As you may have heard on the radio, I am retiring at the end of this week. But before I go, I’d like to leave you with one last message. If you’ve read any of my blogs over the years, you know how strongly I feel about adopting instead of buy a puppy. And that is more true today than ever.
I was worried during the pandemic that when so many new people brought home a dog for company, that when their life changed again… the dog would not matter to some. And that has been the case.
Shelters and breed rescues are overrun. At one time, French Bulldogs were in high demand and so every back yard breeder and puppy mill started churning out Frenchies. They paid no attention to genetics and now, the market is flooded with French Bulldogs that have health issues. There are shelter in Florida and California that are euthanizing them because there are not enough adopters. And that makes me so sad.
I have adopted some incredible dogs. I am a small dog fan and love the smushed faces. So Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs are my favorites. The two rescues I work with are Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue and Chicago French Bulldog Rescue. And both have more requests to surrender dogs than have foster homes to accept new dogs.
So my last word to you is…please adopt. And if you can’t make a fulltime commitment, think about becoming a foster. Every dog that is fostered and adopted means there is room for another dog to come in to rescue.
For many years, euthanasia rates were falling. And now they are going back up again. So please, if you can adopt, do it. You will not be sorry.
