Bringing a pet into your home should never be a ‘spur of the moment’ decision. But, if after careful consideration, you decide that your family is ready to experience the joy that only a pet can bring, where should you get one from?

There are quite a lot of options open to you these days, but a shelter should always be your first port of call. Not only do they have a wide variety of breeds, including purebreds, they have more than just puppies and kittens. They also have beautiful cats and dogs from adolescent's right through to senior citizens. This puts shelters in the ideal position to match every family's expectations and requirements and find the right pet for your particular circumstances.
 
If you are ready to bring a pet into your home and are not convinced that a shelter is the best place to look, let me give you a few more reasons to do so: 

• You can rest assured that you are not contributing to the tragedy that is pet over- population by encouraging irresponsible and un-registered breeders to produce offspring for the pet trade.  
• They don't just have dogs and cats; often they have a variety of animals to choose from. 
• You can depend on responsible shelters to assess the animals' health and temperament in order to make the best adoption matches possible. 
• Shelter adoption counselors have great expertise about animals and know the specific animals in their care. 
• Many shelter animals are already housebroken and trained, and have some understanding of what living with a family is like and how to fit in. They have a "head-start" on animals from pet stores or breeders. 
• Many shelters offer follow up services and support.
• Shelter animals are good value. Shelter adoption fees include the cost of desexing, vaccinations, worm and flea treatment along with microchip identification.

But the reason that should be the most persuasive is that it's the right and ethical thing to do! You will be helping, one animal at a time, to bring an end to this nation's homeless animal problem.

In Australia, approximately 130,000 dogs and 60,000 cats are euthanased at pounds and shelters every year.

So next time you pass a pet shop, resist the temptation to buy that gorgeous kitten or puppy in the window. There are thousands of cats and dogs waiting for their second chance in pounds and shelters everyday. As long as the lucrative pet shop market exists things are unlikely to improve. The practice of selling animals from pet shops can promote impulse buying and irresponsible breeding for profit. We have far too many dogs and cats without homes already.

Animal Aid has been in the business of matching people and pets for over 60 years. We have a wealth of experience and highly trained staff to ensure that the matches that we make have the best chance of success. Don't be discouraged if you don't find a suitable pet the first visit the shelter, we receive new animals every day. We are there to help with enquiries or advice on what pet would suit you and can offer practical solutions to any problems that you may have once you have adopted.

If, by some remote chance, you don't manage to Meet Your Match at a shelter, you may decide to visit a registered breeder. We suggest that you seek advice from the Dogs Victoria if you want to pursue this option.