PAWS FOR THOUGHT

SAVE A PET FROM A SHELTER, NOT FROM A PET STORE

Many years ago, I asked a new pet-owner, who came to my practice, what made her buy a new puppy.  Instead of waiting for her response, I joked with her and said: “You went to the mall to buy shoes and fell in love with this cute puppy.”  She looked at me with astonishment and said:  “How did you know?” I did not; I was just kidding, but she, very seriously, continued to tell me that when she saw the poor puppy at the store, she decided to “save” him from his jail sentence -- an act  that made her feel good, despite the large sum of money she paid.  

Because I have been hearing these same stories for years, I decided to dedicate this column to the entire population of pets that lives in shelters and desperately needs a home.  Those pets are not only thankful for being saved, they are usually healthier, live longer, and, by far, have less genetic diseases than purebred animals.  Needless to say, saving a pet from a shelter also saves you a lot of money.  Many shelters will adopt out puppies and kittens that are already vaccinated and neutered.  

By buying a pet from a pet store, you are not saving a pet, you are actually supporting an industry that breeds pets for profit and keeps one more pet from the shelter homeless.

Shelters, such as the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, are doing an excellent job of caring for their pets before giving them out for adoption, not to mention the wide variety of “cute” ones.  

Buying a pet is not like buying shoes; it is a life-long commitment and it should not be a spontaneous decision…..on this topic, in the next column.

Dr. Ohad Barnea is a 1992 graduate of Tufts University, School of Veterinary Medicine.  He is the owner of Tenafly Veterinary Center and Cliffside Animal Hospital.