4 Reasons Why You Should Rescue a Dog

Are you thinking of getting a dog? It’s often tempting to rush to a pet store or to find a local breeder when considering purchasing a dog, after all, who doesn’t like a cute little puppy.

But have you considered the benefits of rescuing a dog? Rescue shelters are crying out for people to give loving dogs a second chance.

There are a whole range of reasons why you should consider rescuing a dog instead of purchasing a puppy and we’ve covered four of them below;

1. Rescue dogs cost less to buy

The price of a designer/pedigree dog can often cost upwards of $1000. While rescue dogs aren’t free, shelters usually only charge a small fee, which can be as little as $100. This is a substantial initial saving and also supports the shelter with their work.

2. Rescue dogs tend to be toilet trained

While puppies are undeniably extremely cute, the first few months potty training them can be very difficult. Late nights, early mornings and repeated indoor accidents can cause stress for both the puppy and you as an owner. Rescue dogs tend to be much older, and therefore have usually been fully toilet trained. Shelters usually also test their dogs to ensure there are no obedience/aggression issues before allowing them to be re-homed.

3. Rescue dogs come neutered/spayed

Rescue shelters will nearly always neuter or spay their dogs in an effort to reduce the number of unwanted dogs they receive. The procedure is usually recommended by vets for health and behavioral reasons, so even if you were to purchase a puppy, you would likely have to factor in this cost in the future too.

4. Reduce the impact of puppy farming

Unfortunately, with the rise in buying/selling puppies online it’s became much easier for puppy farmers to hide their unscrupulous activities. Puppy farmers keep dogs in horrendous conditions, pay no care or attention to the health of their dogs and care about nothing other than making a quick profit. By rescuing a dog from a shelter and avoiding pet stores or classified ads online you can be sure you are not contributing to this industry.

Conclusion

While a rescue dog definitely isn’t for everyone, hopefully you’ll agree that if circumstances allow, giving a rescue dog a second chance for a loving home makes perfect sense.

About the Author:

Lewis & his Canine companion Toffee run a dog blog full of great resources for dog owners over at spanielking.com. Together they cover a range of topics from health and nutrition to fun and games. You’ll often find Toffee chatting with his fur-friends over on Twitter using the hashtag #cavpack.