According to the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), approximately 6.3 million animals are in U.S. animal shelters nationwide each year. About 3.2 million of those are cats, and 3.1 million are dogs. Within those same numbers, approximately 920,000 animals are euthanized each year, but 4.1 million are adopted.
If you have a pet (or have ever had a pet), did you adopt it from an animal shelter? We know many stories of your rescue pups and kitties as seen in our Pet of the Day feature, but we’d like to know more. Feel free to share your shelter adoption story in the comments!
Never adopted from shelter. All were rescued from off the street. Always had furry friends.
I adopted a cat and I have adopted private rehome dogs twice…best pets ever!
We have adopted from a Corgi Rescue group. Our sweet dog was with a foster parent until she came to us. I have a friend in the Dallas area who is a volunteer foster parent, she has cared for over 40 dogs. It is a shitz tu rescue. These breed specific groups are also a great option for pets needing a home.
We have rescued dogs but not from a shelter. They were dumped in the country. Got a couple from friends who had a 140 acres that we took two from and they had over 12 that people had dumped.
I’ve never gotten a dog from a shelter but two cats. Plus I saved my niece’s dog from misery until she went “home”. I also have had two cats that adopted me. My present dog is from a (mainly) Chihuahua rescue organization (she is a mix) so don’t know if that qualifies as a “shelter” or not! My first shelter adopted cat is still with me and she is about 16 (her birthday is 9/13!).
No, but I’ve adopted two feral cats over the years, Also a cat that was abandoned by people who moved and purchased one.
Our sweet Millie was sent to a county shelter twice before we adopted her. She was an energetic pup that just wanted to be loved. She is one of the best dogs ever. Just needed some stability to settle down.
21 dogs, 5 cats so far for me… that’s not counting family pets as a kid or my wife’s before me.
Our dogs were rescue dogs and both have been trained as off leash service dogs. Domino is now 14, so we trained Mollie to brace if my wife falls and if she is unable to get back on her feet, both dogs will go for help. A few days ago, I was walking both dogs and Domino decided to roll on the grass. Mollie instantly tried to find out what was wrong and tried to help Domino get up. She then ran up to me and tried to get my help. When Domino got up, Mollie was so excited, she ran around and around.
I checked no. But my son 3 years ago rescued a beagle/jack mix in SC left in a box in front of a run down gas station. The vet estimated her age to be 5 weeks. So advised over the phone on his travel back to NH to get some formula, wash her in dawn to remove the flea infestation. She is a cute little thing looking more like a beagle. But as thing change him moving to GA she was left behind with the other two beagles she bonded with. So in the family we have rescued one puppy. And haven’t regretted it.
My wife and a few of our kids went to one of the pounds here to see about picking out a pet for them. We found a German short hair that the kids decided on. They let the dog out of the cage and we all went to the front desk to do the paperwork. Some how the front door was opened and the dog took off, like a bolt of lightning, out the door. We finished the paperwork and left, only to discover the back window to the pickup had been left open. The dog without any guidance from us had exited the building ran across the parking lot and picked our vehicle out from all the others there before jumping in the bed and through the open sliding back window where it sat looking out of it waiting for us to show up and go home. We named her cinnamon because her hair color was just that.
Wow! What a cool story, Bill! Lucky Cinnamon, and lucky you folks. Have a good evening. 🙂 –Diane
Yes, I rescued one cat from a shelter, but I have had several cats and dogs that adopted me when they showed up on my property and never left.
We adopted our dog from a rescue organization, but not a shelter.
No, but we saved one from going there. Think he was a ” let’s dump him in the country and someone will take him” dog. Actually glad they did because he was a great dog. They didn’t deserve to have him!
I’ve rescued several cats over the years
but never from a shelter. I stole a kitty out of the hands of some 12 year old boys who were abusing it in the snow, I named him Teger and we were happy for 18 years, he was a precious gift to me.
Technically we adopted from rescues rather than shelters but our dogs were picked up from shelters by the rescue organizations so I said yes. They are wonderful dogs…loving, loyal and very happy to have a furever home. Our cats have all been “dumped” on us…meaning someone just dumped the cats in our area and they showed up hungry at our door as kittens. They have been sweethearts who were very happy to become indoor cats.
And we fostered about 20 dogs
One was pregnant and had 10 pups!
Yes, we did adopt. That was in another life, before going FT in our DPMH. We’ve be turned down by shelters because we are FT in a motorhome. No fenced yard, no permanent structure.
Phil,
We are also full timers, and ran into the same situation. While we were in Georgia in January 2019 we went directly to a kill shelter in Columbia. We took Remi right off death row. There was some health issues (worms). I asked the vet what kind and he explained it would be easier to tell me which ones he didn’t have. He also had heart worm and needed spinal shots for that. We then took him for some light training. He was an investment, and he has payed off big time. Remi, Remington gets my big butt moving every day. He has attached himself to my wife and I like no other dog I’ve had before. I could go on, but trust me, I don’t regret anything I did to get the love and happiness we get every day.
I have always operated from the belief that if the Universe wants us to have a critter, it’ll drop it in our lap. That’s mostly held true. We’ve had a dozen/ cats and five dogs over the last 35 years. Five cats we inherited from others, three were foundling kittens, three were rescued strays and one from a shelter. Our dogs have been a bit different – two were runts from a breeder (and the reason we learned NEVER adopt litter-mates together, as they latch to each other, not to you!), one came from a friend who worked at a pet store, and arrived to work to find a box of month old puppies at their doorstep before opening, one came from a rescue group (not a shelter) and our latest was an abused stray – a pure bred GSD that was a ‘pandemic puppy’ that I literally found drinking water from a puddle in the middle of a busy street. Our two latest dogs always go camping with us and are real hits around the park!
We’re definitely a shelter/rescue family. Ten dogs and cats over the last 30+ years. The unconditional love of a fur kid is definitely not dependent on a certification. And, oh my goodness, the love they’ve made us feel for them!