One lone bark and one bark too many. 

There’s not enough room in the shelter for this many animals, which means the longest staying resident needs to leave. Euthanization is the only option left. 

There is a certain sadness that comes when things like this happen; if only there was another option. Wait, there is! Pet adoption! 

“We see the worst of the worst of what happens to animals who are abused, neglected, abandoned out on their own to fend for themselves, and so in our eyes, everyone should be adopting dogs as we have an overpopulation of dogs right now in the nation and no homes for them,” Cynthia Guzman, owner of the K9 Enrichment Initiative Rescue, said. 

This overpopulation is one of the main causes of animals in shelters not being able to find forever homes. Getting this abundant number of animals a home is essential, to avoid a worse fate. 

“Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Each year approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized,” According to an article written by the ASPCA (The American society for the prevention of cruelty to animals). 

Animals are dying due to these increasing numbers, but adopting is a way to ensure that these numbers can go down again, and several faculty members have done just that. 

“It was pretty quick, we walked in, we proved that we were good people and Charlotte took a quick liking to us, so we brought her home that day,” Brandon Sanders,  English teacher, said. 

Adoption may seem like a hard task due to the preparations it takes before a adopter can bring a pet home, but it is beneficial that the association they are adopting from knows that they can take care of the pet. However, there are plenty of benefits to offset the negatives. 

“She came and she was already spayed and had her initial shots, so I didn’t have to worry about that,” Armistead, Special Education teacher and adopter, said. 

Adopting has some benefits in addition to the fact that an adopter is able to save two lives, the pet they adopt, and a pet that needs a space in that shelter. 

“Pet problems are the most common reason that owners rehome their pet, accounting for 47% of rehomed dogs and 42% of rehomed cats.  Pet problems were defined as problematic behaviors, aggressive behaviors, grew larger than expected, or health problems the owner couldn’t handle,” according to the ASPCA. 

These are the reasons why pets are put into shelters, with the hopes that someone will be able to take care of them better than the original owner could. 

“I would rather you adopt because of all of those dogs, and all of those cats, and all those animals also deserve a loving home,” Heather Loperena, Spanish teacher and adopter of a puppy, said.  

The discussion on whether to buy or to adopt is a very controversial one, but some of the animals that were put into the shelters were put in there due to bad circumstances. 

“Look at the dogs in the shelter and see them for who they are, that they are good dogs. Shelter dogs and rescue dogs are not broken, they’re good dogs, they just were in a bad circumstance due to the humans who had them,”  Guzman said.

Although sometimes people believe that the pets from shelters are mean in general, it all depends on the pet’s circumstances before entering a shelter.

“Knowing that they found him in the street in Arkansas and to think about how he was just this puppy on the street,” Loperena said. 

Not only can dogs and cats be adopted and make a recovery, but horses and more exotic pets need a loving home as well. 

“We had him for ten years, everyday with him was wonderful. He was hard to rehabilitate because you couldn’t handle him, he was terrified of people when we first got him, but it didn’t take long before he was a member of the family,” Leslie Ramos, ASL teacher and an adopter of a horse, said. 

Adopting any pet can be hard, because an adopter needs a pet that connects with them. That connection however is one of the final reasons a person should adopt. 

“Look for the pet that you match the best with, if you’re compatible you can go a long way,” Ramos said.