Animal adoption

When considering a pet, a natural first thought is that you will have to have it from a baby, training it as it grows. But it doesn't have to be that way - there are thousands of unwanted animals in shelters and animal welfare homes throughout the UK, many of which are fully grown, and fully trained, so you don't have to deal with the (potentially very messy) early days.

A puppy or kitten, for example, can take weeks or months to settle down, and with teeth growing and toilet habits not yet fully worked out, they can make a real mess of your house. But that's not the only reason to consider adopting an unwanted animal - with so many out there needing homes, it's a sad fact that many dogs and cats are put down each year, simply because there is no one to care for them, so you would literally be saving a life. Plus, with some pure-breed puppies costing upwards of £400, you'll be saving a lot of money too!

If you do have your heart set on a 'brand new' pet, it's a good idea to carefully choose where you get it from, particularly with puppies. Some breeding programmes are considered extremely cruel; knows as 'Puppy Farms' or 'Puppy Mills', breeders will keep the female in appalling conditions, using them simply to produce puppies for selling on. If you do decide to buy a puppy or a kitten, ask to see them with their mother when you go to visit. This will reassure you that they are being treated well and looked after properly in their first weeks of life.

Date: 30/01/2012

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CorinneThatcher

Hi

I am very proud to be a fosterer for Many Tears Animal Rescue in Llanelli, Wales. They take in all types and breeds of dogs from the UK and Ireland. These can be dogs on death row in the pounds or poor ex-breeding dogs from puppy farms - YES, they do still exist in a big way.

Please go to their website which is The site is updated every day and there are so many dogs that need your help. If you are unable to adopt a dog, a donation towards the running of the centre would be fantastic.

Thank you so very much!

3 months ago Link to this comment