Have you ever been somewhere and seen a stray dog or cat? You are not the only one who has. There are millions of unwanted pets out there; some abandoned, some abused or neglected. Some are simply born stray.

When somebody adopts a dog or cat from a breeder, they may decide they just don’t want it, or they might move and decide that they can’t bring it. Then that dog or cat has to scrounge for food and water and not live for very long. Sometimes it even picks up diseases that can pass on to humans if they ever make contact with the animal. They can pick up rabies and that can make them permanently dangerous, and never be able to be with humans again.

Is that not one of the saddest things you’ve ever heard?

Luckily, there are programs like the ASPCA and the Humane Society that bring these unwanted pets to shelters and finds good families for them. Shelters’ missions are to put an end to animal cruelty forever. If everyone hears about all these unwanted animals and their tragic stories, this mission is sure to succeed.

If you are ever thinking of adopting a dog or cat, you should adopt it from a shelter, not a breeder. If you adopt one from a shelter, you could save a life within minutes.

And don’t worry about all those pets at the shelters. They will find good homes. They will all have happy endings.