Debunking Animal Shelter Myths

To this day as Suffolk County's oldest humane shelter, we still hear views that tend to paint shelters in a negative light. Well today we are here to tell you the simple beautiful truth about our shelter. Here are seven such common perceptions.

1. All shelter pets available for adoption are old

This is completely untrue. Little Shelter defines puppies as any dog under a year. Right at this moment we have eight puppies we just rescued getting their vaccinations and monitoring before they are available for adoption. Over the past year we have rescued over a dozen litters of puppies as well as individual puppies. 

As of the moment we also have dozens of kittens available for adoption. Depending on the time of the year, when kitten season arrives you will often find over one hundred kittens waiting to be adopted from our shelter.

Don't shop, adopt.

2. Shelter personnel don't know enough about pets

We consider our personnel one of our greatest resources. Thy’re dedicated, love all the animals, and have even slept at the shelter through hurricanes to make sure all the animals are safe. Many of our employees are currently in school to be either vets or vet techs, or have worked with animals for numerous years. They are dedicated and observe all the animals currently at Little Shelter for hours a day, no one knows our animals better.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened." – Anatole France

3. Shelters don't have any purebreds

       The Humane Society has done extensive research and found six to eight million—cats and dogs enter shelters each year. Twenty five percent of those animals are purebreds. That is two million purebred animals entering a shelter each year. 

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” 
― Karen Davison

4. Shelter pets are dirty

A lot of the animals we receive are dirty when they come in. Either their families never took care of them or they were strays, living off the streets. As soon as they arrive in our arms they are given clean water and fresh food, they receive all their required vaccinations from a licensed vet, get a full check up by a vet.

They are all spayed and neutered, and certified groomers come in and volunteer their time to groom and clean our animals.

Come in dirty yes, leave dirty never.

5. Adoption fees are expensive.

    According to pets.costhelper.com purchasing a puppy usually costs between $300 and $1,500, depending on the breed, sex, and quality. Purchasing a show quality puppy usually costs between $1,500 and $5,000 -- but can go up to $15,000

Little Shelter adoption fees for dogs are $125 if over a year, and $175 if under a year. Little Shelter adoption fees for cats are $100 for one cat or $150 for two cats.

This adoption fee includes microchipping, up-to-date vaccinations, spay or neutering, and a small bag of food.

Buying a pet from a pet store does not include any of this so your costs will be 2-85 times more expensive than adopting a pet from a shelter. 

Save a life and save money.

6. Shelter pets have behavioral problems

Most believe that if a pet is in our shelter their must be something wrong with it. Are you kidding? Numerous pets we rescue are actually family pets that are either left behind upon moving, or are dumped at local shelters. Many pets we receive are often better behaved and trained then some of our staffs personal pets at home.

You will never find a perfect pet, much like you wont find a perfect person, all require time and attention to be at their best behavior.

7. Animal shelters are sad places

This is purely based upon your perspective. Would you rather see these animals out on the street with nothing to eat, and freezing or see them in our shelter with fresh food and a warm bed? We may not be their true forever home but we have our animals have regular play dates with other animals, give them toys, bones, and play with them ourselves. 

Also as a true no-kill shelter, none of our animals will be put to sleep ever until they find their true forever home. They are safe in our arms, and in most instances they are the ones who wind up rescuing us.

-Chris Stallone