Outside of North Texas real estate, something very close to my heart is the Denton Animal Shelter located at 3717 N Elm Street in Denton, Texas. I am one of those people that firmly believes we need to help weaken the pet overpopulation cycle. Every year 8-12 million animals (dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens) are euthanized because there are not enough homes for them. Why? Because of these mass breeding facilities and backyard breeders. They are repeatedly impregnating female dogs, and usually, put them down after they no longer make money. Not only that but in the large breeding facilities, they are often caged. They don’t get to run and play. As long as people keep seeking out these dogs, they will continue to be produced. I don't know about you, but walking through the animal shelter (any animal shelter) is heartbreaking. It is full of four-legged friends that have been abandoned, lost, or worse...abused. They only want a loving family. They will take any family. They aren't picky, because many of them have already been through hell and back. While the animal shelters do their very best to be a temporary loving home, they can't be a permanent home. They try their very best to place every animal in a forever home where they will be safe, loved, and adored. They accept animals, make sure they are vaccinated and have a full belly, and make sure they are fixed, so there isn't any reproducing. Animal shelters do their best to stop the overpopulation problem. They have a hard time keeping up with it, which is why they need people to come in and give one of these pets a forever home! The more that are adopted, the more room they can make for new pets. Just think, if people stopped spending big bucks for dogs, and instead went to a shelter, it would STOP these breeding facilities in their tracks. They do it for the money; if they aren't making it, they won't continue to do it.
When you adopt from an animal shelter, you are giving an animal a second chance at life. Most of the animals in shelters have been lost or abandoned. If you are looking to pass the potty training phase, adopting from a shelter is a great way to go. You can still find them young, and often they are already potty trained. How awesome is this? Bring home a puppy under a year old, and you don't even have to teach them how to do their business outside! Most kids don't have this mastered after four years, and you let them live in the house! Of course, not all of the animals are potty trained, but if this is what you are looking for, I guarantee you that there ARE pets that ARE potty trained and ready to be taken home. It depends on the individual situation. If you already have a dog at home, the shelter allows you to bring your dog (after finding one that you think will fit) and test them together. This is sometimes a deal breaker. If your veteran dog, doesn't get along with the shelter dog, it is sometimes difficult to force this relationship. The best thing to do is to bring your pet and test it out.
If you want a more mature companion? The shelters are full of them. It is a sad thing when you decide that you can no longer home a pet that has been with you for many years...but it happens. If you are looking for a companion to greet you when you walk in the door and cuddle with you when you want warmth, the shelter has a pet waiting for you. You get to skip right over the puppy phase of ripping things up, and having accidents on the floor! Not everyone wants to deal (or has the energy to deal) with the puppy phase of life. These older pets (cats and dogs) don't want to spend the end of their life in a shelter waiting for a forever home. I promise you this. Take them home and make their final five years full of love and happiness. Think of the difference you would make for them!!
If you want puppies? Guess what? They have them! Why? Because not everyone uses protection, folks. And you don't even have to pay 1,000+ to take one home! Not only that, but they come updated with their shots, AND they are already fixed!! The Denton Animal Shelter works very hard to stop overpopulation.
If you have allergies and need a specific kind of dog, they have those too! Something I hear often…”We went to a breeder because we needed a specific dog that doesn’t shed…” Unfortunately, all kinds of people give up their dogs. Even people that spend thousands of dollars on them. Please don't spend money on a specific dog for whatever reason, unless you have checked the surrounding shelters first. You may get lucky. It doesn’t hurt trying a shelter first. It will take you less than an hour to walk through a shelter. What if your forever pet is in that shelter waiting on YOU to show up? All I ask is that you look at a shelter first. Save a pet’s life. You will feel good, and that pup/kitten will be so grateful you picked them. You won’t just make their day. You will make their life.
First a house. Then a pet. I am an expert.
- Top North Texas Realtor - Brenda Debus
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