THE BEST PETS FOR LGBT OWNERS - Florida Agenda

RESCUE ANIMALS: THE BEST PETS FOR LGBT OWNERS

If you’re a pet owner yourself, you probably already know that the LGBT community is extremely pet-friendly: according to a recent poll, over seventy percent of LGBT adults are pet owners, compared with only sixty percent of straight adults. For many of these LGBT “pet parents,” cats and dogs rescued from animal shelters can make the best pets, providing a loving companion while supporting local animal rescue and giving pets a forever home.

While there isn’t much information out there about why rescue pets are the best pets for LGBT individuals and families, or whether LGBT folks tend to adopt more pets than straight people, there is definitely a connection between shelter animals and the LGBT community, and several reasons to look into adopting an animal from your local shelter.

The Best Pets Find You

Ask anyone who’s adopted a pet from a shelter and they’ll tell you: they didn’t choose their pet, their pet chose them. For LGBT pet owners, the decision to adopt a cat or dog might come from a desire for companionship, wanting to be responsible for another life, or simply a lifelong wish to have a furry member of the family. Rescuing a pet instead of buying one from a pet store or breeder has a number of benefits for owners and animals alike:

Pet owners can focus on connecting with the best pets for their lives and activities, rather than spending a small fortune on a designer breed or supporting puppy mills.
Supporting local shelters provides resources: whether it’s through an adoption fee or simply freeing up space for another homeless animal, shelters rely on adoptions to continue rescuing animals.
Rescue pets are some of the most loyal and caring: it may be because they’ve been given a new lease on life thanks to being adopted, or just sheer joy that the right human finally came along, but you won’t find a more affectionate pet than a shelter rescue.

The best pets aren’t the ones that cost the most money: they’re the ones that need you the most, and for many members of the LGBT community, adopting a pet is an incredible way to enrich more than one life.

The Best Pets, or the Best You?

Visiting a shelter for the first time, many LGBT pet parents are struck by the number of homeless animals and are moved to provide a better life for one (or more!) of them. While there are many reasons pet owners might choose to adopt a cat or a dog from a shelter, some particular benefits that might drive LGBT owners toward adoption:

Empathy: LGBT pet owners understand what it’s like being treated as an “outsider,” LGBT individuals may have to face intolerance, cruelty, and even neglect in their lives, and ending these struggles for a rescue animal can create a lifelong bond.
Health: There have been countless studies on the connection between owning a pet and living a healthy life. Whether it’s the exercise you get from taking a dog for a long walk or the mental health boost provided by a cat curled up on your lap, it’s clear that adding a pet to your home enriches your life and theirs.
You Look Great: this may not be the first benefit you think of when rescuing a shelter pet, but it’s undeniable that someone who saves an animal suddenly becomes much more attractive. Kindness and compassion look good on anyone.

Whatever your reason for adopting, rescue animals make the best pets because it’s not about having a transaction like buying a pet from a store: it’s saving a life, and giving a thankful and happy animal a stable home.

Skip the Store, Find the Best Pets

The number of LGBT pet owners is continuing to grow, and as the problems with breeders and pet stores keep surfacing, we’re sure to see even more members of the community turn toward adoption and rescue. If you’re thinking about adding a pet to your life, skip the pet store and head straight to your local animal shelter to take home some of the best pets: they’ll reward you with a lifetime of love and companionship.

Human Society Of South Florida

16101 W Dixie Hwy

N Miami Beach, FL 33160

305-696-0800

www.humanesocietymiami.org

The Cat Network

P.O. Box 347228

Miami, FL 33234

305-255-3482

www.thecatnetwork.org

Born Free Pet Shelter

P.O. Box 490823