101 on #AdoptDontShop

The What and Why of it

If you are an ardent animal lover like us, there is no way the phrase “Adopt Don’t Shop” is new to you. It is highly self explanatory - it is a movement advocating people to adopt animals instead of buying them from pet stores or unregistered breeders. Why, you ask? To save the strays. This is the top answer you are likely to be given when you ask questions. But in reality the idea is an all encompassing, much bigger picture: saving the animals - strays and pedigrees alike.

Imagine, for a good minute, walking into a “human store” and asking for a chubby, cute, blonde-haired boy baby that doesn’t cry excessively or needs only indoor space even after growing into an adult. Scared you, didn’t we? Sadly, this is the dystopian world of humans where animals exist. When it comes to pedigree dogs, everybody wants one mostly for one main reason - they are incredibly cute. I cannot disagree. But most of us are blissfully unaware of what goes on behind the curtains or how our “pedigree” pups come to be born in puppy mills.

Wait, what are puppy mills?

Fair warning, there is mildly gruesome content ahead. Puppy mills are exactly what the name suggests - “mills” where dogs are treated as breeding machines (yes, you read that right) and are forcefully and repeatedly made to mate in order to birth as many puppies as possible with a single motive in mind - money. Now most of us may choose to overlook this hiccup since we presume these dogs are well cared for but we couldn’t be more wrong. Almost zilch of the money that is paid for a pup is invested in the wellbeing of the dogs at the mills. There are innumerable proofs that most breeders house the dogs in inhumanely dirty cages with absolutely no space to move around and meagre food and water to live on. They are physically abused and forcefully injected with hormones to mate repeatedly until they no longer serve their “purpose”, after which they are abandoned on the streets or worse, killed and disposed of. The only way to end their unspeakable suffering is by adopting instead of buying so that these “mills” eventually get shut down. Agreeably, it’s a long process but with definite results at the end of it.

I only care about the puppy I buy.

If you still turn a blind eye to all the torture these poor souls go through thinking that YOUR puppy is safe and healthy, we have news for you. Remember how we enlightened you earlier about the living conditions of the dogs at the mills? As a result of this overcrowding, they become a perfect breeding ground for diseases and most often, these illnesses are left untreated in dogs. And needless to say, they get transferred from the mother to the pup and are seldom identified and intimated to you when you buy from the breeder. This inexplicably translates to your pup getting sick frequently, an increasing number of vet visits and mounting medical bills that burn holes through your pockets. One other important reason why pedigree dogs experience a lot of health issues even if they are bought from ethical breeders, is that they are simply not in their natural habitat. They aren’t native to our country and find it very cumbersome to adapt to India’s climate and environmental conditions. 

Okay, I’m convinced. But do Indian stray dogs make good companions?

Of course they do! Infact, they can adapt to Indian households better than pedigree dogs. Surprised? Here is a lesser known fact - the most common breed of stray dogs found in our country, the Indian Pariah(fondly called the Indie) is one of the purest breeds there is! They haven’t been through puppy mills where dogs are bred to ensure and increase their external appeal rather than their survivability quotient and this one reason alone makes them one of the toughest breeds we can find. (Didn’t we tell you puppy mills are pure evil?) Here are a few more reasons - from a very long list - why Indies would be the best companions you can ask for:

• They are extremely intelligent animals who have, for generations, taken care of themselves and their pups (albeit with a lot of struggles) and survived with little human intervention.

• They easily get used to human contact and love since they live around humans most of the time.

• They have great immunity and hence are less prone to health issues which means fewer number of vet visits and lower medical costs. (They are literally from the streets, Duh! *Thug Life*)

• Since they have better immunity, they also live longer than other breeds.

• They are extremely loyal and loving - you only need to interact with them once to  know they can steal your hearts away! :)

• I can go on for pages but you get the gist - Indies are the best. Period.

Need more incentives to adopt?

I am confident you have enough reasons to adopt an Indie by now, but in case you are still a cat on the wall, I have just what it takes to gently nudge you in the right direction. The kind hearts at Humane Animal Society, Coimbatore offer free medical care and sterilization at an appropriate age if adopted from us, saving you from a significant amount of medical investment that you would have to bear single-handedly if you were to buy a pup from a breeder. Isn’t that amazing? 

There would be no stray dogs in India if just 3 people out of every 100 of us choose to adopt and not shop. The world would be a better place for all and of course the best incentive that you’d get by adopting is the insanely selfless love that only a dog can provide. What are you waiting for? Happiness is a call away, adopt an Indie NOW!