Adopt, Save the Life of A Dog or A Child

Adoption Saves Lives

Today, I take a new plunge online. I am not simply pro-pet adoption. My husband and I  adopted a child. Years ago, my family started through foster care, then a year later by the adoption of our foster child.

My husband and I became foster care parents when a baby girl came to us in shocking ill health. Failure to thrive. She lost weight to 4 lbs. 12 oz.  She had never made eye contact with anyone. Not her biological mother nor her boyfriend, not the nurses or doctor in the hospital. When I first held the baby, I felt scared. I worried. Could we make a connection?

But as I listened to her mother talk, the tiny infant began staring up at my face. I risked a look into a pair of stunningly clear blue eyes. That was the beginning of an unbreakable bond.

You are reading Dog Leader Mysteries.

The adoption of our daughter made us a family.

 

Nothing was easy in that first year of our infant’s health struggles and adoption. In fact, all our efforts to adopt mushroomed into a messy nightmare. The problems never stopped. The level of legal and emotional difficulty increased each week as she grew. But despite how hopeless it looked for that baby, over a year after taking her home, we were able to finalize our adoption. We became a family.

We adopted each one of our five dogs.

I tell this because I recently read that most people think adopting a pet is a good thing. But only 20% actually adopt a dog, cat or rabbit.

Busting pet adoption myths

Why?

I have a few guesses.

1. Adoption is a warm, fuzzy word splashed on highway signs and used by nonprofits to request donations. But how many people have adopted family members?

Is adoption so removed from the 80%  who do not adopt that they never think of it as a personal and desirable option?

2. A myth exists about bonding. It looms both over children in foster care and rescue dogs. In the dog world, most breeders, trainers, and other experts talk about puppies. They claim this is the best time to train and socialize. This may be true. But it is untrue that rescue dogs cannot be trained or will not bond with their new families. I know. I’ve adopted, bonded with, plus trained four rescues. And took in two sweet escaped rabbits, who we still miss because their long, healthy lives ended.

I know one thing: A mere 20% of American adopters is not enough to save the lives of millions of dogs produced by puppy mills. Every year, those puppies die of inbred illness or are killed in shelters for lack of a home.

If you are on the fence about adopting or shopping for a dog, visit a nearby dog rescue, talk to the volunteers, and meet the dogs. You will be surprised how wonderful, friendly, and willing these homeless hounds are.

You can learn tons from dog rescuers, adopters, and shelter staff/volunteers. I have.

In the end, adoption is all about love and family building.