“Once you have had a wonderful dog, a life without one, is a life diminished.” —Dean Koontz

One of the most painful things in life is to say goodbye to your faithful, beloved canine friend and family member. Needing time to grieve is understandable, but never forget that in our shelters there are millions of companion animals waiting for someone just like you to adopt them and make them part of your family.  The Humane Society of the United States reports that “about 2.4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets. Spay/neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation, ensuring that every pet has a family to love them.” To find a pet near you, check out websites like adoptapet.com, petfinder.com, and theshelterpetproject.org.  When you adopt a pet you save two lives, the one you adopted and the next one that needs the shelter until their loving permanent home is found.