There’s nothing better for an animal shelter volunteer than seeing a long-term resident find his/her furever home. A loud and chaotic shelter is no place to call home, though it is better than the streets. The dogs get warmth from the cold, daily meals, and medical attention. Still, there’s nothing like having a family to take you in and love you as their own.
This past weekend, Rogue, a pit bull mix who’d been at the shelter for over six months, finally got his chance to know what it means to be a member of a family. It’s fitting that Rogue’s new name is Chance because he’s getting the chance not all homeless pets get, especially pit bulls. That’s what makes this adoption extra special.
Pit bulls are the most likely dogs to be killed in shelters because of the unfair and discriminatory stigma placed against them. But Rogue, as well as my pit bull baby, Phil, are loving and loyal dogs who deserve to be saved, too.
Whenever a dog that I spent extra time with at the shelter gets adopted, I move on to another one, because there is always another dog in a kennel, waiting for a home.
Will there ever come a time when a homeless dog will be adopted and he/she will be the last one? And that all the other kennels in the country will be empty? Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but maybe not as much as you may think.
According to Statista.com, over 63 million households in the U.S own at least one dog. That more than covers the approximately 6.5 million companion animals that, per ASPCA, enter U.S animal shelters every year. The more people who choose to adopt over breeders and pet stores, the less animals would be killed. It’s an easy concept to understand, yet so many people still don’t get it.
In the meantime, the lucky ones like Rogue will enjoy their new lives and their second chance at life.
aliciajoseph 