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Can You Resist?

The Possibilities and Success to a Happy Ending With a Pet

Ghowntxi Tiffany Yang

English !"



#nt$oduction% The Wo$d &Pet'

What comes to mind when you see or hear the word “pet”? Many see it as simply an

animal that is domesticated and does not have feelings. These sorts of people have an “I can toss

it whenever I want” attitude. That is like saying a pet is an accessory or a toy you can play with

whenever you want and toss it when it gets old or tiresome. This mindset tells me that this sort of

person is irresponsible and incapable of giving a pet a proper home to fulfill its needs. ust the

thought of bringing an animal home is a greater task than one would think. There are many

things to consider. ! couple key "uestions that pop up are# !re you ready and willing to open not

only your home to an animal but yourself? !re you aware of the e$tra costs you might need to

spend or invest? %an you provide proper healthcare and social treatment? The list goes on. &ow

I'm not writing this to tell you the hardships and discourage one from obtaining a pet or tell you

that the way you raise a pet is wrong. I want to stimulate positive thoughts when one does choose

to spend a part of their lifetime with something put in this world to accompany us and provide

that social attention we need. It only makes sense to return the favor to these animals as well.

ust like humans( they need that social affection and attention. They want that love) they seek it.

We are there to provide it. This whole ordeal is a give and take cycle that should be respected.

&ow it comes to the topic of( “*reat( now that I know the basics( which is better( buying

from a pet store or adopting?” The concept of buying from a pet store seems reasonable at first.

Why so? !lmost all people have his or her dream of owning a cute little puppy or kitten( then

raising them from its childhood so you can grow up with it and live happily ever after. Well( it is

not as easy as it looks. !gain( more thinking and serious planning is needed( but do people care?

&o. Many people +ump to conclusions thinking( “,h( that puppy is so cute( I'm going to buy

him-” The puppy goes home with satisfaction of both owner and pet are prominent. Two weeks



later( the careless owner blames the puppy for every wrongdoing. ! year passes and the puppy

turns into a young adult dog and is at its peak of playfulness( and then all of a sudden( owner

surrenders the puppy to a shelter. The puppy is put up for adoption( but no adoption re"uests

have been put forth in a time limit( euthanasia of the animal occurs. appy ending received. /ut

for who? ust for the owner? 0oes that even make sense. 1ater on in the paper( I will be able to

show reasons why it is not +ust the owners fault for an innocent life being taken away( it is the

corrupted system of a pet store.

1ooking at a shelter has its pros and cons( but compared to the pet store( definitely more

pros outweigh the cons. !dopting from a shelter is what I personally believe is the way to go.

There is one catch to adopting from a shelter. That is one has to be aware of that animals who are

put up for adoption are in need of a true home. Many have never had a home or have been given

up because their previous owner could not take care of them. These shelter animals also

e$perience hardships. !dopting from a shelter will take e$tra work( sweat( and blood. Many

animals are not social( since many have been rescued from dire circumstances. 2our own

willingness to train and work with the animal you adopt is necessary. This I believe will be the

most rewarding and you can grow stronger as an individual. 2ou will be able to learn the needs

of yourself and your pet. There is a saying along the lines that if you have been through it( you

will get through it. Think about it( it also does make sense that if you are in or have been in a dire

situation( you are more willing to mature and be thankful for what you have if you are given a

chance to begin again. Well I like to apply this concept to animals who have been through rough

times as well. To wrap this up( I will also be providing statistics and more information on topics

such as animal overpopulation( ways and ideas to help one achieve their lifelong dream to a

happy ending when it comes to bringing a pet home( and a couple of personal e$periences when



it comes to obtaining a pet.

(ite$atu$e Re)iew% How to *atch +ot Choose You$ Pet

3eterinarians Marder and 0u$bury have written an article on how to match a prospective

pet owner to a pet rather than choosing one. “3eterinarians can help prospective owners

approach the selection process with realistic e$pectations. !rmed with information about where

to obtain a dog and with specific knowledge about how differences in the age( breed( and gender

of the dog may affect their e$perience( owners are better positioned to begin a successful

relationship with a new canine family member.” 4 5page 66789 This video link of one of !nimal

