Each year, according to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized. When you choose pet adoption from a shelter, you're giving your new best friend a chance at life. You're also gaining priceless companionship and numerous benefits for yourself and your family. 

Here are our top 5 reasons to adopt a pet:

1. You save a life.

When you adopt an animal, you're saving the life of a loving creature and giving them a second chance at a happy life in a loving home. All they need is someone like you to take a chance on them. The number of euthanized animals could be significantly reduced if more people considered adopting pets and taking that chance.

2. You get an amazing companion.

Shelter animals are typically healthy and happy pets waiting for their forever homes. Unfortunately, they most likely wound up at the shelter because of something to do with their prior home. Many rescue pets are already housebroken and used to living with a family. Shelter animals also make for some of the most loving pets, providing you with unconditional love. At the end of the day, they're just extremely grateful to be adopted and to have a loving home. Furthermore, you'll have a friend for life, and you won't be able to imagine what your life was like before you had that fur bud!

3. It will cost you less.

Adoption fees are typically much lower than the cost of buying dogs or cats sold for profit. Additionally, the cost of the adoption fees goes towards helping the shelters care for the animals they house. Sadly, there is simply not enough room for all abandoned or stray animals in shelters. When you adopt a pet, you're making room for another animal to stay in the shelter in its place. So, adopting an animal helps more than just that one animal.

4. There are health benefits.

One bonus of pet parenthood is the positive effect on your health and wellness. There are physical benefits like lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Having a pet in the home, especially a dog, could even positively affect your child's immune system or help lower the risk of them developing allergies or asthma later on. Especially for pregnant women who own dogs, that influence on a baby's immune system may impact them well into adolescence. There is increasing evidence that having a dog at home allows children's immune systems to toughen up early on in life since dogs often bring home bacteria from outside the home.  

You've probably heard of the physical benefits like resistance to allergies over time, but have you heard of the mental health benefits of pet parenthood? Not only are pet parents more active simply because they have a pet (for example, needing to walk your dog routinely), but they also tend to be less stressed or lonely. For elderly pet parents or those who live alone, their pet's friendship is everything to them. It also makes sense that dog parents usually spend more time out and about in the dog park or walking around the neighborhood, so they might socialize more than their counterparts who don't have a four-legged friend.  

5. Having a pet will teach your kids a thing or two.

Sure, your kids can have a live-in best bud to grow up alongside. That's definitely an advantage! Even more so, living with a pet can teach them so much. When given the opportunity to learn how an animal needs to be fed and cared for, a child can learn responsibility and commitment. Since the pet becomes a part of the family, the child may feel like they're caring for a family member. 

Their positive interactions with the family pet may also teach them how to demonstrate kindness and have empathy and compassion for others. Besides being a positive light in your life, a pet has the potential to be a great influence on your family.   

We at Paw.com are proud to support the Humane Society of Broward County, whose mission is to create a humane world for all animals – a world that will also benefit people. By adopting a dog or cat, you're helping to make the world a better place.