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OPINION
opinion
KANSAN.COM/OPINION THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2016
KANSAN.COM
Carly Prior, a junior from Wichita, and her dog Cocoa. Prior adopted Cocoa from a shelter when she was a puppy.
Roxy Townsend/KANSAN
Mikinski: Consider your local shelter when adopting
▶ MADDY MIKINSKI
@Miss  Maddv
One of my favorite segments of SNL's Weekend Update
comes from a November 2009 airing of the show. Weekend Update host Seth Meyers is chatting with "Sarah McLachlan", played by cast member Abby Elliott, about her music festival, when the conversation suddenly turns to McLachlan's notorious ASPCA commercials. A series of dogs flash up on the screen as McLachlan explains their plights: "This dog's house is in foreclosure," she says of one. Her sad dog anecdotes eventually prompt a distressed Meyers to kick her off the show.
The segment is hilarious because it's so relatable. I'm sure every one of us has cringed when one of those commercials starts. But even though these ads have reached a rather intense level of infamy, they are sending a positive message about the importance adopting pets rather than buying them from breeders.
According to Animal Planet, many dog and cat owners turn to breeders in order to get exactly the type of pet they want. If prospective pet parents have a cat allergy, for instance, they can be sure to get a hypoallergenic breed. If owners plan to compete in dog shows, they could be looking for a pedigree.
Despite some assurance that owners are getting what they want, adopting from a breeder can not only be pricey (a British shorthair kitten can sell for up to $1,000), it also carries the risk of supporting puppy and kitten mills, especially in our state. A study released by the Humane Society last year ranked Kansas as the sixth-worst state in the country for puppy mills.
According to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), puppy mills operate by selling puppies through pet stores and classified ads. Conditions in
these mills are brutal and dogs are in many cases denied access to veterinary care, food and water.
Aside from the obvious ethical issues of buying from a puppy or kitty mill, buying from breeders also does nothing to help the millions of pets waiting to be adopted from shelters across the country.
Right now America is encountering a pet overpopulation crisis. The ASPCA estimates that the US is home to up to 70 million stray cats. Yearly, only about 3.4 million cats enter animal shelters across the nation, and not all of them are strays. This is a problem that affects us here in Lawrence, too. Our campus is home to a sizeable feral cat colony. And pet overpopulation obviously also affects the 3.9 million dogs that enter shelters yearly.
The benefits of adopting a shelter pet, in most cases, outweigh those of buying from a breeder. According to the humane society, shelter pets are likely to have all of their vaccinations, in addition to being spayed/neutered and microchipped Finally, shelter pets come with the satisfaction of knowing you gave a stray cat or dog a new home. Making even the tiniest dent in the stray animal population is still making a difference in a homeless animal's life.
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Adopting a pet from either a breeder or a shelter is a monumental decision. Doing good research is an instrumental part of any pet adoption process. If you're looking for certain traits that only a breeder can supply, set up a time to visit the breeder and make sure your pet is coming from a good home and healthy parents. If not, be mindful of overpopulation and consider adopting from a local shelter.
Maddy Mikinski is a senior from Linwood studying English and journalism.