According to the American Humane Association, millions of dogs face euthanasia every year across the country because there are not enough caring homes for them. There are other common reasons why pet adoption occurs, including lost pets, where owners and pets are separated; owners’ change of mind, where owners no longer feel they can take care of a pet; and one of the saddest reasons; that breeders produce too many pets, which they then can’t sell.

Ours have included owners who have separated and are no longer in a position to keep their dog, older dogs whose owners can no longer afford vets’ bills, families who have a child with asthma who cannot tolerate the dog’s hair, puppies who become too boisterous and need more attention than their owners can give them, and – in the case of greyhounds – dogs who have just outlived their usefulness.

Companionship and bonding: adopting a dog means you have a companion who can go anywhere with you from the beginning, instead of waiting for her to grow up so you can take her further than the front yard and she can ride in the car with you instead of being left at home all the time.

Shelter dogs come from various places such as animals found wandering the streets by Council Animal Control Officers and general public or sometimes people have to surrender dogs because their circumstances have changed and they can no longer keep their dog.

Christmas is a bad time of year to adopt an animal for several reasons; many people adopt at this time of year so selection will be limited, it hard on the animal (due to lack of routines and chaos that often accompanies the holiday) and, it’s may curtail your travel plans.