Adopt Don’t Shop
PHOTO COURTESY OF Mrs. Wood: One of Mrs. Woods rescues, Tiny Tot the cat.
March 1, 2022
Each year, close to 800,000 animals are gathered into California’s shelters according to Legisltaure Declares Shelter Pets as Official California State Pets by spcaLA. A few of these shelters are LBACS, ACS, Scamp, Wagging Dog Rescue, Bullies and Buddies, and more.
Some shelters specialize in taking care of certain animals, such as Bullies and Buddies, Bullies and Buddies specializes in taking care of dogs that are often villainized but also need a home.
Some of the animals that enter never find a home; they just sit and wait in the shelter. Some people even throw their animals out into the world all on their own without a home because they don’t have the means to take care of them (along with many other possible reasons). This results in an overpopulation of animals in a single shelter, which also leads to animals being put down.
“I feel really sad and disappointed because I have tried to help [animals] from the shelter before, and then you’re like, they’re already dead,” says MBA freshman Kya Johnson. “I just don’t think it’s fair to take away animals’ lives just because you can’t afford it anymore.”
While there are some high-kill shelters, which means they have to euthanize animals when there are too many, there are also low-kill and no-kill shelters. These are the opposite; they only put down a very small amount of animals or none at all.
“The main message of each rescue is to fix and take care of animals. Get them fixed so we don’t have all of these animals,” COMPASS English teacher Mrs. Wood said. Mrs. Wood has a large number of rescue animals including a rescue squirrel, a rescue bird, multiple rescue dogs and cats, and a pig named Rupert who is around 250 pounds.
“All of our animals are rescues, so whenever we see an animal in need, if we have room in our tribe, then we bring them in. Or we find other people that are willing to rescue or do have proper homes,” Mrs. Wood said.
Since so many animals all over need help, a good place to start assisting is to volunteer at a shelter. Adopting is also a very good option if anyone has the means and can meet the needs required to take care of an animal. If there are animals in need, help out to get them freed!
Kaylie Pham • Mar 9, 2022 at 12:15 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5/2022 (published March 1, 2022), Cali Tirado wrote an article titled “Adopt Don’t Shop” The article goes over the point that more people should adopt rather than shop for pets. The article states that some adoption centers actually euthanize some animals when there are too many animals. I find this so cruel and not needed. Although there are too many animals, it doesn’t mean they should be killed. I believe that animals are the same as people. They have lives and hearts as well. For example the movie Pets shows that they have lives. Although it is an animation, every single person with a pet knows that they have hearts and that all animals care for their owners. I had a dog that I adopted from an adoption center and I absolutely loved her. She was so caring and if she ever saw me crying she would come up to me and would have me play with her because she knew it would cheer me up. These animal shelters are crazy to think that killing these animals is a good way to get rid of the issue of overpopulation of animals in shelters. These animals need help and I am definitely going to try and help. I never knew that some adoption shelters did this, but now that I know I will definitely put my foot in to
help.
Dana • Mar 8, 2022 at 12:51 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5/2022 (published March 1, 2022), Cali Tirado wrote an article titled “Adopt don’t shop.” The article mentions how many animals in general are in need and how they are sent to animal shelters. This world is awfully cruel these days when it comes to animals, people nowadays are purposely abandoning their pets in which some pets get caught and are sent to animal shelters. People have the idea that shopping is better because they want a brand new “puppy” but the ones which are in shelters don’t get picked by families because they are “too old,” “weird,” etc… I agree that people can simply volunteer at shelters to help out some of these animals, although it may not be a lot. It’s a start. If you don’t have the necessities to take care of an animal then you should not get one in the first place. I believe the government would also be able to help with this situation but never have “money” in which they do but just do not want to spend it on something like this but is wrong because this is only going to get worse and worse until it can no longer have a solution. Thank you for introducing me to this article about adopting and not shopping.
