Adopting an animal both saves lives and prevents overpopulation. The saving lives part needs no explanation. Overpopulation happens when too many animals end up on the street and begin breeding. This in turn causes issues with homeless animals being prone to diseases, suffering, dying, and vulnerability to humans.
To find out where a pet can be adopted, search for keywords like animal shelter near me, humane society, local animal rescue, pet adoption, and animal welfare organization. Words like these, or even specific ones like puppy or kitten, will almost guarantee the desired results.
The following national and international organizations also have search tools and databases on their websites for finding local shelters.
It is also responsible to understand the nature of an animal prior to ownership so there are no delusions or discomforts for having a new pet in the home. The following organizations offer plenty of information, some far more specific to various species than others.
Originally started as single clinic called Planned Pethood Plus, Planned Pethood International ⇗ is a successful veterinary organization founded by Dr. Jeff Young, the Rocky Mountain Vet ⇗. It was created with the intention of being able to handle a large volume of animals needing treatment for an affordable cost to pet owners while maintaining quality excellence in care.
Although trying to maintain such an entity was a struggle at first, after pushing its outreach, Planned Pethood began to thrive and expand. It started receiving global recognition and high praises, especially after it was made known that Dr. Jeff continued working throughout his first years-long battle with cancer. His TV show ran for a total of eight seasons on Animal Planet wherein many of his day-to-day operations were filmed, and his organization was displayed as an icon for what animal welfare should be. Although it is currently not accepting new donations, please be aware of Dr. Jeff Young's GoFundMe page ⇗ to help with his second battle with cancer. Contrary to rumors that he has passed, Dr. Jeff is very much alive and continues to practice.
Please note that veterinarian Jeff Young shouldn't confused with equine veterinarian Jeff Young ⇗, both of which graduated from Colorado State University.
Other international organizations not previously mentioned