The Danger of Impulse Buys

An Aussie organisation has come up with one possible solution to the problem of so many animals having to be put to sleep each year…

One of the most dangerous threats to a dog’s life is not parvo-virus. It’s not kennel cough, or busy roads, or even cancer. It’s looking irresistible as a puppy in a pet store window…

Over 200,000 cats and dogs are put to sleep in Australia each year, and the vast majority of these are homeless. Of these homeless dogs, many began life as an adorable, big-eyed pup in the pet-store window, just waiting for someone to come along and succumb to their charm.

And what a brilliant marketing ploy! Who can resist the sad eyes and hopefully wagging tail when walking past a pet-store display?

The problem is, while many passers-by are seduced into buying a pup to ‘rescue’ it from the pet store, far fewer are able or willing to maintain the commitment into the dog’s adulthood, resulting in an alarming number being surrendered (or dumped) at animal shelters and pounds. Once in the pound, a dog has an average of just a week to find a new home – if no-one comes to save them in this time, they are put to sleep.

The solution
In order to combat this problem, PETStock animal supplies have teamed up with the lifesaving organisation PetRescue to create a new way to bring a pet home – without the guilt, pressure or situation to induce an impulse-buy.

In an ongoing series of events Australia-wide, PETStock will hold an in-store adoption drive where people looking to adopt a pet can meet their potential new family members in a relaxed and happy environment. The cats and dogs will all be rescue pets (animals that have been rescued from pounds and shelters) and if a family is interested in adopting one they will be required to go home and fill out an online adoption query, to ensure that the best matches are made.

•    To learn more about when the next adoption drive is taking place in your state, visit www.petrescue.com.au

Images by monkeyc and dglassme