I stumbled upon this while doing some research on adoption events at work yesterday. It's the PetExpo's top 10 reasons to adopt an adult shelter dog, and most of them can transition to be reasons to adopt an adult shelter cat, as well. (I've combined some of them that are similarly themed). I always support adopting based on the pet, rather than the pet's age!:
1. Adopting an adult dog means that they can wait much longer to go potty during the day, so there's less chance of accidents while you're away at work. Also, most adoptable dogs are potty-trained, either by the rescue, foster parent or previous owners.
2. You don't have to go through the puppy stage where there will be lots of chewing... on whatever they can get their mouths on! You also won't have to worry about the chewing phase affecting your human kids, as puppies tend to be more mouthy with their playing (while they learn not to be). Most adult dogs will have outgrown these pesky puppy habits.
3. Puppies can be demanding during all hours of the night, but adult dogs will generally sleep through the night. They can also have lots of work waiting for you in the form of messes when you come home, which most adult dogs will spare you of.
4. Adult dogs require less visits to the veterinarian's office than puppies. Your dog should be up-to-date on its vaccines and spayed/neutered when coming from a shelter, so you'll likely only need to make a yearly vet visit. Puppies, on the other hand, will need a series of shots for their vaccines and you may have to spay or neuter them if they're too young when adopted (or found).
6. What you see is what you get with an adult. As a puppy, you may not know how big the dog will get or even what breed(s) it is until it's grown. With adult dogs, you know exactly what kind of dog you're getting, and you'll know what his/her personality and temperament are, which will help your decision to find the perfect dog to fit into your household. Most rescues do assessments on adult pets to let you know exactly what you're in for with each animal, and because one of the top reasons for pet relinquishment is a bad pet-owner match, the dog will be more likely to be a fitting, permanent member of your family.
7. With an adult pet, you'll get an instant companion who you can interact with and begin bonding with almost immediately. Again, you won't have to first go through all the puppy stages and figuring out the dog's personality and energy level. You'll already know this from the rescue and can become instant buddies!
8. There is a special bond that happens when you rescue an adult pet from a shelter. They have likely gone through some sort of hardship, whether it's simply losing their previous family or whether they were in a neglectful or cruel situation, and they usually bond to their new families in a very loving and appreciative way. You'll also bond better with the pet after hearing its story and knowing that you're giving him/her a second chance at a new, loving life.
I am a huge advocate for adopting adult animals, no matter their age. People tend to gravitate toward kittens and puppies first, but there are so many reasons why you should take a look at the adults, too. They all need homes and love, but just remember a couple things when you go to adopt...
First, those kittens and puppies will be adults before you know it! And when you get those cute balls of fur home, you've got a lot of work ahead of you until they get older. Second, puppies and kittens tend to get adopted very quickly, while adult pets tend to have longer stays in rescues before finding homes.You will form as special of a bond with an adult pet as you would with a kitten or puppy, and typically the bond happens more deeply and quickly with an adult.
So next time you go to adopt a new furry family member, keep some of these things in mind when deciding on which pet to bring home. And remember to always spay and neuter your pets to help reduce the number of animals that need to be rescued in the first place!
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