Dakota: Currently available for adoption at our Boston Adoption Center.

If you’re the parent of an adopted or rescued pet, you know the advantages of adopting a pet are infinite and immeasurable, but for those of you who are thinking about getting a pet, but are unsure of why you should consider adopting, we’d like to share some helpful information with you.

When you adopt an animal from a shelter, like the Animal Rescue League of Boston, you’re saving two lives, the life of the animal that you adopted and the life of the animal that’s going to take its place at the shelter. There are so many amazing animals waiting for a loving and caring home. For people who are looking for a purebred pet—studies have shown that over 25% of pets available for adoption at shelters are purebred—there are numerous breed specific rescue groups that focus on a particular dog or cat breed. Here at the Animal Rescue League of Boston, we have various breeds at any given time and animals are constantly being adopted, so we have new animals available every day.

Another huge benefit to adopting a pet from a shelter is that the animals have been tested for behavioral issues. They are also spayed/neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations, and micro-chipped, when you buy from a pet store or a breeder those are all additional costs (on top of the cost of the pet) that must be taken into consideration. Our investment in our animals includes learning their personalities so that we can help you find the perfect match for your home and lifestyle.

All adoptable animals at ARL of Boston have received the following:

• Health screening and veterinary examination
• Spayed/Neutered
• Vaccinations
• Rabies vaccination for dogs, cats and ferrets
• Microchip identification and registration
• Heartworm test and preventative medication for dogs
• Feline Leukemia test for cats
• Flea, tick and mite treatment
• Deworming for intestinal parasites
• Tag, collar, and leash or carrier

If you’re unable to adopt a pet you can always consider fostering or becoming a champion for animals.