By: Janet Quiroz

Throughout the years people in El Paso have bought a puppy form a store or a breeder.  But what happens to the ones that already have a home but aren’t wanted by their owners anymore? People just leave them there on the street, sometimes in abandoned places, and the pets that have always been in a home have no knowledge their surroundings. These animals are likely to get run over or die from starvation.

There is several of shelters who take care of these animals for more than 64 years people have worked and volunteered daily to take them to a safe home and a place where they can live a good life. In el Paso there’s the humane society of El Paso also there’s animal services working here to rescue the pets. Some include: Animal Rescue of El Paso (915) 877-5002, Animals Services at the shelter  (915) 842-1000, and Pet Guardian 915) 598-0411.

One reason so why adoption is better is because it is cheaper. To buy a dog from a breeder might cost you up to $2,000 or more like for a Husky in a store is over $500. Adopting pet is only $100 with vaccines, the microchip and neuter included. Also most of the kennel pets are trained not to bark and are potty trained.

Aside form adopting a pet and bringing joy to your family. Some pets are good to cure health problems. There are some dogs that even help as guiding dogs for people with disabilities like blindness and deafness. There’s been a case where a dog saved a 9-week-old baby.  Duke was adopted by his family the Brousseaus six years before baby Harper’s arrival. The family lives in Portland, Conn. One day after putting Harper to her crib and the parents got ready to sleep, Duke started to wake up the couple with a weird behavior. When they noticed that something was wrong they checked there newborn and realized that she stopped breathing and immediately called the ambulance. The baby was saved thanks to their personal hero Duke. The family was grateful for what duke had done believe that it was fate that brought him to their family.

A pet might even save some one of your family’s life. Animals with proper care and lots of love might lighten your day or bring extra joy and happiness to your life. Unfortunately, the number of animals in shelters and on the streets has increased instead of going the opposite way. Sixty-two percent of households in the U.S. have pets and from that 62 percent, from 20 to 30 percents of those pets are adopted.

So take an innocent life off of the streets by adopting.