:lanet's show

;

provides positive actions a shelter looks for in a promising owner( again

emphasi<ing on matching a good home to a dog. !s for the people who choose to ignore a proper

match=up( love at first sight can be either good or bad depending on a person's tolerance level

and knowledge. 1et's say that a first time owner decides to purchase a pet from a pet store. What

draws his or her attention to want to obtain a pet in the first place? The fact that having an

adorable pet to show off is one thing( but another is( “media advertising plays a ma+or role in pet=

supply sales( and may contribute to overpopulation.” 75page 889 !s you can see( on thing leads to the

ne$t. Most pet store animals are not spayed>neutered( which allow for reproduction to occur and

make overpopulation an issue. The umane ociety of the @nited tates 5@9 estimates eight

to ten million companion animals 5i.e.( cats and dogs9 are relin"uished to shelters each year and

of those( four to five million are euthani<ed 5@( ;AA;9. 7 5pg869

,)e$population%

What is overpopulation? “,verpopulation is described as a societal problem( with the

individual and collective behavior of people as a causal agent.” 75page 869 2ou now know how it

occurs( but how can you prevent it? If there were e"ual amounts of people in this world willing



to take one in a pet( overpopulation wouldnBt be seen as a threat( but since not everyone favors

having a pet( over four million companion animals are euthani<ed each year. That is almost C of

the ones who are put in shelters to be adopted out. If we are going to take a life by putting these

animals to sleep( why not +ust prevent the overpopulation of them? 1uckily there are many

approaches any pet owner or promising pet owner can take. The first most popular and most

stressed approach by veterinarians is the spay and>or neuter of one's pet5s9. The benefits are not

only beneficial to your pet but to you( as an owner as well.

“terili<ation of your cat or dog will increase his>her chance of a longer and healthier life.

!ltering your canine friend will increase his life an average of 6 to D years( felines( D to 8

years.D terili<ing your cat>dog makes him>her a better pet( reducing his>her urge to roam

and decreasing the risk of contracting diseases or getting hurt as they roam.; urveys

indicate that as many as E8F of dogs hit by cars are unaltered.” D

This being said( one other factor that can help reduce sending animals to the shelters in the first

place would be the emphasis of training and correcting animal behavioral problems. It is said

that#

“ @p to 4AF of households own pets in various countries around the Western

world...0ogs that had not attended obedience=training classes were 4E.6F more likely to be

surrendered. ,ther risk factors included being se$ually intact 5DA.GF9( eliminating inside

regularly 56G.DF9( and not receiving veterinary attention 548.HF9.tudies also have shown that

house soiling is the most common reason for the surrender of cats( followed by problems with

other pets and aggressive behaviors . ” E

In this above "uote from the scholarly article written by animal behaviorist( ersti eksel(

she has concluded that in order to reduce behavioral problems in a pet( is to select an appropriate



pet( then sociali<e it and stimulate. he also mentions that although people do tend to do at least

one of the above( following through with at least two of the ideas listed above will greatly reduce

unwanted behavior and will make pet owners feel more at ease with their pets.

Taking a couple of obedience classes with your pet may seem like its a bit of a rip=off or

if you have financial difficulties when it comes to the wire( but if you are not willing to put in

effort to train with your pet as the other option( you are better off +ust paying for a couple of

classes or ask for tips from people who have taken courses. This will give you somewhat of an

insurance that you can feel more rela$ed about because when your animal is satisfied( you will

be too. Jemember( this is about both your animals needs and your needs( not +ust one or the

other. When you got your pet( you made a commitment not to only yourself but to your pet that

you could and are willing to provide for it. If animals had thumbs( they could probably rule the

world if they could. ince our reality does not run like that( animals need us to provide these few

but necessary necessities.

Shelte$ )s- Pet Sto$e%

!s one of the most sought out dilemmas when it comes down to deciding where to get

your pet( shelters or pet stores are the options that are the most obvious. Which is better? /oth

have pros and cons. 1et's first observe pet stores. 1et's say given a situation( you are a new owner

who is willing to open your home to a pet( but you have done your research and you feel as

though you can provide necessary essentials. 2ou decide to go to a pet store to purchase your pet.

2ou know what you need and called in ahead of time. &ow the "uestion is( will the pet store

have what you are looking for? The pet store responds by telling you that they will have this

breed in within a couple of weeks. 2ou are ecstatic to hear that. Well happy ending right? Well

guess what( let's think this through. ow is the pet shop going to get this pet? Is it magically put



on order in the dog world? Well( in ma+ority of cases( yes( this actually does happen. We call

these facilities that breed dogs on demand( commercial breeding establishments 5%/K9 ( or as

popular referred to as “puppy farms” or “puppy mills”. It is said that mills( “are kennel facilities

where puppies are produced in large numbers for commercial sale. 0ogs in these facilities are

routinely housed for their entire reproductive lives in cages or runs( and provided with minimal

to no positive human interaction or other forms of environmental enrichment.” H !s for the

benefits of puppy mills? The most popular dog breeds on demand are produced "uickly( giving

the customers their need. ! supply and demand of materials( means a happy customer.

&ow puppies from mills are not +ust sold to pet shops( but over the Internet as well.