Aarian Elisabeth Rogers • Mar 7, 2022 at 10:26 am
Dear Corydon Editor,
In issue 4/2022 (published March 1, 2022), Cali Tirado wrote an article titled, “Adopt Don’t Shop.” In the article, she tries to convince people looking for a pet to adopt from a shelter rather than buying from a breeder. She explains that so many animals wind up in shelters and often have to be euthanized because of overcrowding. I really liked all the information and quotes she gave. I thought it was very relevant and informative. I would like to add that it’s important for people to be aware of everything a pet requires. Many people purchase an animal on a whim because animals are cute, but they soon realize how much commitment it takes to keep an animal. This is a huge reason as to why animals end up in shelters or on the streets. Tirado also gave a list and links of shelters for people looking for a new pet. I thought this was a very good idea and helpful to the reader. The only critique I have is I wished Tirado talked more about buying from a breeder. Her title is “Adopt Don’t Shop,” but she never talks about the shopping part. The alternative to adopting is buying from a breeder, which can oftentimes be unethical. Buying from a breeder can add to the problem of overpopulation in shelters. I wish Tirado had talked more about that, but overall, the article was very well thought out and written.
Sincerely,
Aarian Rogers, grade 11
danielle gregory • Mar 7, 2022 at 10:13 am
Dear Corydon editor,
In Issue 5/2022 (published March 1, 2022), Cali Tirado wrote an article called “Adopt Don’t Shop”. This article discusses why adopting a pet from a shelter can be helpful compared to buying pets from a breeder. The article mentions how 800,000 animals are taken into shelters in California alone yearly. Each one of these animals taken in is in need of a home. The article also mentions how some animals taken into shelters are never adopted. Why would someone shop for a dog when there are many dogs in the shelter that need love and a home? There are also shelters that euthanize animals when the population of that shelter gets too high, which I find devastating. All these animals that are taken into a shelter deserve love and a family the same amount as those in high demand from breeders. Adopting an animal from a shelter can be extremely beneficial to both the animal and the family adopting them. The animal is rescued and gets to have a permanent home, and the family gets a new loving pet. Although I had already known some of the benefits of adopting instead of shopping, this article reminded me how important it is to rescue animals that need a home, and I hope everyone who reads it will consider adopting instead of shopping.
Thank you for reminding me of the benefits of adopting a pet,
Sincerely,
Danielle Gregory, grade 11
Alani Serrano • Mar 4, 2022 at 12:21 pm
Dear Corydon Editor,
In Issue 5/2022 (published March 1, 2022), Cali Tirado wrote an article titled “Adopt Dont Shop”. The article mentions why you should adopt animals in these shelters, instead of paying someone to breed them. Prior to the article I was aware that adopting is better for the animals, environment, and is more sustainable, however what I didn’t know is how often they are putting them down. The animals are so over populated that when some shelters don’t have room and can’t carry so many they’ll have to put them to rest. The idea of the animals dying over something that they aren’t in control of is so sad, the shelters can only help so much. I have three cats, two I found, and the other was adopted from the Long Beach AnimaI Shelter. Probably some of the best decisions I’ve made, now I’m hoping to adopt more. If someone is interested in getting a pet, adoption is the way to go. There are so many shelters that get more animals each day, not only to get a new friend, but also possibly to save an animal’s life. agree that more people should volunteer at these shelters, or promote adoption events to give homes to the animals. Thank you for bringing more attention to this topic.
Riley Sawyer • Mar 4, 2022 at 12:11 pm
Dear Cali Tirado,
In Issue 5/2022 (published March 1,2022), you wrote an article titled “Adopt don’t shop” The article talks about how important it is to rescue animals from shelters. Prior to reading this article, I knew the importance of recurring animals. All three of my pets are rescued from the shelter and streets. My parents were always against buying a pet from a pet shop. I do have a few questions though. Mrs. Wood states “The main message of each rescue is to fix and take care of animals. Get them fixed so we don’t have all of these animals”. How do you expect all animals to get fixed? I feel like that would be a long, hard process that people would start, but give up halfway. I think instead we should put an end to pet stores, and only make getting a pet legal from a rescue. It would help the poor animals on the streets with no homes, and hopefully slow down the rate of animals being born. Thank you for making me think more on this topic.