Today is a very special day.  Bloggers all over the globe are focusing on one thing.

Dog adoption.

When I heard about this event, hosted by Be The Change 4 Animals, Blog Catalog, and Dog Rescue Success, I knew I had  to participate.  My own sweet Delilah came to us via rescue.

Rescuing a dog does not come without its challenges.  Many times you don’t have an accurate history of the dog.  That was the case with Delilah.  All we knew was where she came from, and her approximate age.  We quickly realized she’d had some training, but she needed more and she also needed structure, lots of structure.

When I think back today to the dog I met that day five years ago, I can hardly recognize her.  She has grown and thrived with the love and training she has received.  That first day I really second guessed my decision and wasn’t sure I really wanted to keep her, but there’s nothing that could pry her from me today.  She’s my dog, through thick or thin.

My original thought for today’s post was to focus on one of the labs available for adoption at Labs 4 Rescue.  When I reached out to Labs 4 Rescue, I was told they don’t like to focus on just one dog as they like to be fair to ALL the dogs.  At first I was miffed, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized they were right.

So I’m not going to shine the focus on just one dog. I’m going to tell you when I checked the Labs 4 Rescue page at Petfinder they had over 129 dogs in need of homes.  129 dogs with just one rescue organization!  That boggles my mind.

I realize that not everyone can adopt a dog.  But please don’t think you can’t make a difference!  There are so many ways you can help, even if you can’t adopt.

Don’t Breed or Buy While Shelter Dogs Die.

First and foremost we must let everyone know that adopting from a pet store equals supporting puppy mills, which are cruel and inhumane.

That’s not to say there aren’t responsible, ethical breeders out there, it just means they don’t sell their dogs through pet stores.

When someone tells you they want to get a dog, tell them all the wonderful stories you have heard about rescue dogs.  Think you can’t get a purebred dog through rescue?  Think again.  I wanted a lab mix, Delilah is pure chocolate lab.

Not a lab person? Don’t worry, sadly there are rescues for just about every breed of dog.

Fostering is a short-term commitment.

Rescues are also looking for people to foster.  Every dog a rescue can place in foster care means one more dog they can pull from a shelter.  Fostering usually is a short term commitment, wherein you provide food, shelter and some training while the dog waits for his/her forever family.

Donations.

If you can’t adopt or foster, maybe you could manage to squeeze a little extra out of your budget to donate to your local shelter. I know money’s tight, but even change in a jar adds up.

Money really tight?  Donate your time.  Rescues and shelters are always looking for volunteers to taxi dogs to appointments or adoption events, they also need people who can walk and train dogs, which in turn makes the dog more desirable for future adopters.

Sharing is Caring.

If none of these options work for you don’t give up, there are still ways to can help.

Most of us pet bloggers have a social media accounts, and many of us share dogs available for adoption, please share our posts on your social media networks and encourage your friends and followers to do the same.

Please help us bring awareness to the joys of adopting a rescued dog and please do share on your social media outlets.

Together we CAN make a difference.

Yes, this is a blog hop.  You can get your linky code here.