Raise Awareness Among Children About Animal Adoption

Animal adoption means giving defenseless animals who've become homeless a second chance. Let's make children aware of this!

The abandonment of pets is a social problem that affects mainly dogs and cats. It’s unacceptable that this continues to happen in the 21st century. For this reason, it’s very important to raise awareness in children regarding animal adoption so that they understand that this gives animals a new opportunity.

In addition, it’s important for the next generations to know and value the work of those who dedicate their lives to animal protection. These individuals and organizations are in charge, among other things, of collecting and giving shelter to those defenseless domestic animals that suffer abandonment and/or abuse.

The problem of animal abandonment

Many say that dogs are the most faithful friends a human being can have. In fact, they’re the most popular pets in homes in the United States. Although, they’re also quote prone to suffering abandonment by their owners. It’s also common for Americans to choose to have cats as pets. However, unfortunately, many felines also end up homeless.

According to the World Atlas, in the United States, there are approximately 87,170,990 pets in the US. Of these, some 48,255,400 are dogs and 31,896,080 are cats.

Now, we must contrast these figures with those from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. According to the ASPCA, “Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.”

But why do people decide to abandon domestic animals? Some of the causes are:

• The family members aren’t in agreement regarding having a pet.
• A change of address.
• Lack of time to take care of the pet.
• Lack of patience to educate the pet.
• The pet ages and requires special care.
• The appearance of allergies to the pet.
• Behavior problems in the pet.
• The birth of a child.

It’s important to note that none of these excuses justify animal abandonment. Abandonment is an intolerable action!

Raise awareness among children about animal adoption

In order to make children aware of animal adoption and the problem of animal abandonment and mistreatment, you must preach by example. In other words, families are responsible for:

• Promoting positive coexistence and interaction between animals and children
• Transmitting diverse values related to the care and protection of the animals
• Informing children about the basic behaviors of raising pets

• Raising awareness about the importance of maintaining dignity and respect for animals
• Instilling responsible behavior in the care and treatment of animals
• Promoting interest in the participation and improvement of the care of pets

In addition, so that the children can observe first-hand the reality of abandoned animals, you can organize a family visit to an animal shelter. This way, they can:

• See the work and functions of the animal shelter
• Tour the facilities where these animals live
• Learn the stories of some of the pets
• Comprehend the importance of animal collection, rescue, and protection services
• Understand how the process of animal adoption works
• Comprehend the importance of reporting irresponsible behavior towards pets

Thus, children understand that adopting a pet is better than buying one, since animal adoption means giving a new home to animals that have suffered quite a lot.