So let me start off by saying that when my family moved to the Seattle area, one of the first things little Aania did was look up an animal shelter to volunteer at. My parents had always worked or lived around tons of pets and when we moved to an apartment complex in Seattle, I was so sad to see that there weren't a lot of animals around. I reached out to the Seattle Humane Society and signed up as a Humane Teen Club member. This allowed me to get trained to one day hopefully volunteer there before I was even 16 years old. I got trained on how to handle dogs, cats, and critter animals. I also raised over $800 worth of pet food for the shelter. Afterwards, I volunteered at the Seattle Humane Society and had many roles! I even fostered a total of 4 cats at my parents house, and adopted my very own cat from there too! As you can see, this shelter has been an important part of my Seattle story! They do so much good for the animals that are surrendered there and help find them their purr-fect forever homes.
Currently, the shelter is undergoing renovations! They're hoping to be done with constructions by the end of the year (2017), but you can totally go in and see the adoptable animals anytime. They have adoption counselors who are very knowledgable and will sit down with you and make sure you're ready to adopt a pet and know the responsibilities of becoming a pet owner. All of the adorable animals there are micro-chipped, neutered, and come with 30 days of pet insurance. By adopting a shelter animal, you are really saving the animal's life and they will bring so much joy and love into your life!
There's a lot of perks to adopting a pet from an animal shelter like the Seattle Humane Society!
SELECTION - There's a great selection of pets available at the shelter. You can find almost every breed and kind of pet you're looking for at the shelter. If you're looking for a specific breed, you can look for that one on the website, but what's really fun is going in and discovering a new breed and finding a pet that you have an instant connection with! When I was at the shelter I met one of those kinds of dogs! The big guy, named Art, and I bonded instantly! He was as big as me (or much bigger actually) and kept posing the same way in photos as me- I almost think he was imitating me! If I had the space and place for him, I would've brought him home right then and there! Art is a very big and lovely fellow! He's only a year old and is a pure Peruvian breed! You can contact the Seattle Humane Society to ask about any of the animals pictured below!
HEALTH - The Seattle Humane Society provides a thorough examination to each pet by a veterinarian at the shelter before the pet goes up for adoption! Each pet comes with a sheet that explains their health, vaccinations, and behavior! I loved this sheet of my cat when I was adopting it because it gave me all the info I needed to know about him! Unlike Craigslist or a breeder or a pet store, you know that the pet you're adopting and welcoming into your home is healthy and has been well cared for! What I also love about the Seattle Humane Society is that each animal is sent home by an adoption counselor that specifically interviews the adopter. That means that they make sure to explain the pet's behavior and needs to the person adopting the animal and make sure they are suitable and able to care for their new furry friend. This leads me to my next point...
TEMPERAMENT - Because so many shelter volunteers and staff accompany and watch over the pets at the Seattle Humane Society, they can tell you exactly what your new pet will be like! Whether you want a lap cat or a hyper puppy, they can help you find the perfect match for you! So you're never blindly picking up a pet that you won't know anything about until you get home - you're actually helped to make the best decision! When I was looking to adopt a cat, I knew I wanted one that was loving, very chill, and short haired. The staff at the Seattle Humane Society helped me look around at all the cats in the adoption lobby, but when I didn't feel a super strong connection with any of them, they recommended me to meet a kitty that was actually being ready to go on TV to promote the Seattle Humane Society. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was the one for me. He immediately charmed his way into our home and we honestly could not have asked for a more laid back and loving pet! I'm so thankful for their adoption counselors who actually take the time to listen and not give up on you!
COST - This is something every new pet owner should be careful about! Costs for new pets can definitely build up. However, adopting a shelter animal is actually very inexpensive. Seattle Humane Society is a non-profit shelter. This means that their adoption costs go purely to helping more animals! Breeders and non-shelter animals can sometimes be crazy expensive (like up to a $1000 or so!), but shelters have much more reasonable costs (usually from $20 to $200 based on age/breed/animal). The largest cost of owning a shelter animal is usually vet bills! So knowing you're adopting a healthy animal from somewhere like the Seattle Humane Society, is so much peace of mind!
SAVING LIVES - Believe it or not, by adopting from a shelter, you're actually saving the life of a pet that's been surrendered to the shelter AND you're helping make room at the shelter for a new animal! So basically, you're saving TWO lives! Buying from a breeder or place like Craigslist is not safe for animals. By adopting from non-shelter places you might be paying for a stolen animal, helping fund puppy mills, or adding to the pet overpopulation problems that already exist. When we were thinking of adopting a cat, my mom found a Persian & Himalayan cat breeder in the outskirts of our city. However, after seeing the unsanitary and poor conditions those kittens were being kept in, I knew those conditions would cause many health problems for the innocent little guys. By purchasing a kitten from this breeder, I would be encouraging him to breed more kittens. Thus, we decided to contribute to the Seattle Humane Society instead.
- If you can't adopt, foster an animal!
- If you can't foster, sponsor an animal!
- If you can't sponsor, volunteer at the shelter!
- If you can't volunteer, donate (towards a shelter, food, or animal rights group)!
- If you can't donate, educate people on animal rights and animal shelters!
Trench coat: Zara
Sweater: Ann Taylor
Necklace: Forever 21
Jeans: Nordstom
Boots: Norstrom
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