“mall breed puppies were most fre"uently advertised with D8.;F 56;;E>D7E8 sites9 of

advertisements for 2orkshire Terriers and ;D.AF 5EA;>D7E8 sites9 for hih T<us. !lmost one

"uarter of Internet breeders H4E>D7H7 5;;.;F9 advertised four or more different dog breeds.” G

This promotes the idea that( “,h look( I see a dog( I want it and I can get it anywhere. ee( the

Internet can sell me one right now.” What most Internet and pet stores do not tell you are the

cons of the pet you would like to purchase. “Lormer %/K breeding dogs were reported as

showing significantly higher rates of health problems. %/K dogs displayed significantly higher

rates of fear 5both social and nonsocial9( house=soiling( compulsive staring) and significantly

lower rates of aggression 5toward strangers and other dogs9( trainingN ability( chasing small

animals ( e$citability( and energy.” H

&ow I'm not saying that all Internet advertisements for dogs mean you'll end up with a

bad dog. Jegistered breeders such as the !merican ennel %lub 5!%9 have advertisements

posted on the Internet as well. :ricing rates for these dogs are higher( but more reliable. It's +ust a

matter of choice. Many do prefer a lower price for what they believe is the right “item” or in this



case “animal.”

“The !% :arent %lub breeders routinely demonstrated a more thorough understanding

of this fact health screeningN ( as demonstrated by their specific mention of these tests in their

interviews. !dditionally( these breeders were far more likely to screen their breeding animals for

the recogni<ed diseases of their breed. Kfforts to screen breeding dogs and sterili<e those dogs

that contribute negatively to the health of the breed are important differences between !%

:arent %lub breeders and Internet breeders. !% :arent %lub breeders were also more likely to

have some sort of spay>neuter policy in place. !% :arent %lub breeders were more likely to

accept return of a puppy at anytime for any reason. :urchasing a puppy from a breeder willing to

accept responsibility for that dog should provide comfort to the new owner.” G

@nreliable sources where you obtain your pet can be the cause of bigger problems leading

to things such as mentioned above like bad behavior( soiling the house( and so on. /e safe and

pay now so that you can play later. Take the necessary steps to get the most out of owning a pet.

helters are the ne$t reliable source for you( though you may not get a purebred puppy to

your liking. There are many mi$ed breeds that may be a better fit to your lifestyle. 2ou might be

able to find a dog that looks like a iberian husky( +ust like you wanted( but it may be less vocal

since it is a mi$ed breed. Many options and varieties are available and age ranges vary as well.

Ma+ority of shelters have policies of when they decide to take in an animal( each animal is set to

be spayed or neutered if not so already. This is good for the customer because you will not have

to pay out of pocket to have this procedure done. It is also said that dogs in shelters are trained

and this helps to adopt out animals faster. “Training dogs to come to the front of the cage and not

to bark when someone passes by is also thought to increase attractiveness for adoption. It has

been reported that the behavior of a dog is much more important to a potential adopter than the



dogBs physical appearance. “ 8 5page 479 helters also have very reasonable prices and do provide the

necessary tools to start off with when adopting through a shelter. Who knows( you might +ust end

up with more than you thought you would when adopting from a shelter. helters can save you

the hassle of dealing with soiling and basic training and much more.

Lears of not being able to get a dog at a reasonable price are never a reason to resort to

purchasing from an unreliable source. 2our pet's health both mentally and physically can affect

you in the long run. !lways ask if you are unsure. 3eterinarians around the world would be glad

to help you find your perfect pet and provide you with sources.

Ente$ing the Con)e$sation% Pe$sonal .asic /nowledge

,wning a pet should be rewarding and not stressful. We have much more stressful things

in life to worry on that we do not need to add more. I believe it is necessary to do your research

before you do anything serious. %ommitting to bringing a pet home is one of those sub+ects

where you must take your time to think and not +ump to conclusions or fall to peer pressure. ust

because every one of your friends has a pet( does not mean that you have to go and get one too. It

may look easy and fun taking your pet to the park( going swimming( fishing) any sort of playtime

always looks appealing to the eye. /ut think about the hardships that person may have gone

through to get their pet to that stage behind closed doors. ome tasks are harder than they look.

I want to share my e$perience with you all. I personally adopted from a shelter and my

cat( *ryphon 5*riffin9 has been through so much( but he has remained such a great friend so far.

