care for and love these creatures.

The best part of it all, is when they come back to see us, looking amazing and unbelievably happy with their new adoptive family. Those are the moments that make it all worth while.

So the long and short...if you are thinking of adopting a pet kid, don't purchase, adopt.

Here are some fantastic local organizations that you should consider:

http://www.angelsrescue.org/

https://www.petfinder.com/

http://theshelterpetproject.org/

...Just to name a few.

Thank you for saving a life.

Dr Smith