“Adopt don’t shop,” a common and endearing phrase, is one that encourages people to look into adopting their next fur baby. “Adopt don’t shop” attempts to stop people from buying from a breeder and adopt from a shelter instead. Though millions of animals are adopted out of shelters every year, the euthanasia rate isn’t decreasing rapidly enough due to the overabundance of abandoned pets. The three word phrase has never been enough to successfully get people to adopt more than finding a breeder. Oftentimes, individuals overlook  an adult dog that has been sitting in a kennel for weeks, months or even years because a cute puppy stands out to them more, making the people willing to spend thousands of dollars. In order to lower the amount of no-kill shelters, adoption rates need to majorly increase to open up more space in the shelters, and soon!

Every year, approximately 5.8 million cats and dogs enter rescue shelters nationwide. While this number is already extremely high, there are 4,915 shelters and 9,514 rescues across the United States, meaning each institute holds 401 animals on average. Some shelters and rescues may be larger than others, however the number of animals entering shelters each year is the exact reason that overpopulation is such an issue. The older an animal is, the more likely it is that someone doesn’t give them a second glance and looks for the puppies or kittens instead. What people don’t realize is that passing over an older animal puts them at higher risk of euthanasia, as shelters need more room everyday for new surrenders. In 2024 alone, 4.2 million animals were adopted out into homes and 607,700 animals were euthanized. These soaring and unfortunate numbers still did not make a difference or dent large enough to allow for shelters and rescues to take in more animals. 

While it is a fact that kill shelters have dramatically decreased over the past decade, it is also true that millions of poor, healthy animals have their lives taken from them each year because people choose to give their money to breeders rather than to non-profit organizations that care about these animals. These significant and valuable pieces of information are only a small part of the cruel world many shelter animals experience. Majority of the time, animals are surrendered due to financial reasons, health and behavioral issues, an owner’s death or they’re found as strays. Everyday could be a shelter animals’ last day because of the increasing overpopulation. Next time you or someone you know considers buying an eight week old puppy, consider the amount of the animals in shelters that want loving homes rather than an unnecessary death. Check out the ASPCA website for more information on kill shelters and statistics and remember, adopt don’t shop!