2ou wonder how he could have gotten through all his troubles of being that perfect kitten who

was purchased for what he thought was a loving home( only to find out that once he grew old and

“ugly”( he'd be put on the streets to fend for himself and wind up in the shelter( waiting for his

forever home. 1uckily he was micro=chipped when the shelter found him and was able to contact



the family( but the family surrendered him to the shelter willing. That is when luck brought me to

him or vice versa( however you want to think of it. I currently was a volunteer at the shelter at

the time and when I heard of his story the day he came into the shelter( I've heard cases like this

all the time. What hit me hard was when I saw him and interacted with him. I've never seen such

fear and love in an animalBs eye at the same time. e was literally glued to my feet as I played

with him. I knew after a few more days that I had to take him home. e needed me and we both

knew that. /eforehand( I carefully calculated what I would need if I decided to take him in. I

had to go through the same process as other prospective adopters# background check( good

standing vet history( pledges( the whole nine yards. The one thing I believe helped me most was

my interaction period with *ryphon. Most pet stores do not let animal=to=animal or human to

animal interaction. That makes absolutely no sense in my opinion. 2ou want to bring this pet into

your home but no interaction means you do not get to see how the animal will react to you.

helters allow and encourage for interaction. ! two=week trial and refund period is also

available( whereas pet stores have a no=refund policy.

So what? % The 0e$dict

Jesearching is certainly not an easy task( but in the long run( the payoff is priceless. If

you are not willing to go through with these minor e$tremes for your pet. 2ou may not be ready

to own one. Taking care of another life form is challenging. &o one knows how an animal will

react. Kach are uni"ue and hold different characteristics( for e$ample( one dog breed barks more

than others. ,ne cat breed needs to be given a daily walk every day since their energy levels are

higher than other breeds( and so on. I want people to reali<e that pets are actually living

creatures +ust like humans( and they have the right to receive all that we humans can also receive.

Why does their life have any less meaning than ours? If we could put ourselves in any animal's



situation and live their way of life or +ust catch a glimpse of it( would our perspectives change?



Works %ited

1) !dopting a helter 0og. !merican ociety for the :revention of %ruelty to

!nimals 5!:%!9 website. http#>>www.aspca.org>pet=care>virtual=pet=behaviorist>dog=

behavior>adopting=shelter=dog. !ccessed eptember DA( ;A6D.

;.9 !nimal :lanet. Puppy bowl VII: pet adoption criteria 3ideoN. 0iscovery

%ommunications( 11%) ;A6D.

D.9 /enefits of pay>&euter. &orth hore !nimal 1eague !merica's pay @!

website. http#>>spayusa.org>benefits.php. !ccessed eptember DA( ;A6D.

7.9 Lournier !( *eller K. /ehavior analysis of companion=animal

overpopulation# a conceptuali<ation of the problem and suggestions for

intervention. /ehavior and ocial Issues. ;AA7)6D# 86=4E .

8.9 1uescher !@( Tyson Medlock J. The effects of training and environmental

alterations on adoption success of shelter dogs. !pplied !nimal /ehaviour

cience. ;AAG)66H56=;9#4D=4E.

4.9 Marder !( 0u$bury MM. ,btaining a pet# realistic e$pectations. 3et %lin

&orth !m mall !nim :ract. ;AAE)DE589#6678=4;( viii.

H.9 McMillan L0( 0uffy 01( erpell !. Mental health of dogs formerly used as

Obreeding stockB in commercial breeding establishments. !pplied !nimal

/ehaviour cience. ;A66)6D856=;9#E4=G7.

https://pod51030.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=wU0wv9eGakSmLWi6wFWL1F93omYRmNAIawbHvTAn0NPvm1pEdSPSxyVwKX84HzdVE0EV0v7io9U.&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aspca.org%2Fpet-care%2Fvirtual-pet-behaviorist%2Fdog-behavior%2Fadopting-shelter-dog






E.9 eksel . :reventing behavior problems in puppies and kittens. 3et %lin

&orth !m mall !nim :ract. ;AAE)DE589#GH6=E;( v=vi.

G.9 3oris %( Wittum TK( Ja+ala=schult< :( 1ord 1. %haracteri<ation of

advertisements for puppies sold online# determinants of cost and a comparison

with parent club breeders. :rev 3et Med. ;A66)6AA5D=79#;AA=G.

10.) Welton( M. yourpurebreedpuppy. :et shop puppies# buying a puppy from a

pet store. http#>>www.yourpurebredpuppy.com>buying>articles>petshops=and=pet=stores.html

!pproved ;AAA. !ccessed eptember DA( ;A6D.

11.) 2ang( *. 5;A6D9. Jevision 0raft ; WordN. Jetrieved from

https#>>moodle;.uncc.edu>mod>assignment>view.php?idP6DAE4G.

https://pod51030.outlook.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=wU0wv9eGakSmLWi6wFWL1F93omYRmNAIawbHvTAn0NPvm1pEdSPSxyVwKX84HzdVE0EV0v7io9U.&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourpurebredpuppy.com%2Fbuying%2Farticles%2Fpetshops-and-pet-stores.html

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