Adopt a Pet: 10 Reasons Why Pet Adoption is Good for Everyone

Okay, you're not going to save the earth, but there are plenty of reasons that adopting a pet is good for you and your own personal environment. Unless you have specific reasons why adopting a pet wouldn't fit into your lifestyle, like being evicted by your landlord or constant sneezing, then here are 10 great reasons for bringing some new energy into your home.

1. Dirty kitchen floors

With an adopted pet, you'll no longer need to kick those bits of food that you drop while cooking to the side. Your new pet will be pleased to dispose of it and even give that spot on the floor a little wash. Your kitchen floor will always look freshly mopped.

2. Cheaper utility bills

When it's feeling chilly, reach for that furry hand and lap warmer rather than cranking up the thermostat. You'll feel warmer in minutes and will have made your pet feel loved and useful. Yes, they know when they're being used, but unlike people, they don't seem to mind.

3. Quiet companionship

Tired of not being able to get a word in edgewise, even if you're just talking to yourself? An adopted pet will sit and eagerly listen to you talk, or rant, for hours. Notice the sparkle in their eyes, the swishing tail, and possibly a raised eyebrow that you'd never get from a disinterested human. The drooling, i'm not so sure about.

4. Perfect sleeping partner

Your adopted pet will never poke you in the ribs during the night for snoring. It will snuggle up to you and think you're purring. In the morning, it will love how you look and smell. It might even wash your face for you in exchange for you getting up to pour some food in a bowl. Unfortunately, bringing you coffee or breakfast in bed is not something they're good at. A cat might bring you a treat, but it won't be anything you'd want for breakfast. Or any meal. The same could be said of some humans' cooking, though.

5. Great exercise partner

Your adoptive pet will always be ready to exercise when you are. If you don't feel like walking your usual 5 miles (cough, cough) it won't give you grief about how you're never going to get fit. It will chase the tennis ball you missed so you don't have to (cats may take longer returning the ball, though), and even turn it into a spit ball to get back at that tennis partner who always wins.

6. Allergies

If you have friends who like to visit but you're too nice to tell them "No!", adopt the sort of pet their family is allergic to. They will grumble, but will move on to mooch at another friend's house faster than you can say "free vacation".

7. An excuse for all seasons

Whether it's a gabby neighbor who spends hours filling you in on every aspect of her life when all you wanted was to check the mailbox, or a chatterbox on the phone, your pet will always be the perfect excuse to get away. Even those on the phone can relate to Fluffy coughing up a hairball or Fido needing desperately to go out. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go!

8. Babe magnets

Your adoptive pet, when taken out in public, is sure to get you lots of unsolicited attention from the opposite sex. While it actually is your pet they're interested in, it makes you feel pretty good for a few minutes, anyway. Who knows, the attraction to your pet might actually lead to something interesting, like a double walkies date.

9. Photo enhancers

Are you one of those who stands behind the nearest child or hides behind the person next to you in an attempt to look better in photos? Now you can have your photo taken by yourself, or at least be the only human in the photo. Cover those problem areas with your adoptive pet. Hold it in your arms to cover that spare tire or say "cheeeese" next to its cute furry face to hide a double chin. No one will have a clue and they'll most likely be looking at your pet instead of you, anyway.

10. Make your local Veterinarian save longer for that new BMW

Your local vet, who gets paid for putting down unwanted pets, will be pleased to have his income reduced and possibly pay less taxes. The adoptive pets have already been spayed or neutered and are up to date on their vaccinations. They have been tested for certain diseases, like feline leukemia, and are free from fleas or worms. I guess it all evens out for the vet, but the owner and pet are the real winners here for all of the above reasons and more.

No matter where you live, there are animal lovers working hard to save pets and find suitable homes for them. If you're thinking of a pet for your kids or a pet to keep you company, check with the pet adoption services first before buying an expensive animal from a breeder. The pets up for adoption are often kept in foster homes while waiting to be adopted and are better suited for living in a home than animals raised in cages. They might already be house trained and have experience with children or other animals, too, which means the pet will fit into your lifestyle quicker.