Todays post is about something a little different to my usual stuff, but it's something that's very close to my heart. I've always adopted animals or taken them in because they've got no where else to go. I love giving animals the life they deserve when somebody else no longer can. I always look into adopting an animal rather than buying a new one, why buy one and encourage breeders to breed more, when there's already so many 'unwanted' animals. "New figures from the RSPCA show the charity received 3,851 calls about abandoned animals in England from January to April this year, that equates to a total of 33 animals a day".
I've had many pets that have come from a previous home, from rabbits to hamsters, from cats to dogs. I love having animals around me. They're so loving and loyal, and just because they're adopted they're normally overlooked and classed as 'bad' pets. I couldn't disagree with this more, the pets I've adopted have been the most amazing animals I could've ever wished for, yes I may have had a problem with a rabbit biting me every once in a while, but I can live with that.
I'm going to talk about two of my most dearly loved pets in this post, not that I didn't love the others just as much, I was just a lot younger when we got them so I'm not sure about their background. First up is my little baby Maisie, picture on the left in the photo. She is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, which is one of the most abandoned breeds in most rescue centres, which I can't understand at all because they're the most loving breed of dog I've ever owned. Staffie's have such a bad press behind them which leads to so many being left and abandoned when it's usually the owner who makes them into a bad pet, which can happen with any breed. It's all about the way they're treated. Maisie was given to a 72 year old lady as a puppy, which was not a good choice, the lady couldn't keep up with her activeness, so she was left in a room to roll around in her own faeces for a while. When we went to visit her, we had to take her, she was brown in colour all over and had rope burn on her neck, it was heartbreaking to see anyone could let an animal get into this state. We took her to the vets immediately, and generally she was all ok, she just needed a good scrub in the bath and lots of love. 4 years on and Maisie is still the happy, playful and amazing dog she deserved to be. I don't think I will ever love an animal like I love her, she is such a sweetheart, not a bad bone in her body.
Next up is Sam, on the right in the photo. He's a Golden Field Spaniel, he was trained to be a gun dog when he was younger, but unfortunately didn't make the cut as he was more interested in running away with the birds rather than bringing them back. So he was put up for adoption. We're not 100% sure on Sam's past, but when we first got him he didn't like certain men, and would cower away if you lifted your hand near him, so we assume he was beaten badly by a man. Sam lived a great life, he ran through fields like there was no tomorrow, and cuddled up with you on the sofa at the end of the day. He was a real family dog. He was the best. Sadly, Sam was put down a few months ago, due to being very ill. There is still a hole in my heart from him not being here anymore, and I'm not sure it'll ever be filled. He was my childhood dog.
Adopting an animal can really change your life. It will certainly change an animal's life for the better. Before you buy a pet from a breeder, take a trip to your local rescue centre and see what they have to offer. Just because an animal isn't all shiny and pretty, doesn't mean they don't have a lovely heart. It's amazing to see what some love and nurture can do to an animal, and how much happier you feel in yourself after making an animal's life better.
If you're looking to rehome a pet, you can search for one here, but be warned they're all gorgeous and you may want to bring them all home with you. The RSPCA have a great advice page with everything you need to know about rehoming animals too.
Have you ever thought about adopting?
*This post is sponsored by the RSPCA, but all views are my own.