As human beings, we all have the wonderful opportunity to change lives each and every single day.
Sometimes it can be as simple as just smiling at a stranger or helping someone carry their luggage up the subway stairs.
Sometimes it’s by dropping a dollar in the cup of a homeless person or volunteering at a food drive.
And every time a person chooses to adopt and not shop, they are changing lives, for one animal directly, and for hundreds of others indirectly. In the U.S., literally millions of animals spend their days at shelters. Some will get adopted just weeks after arriving. Others will wait in idle for years and years until someone decides to give them a second chance at life, or until the shelter decides that too much time has passed and they need to be put down.
When people choose to adopt a pet, they are making a conscious decision to change the life of an animal, one that would otherwise be lonely and sad in a shelter. They are also making a point to not support pet shops and also the cruel breeding mills that keep them running. By adopting and not “purchasing” a pet, they are not only demonstrating that the lives of shelter animals are indeed important, but that other animals should not be exploited just for the sake of welcoming a companion animal into our homes.
While having all of this in the back of one’s mind is gratifying when choosing to adopt, there’s nothing beats seeing the happiness of a rescued animal in their new forever home.
This is the story os Rey!
Rey is a rescue cat who was recently given a second chance by an Imgur user who randomly decided to stop by an animal shelter one day.
The Imgur user shared that she had not necessarily been looking to adopt at all, but after seeing Rey she became quite smitten. This kitty’s adorable smile makes it very easy to see how that would happen!
“I brought her home and it’s been perfect ever since,” the user shared.
Adopting a cat may not change the entire world, but this kitty never has to spend another night in a lonely kettle ever again. That in and of itself is surely changing the world for this sweet kitten.
Rey’s story clearly illustrates the beauty of adoption perfectly. After all, if you decide to venture out to a pet shop to “buy a pet,” you are simply just another customer.
However, if you go to the shelter, you truly are a hero for an animal.
All image source: strikelightmatchfire/Imgur Source
