By: Jenna Beresheim News Editor

I have always loved animals more than people.

There, I said it. Animals have always been a crucial part of my life, as I grew up on a farm constantly surrounded by them. My mother was also a dog trainer, and our dogs were always on their best behavior because of it.

As can be imagined, my animal rights and welfare soap box grew exponentially once I moved to WOU.

Because of animals, I volunteer at the Willamette Humane Society. Because of animals, I’m also a vegan.

I am a huge advocate for being an educated member of society, even if it’s hard to swallow. Especially when it’s hard to swallow. That’s when it matters the most.

Every time I volunteer at the Humane Society, it is a bittersweet experience. Upon stepping into the kennel, dogs either cower away, or rush at you to greet their sparse human contact with overwhelming glee.

The volunteers work every day to train these dogs up to their best potential, and find what works best for them.

When they’re gone, you miss them, but you know you have done your job well.

The worst part about volunteering at the Humane Society is the small, innocent looking paper slipped into a plastic cover on the front of the kennel. These are usually adorned with stickers and lots of exclamation points, outlined in a narrative from the pet-in-question’s perspective.

But these papers also tell you the animal’s age, their breed, and at the bottom, their reason of being in the shelter.

Far too many times I have paused to read these papers, only to discover reasons that make my head spin. I even distinctly remember a woman coming in to give her 8 week old puppy up for adoption, saying that she had “too much energy.”

Influxes happen naturally, especially around the holiday season, but not for the reason you would imagine.

There are often many animals brought to the humane society that were recently purchased as presents for the holiday season, whether for a spouse, a child, or another special person.

But these animals do not meet their expectations to some degree or another. Puppies grow up. They also cost an unholy amount of money, depending on which breed you purchase and just how much trouble they get into.

I have seen return reasons for puppies and kittens like “growing up” or “having too much energy,” for puppies “not being potty trained,” for dogs “that bark,” for people moving to a new place, and even for being too expensive.

When you welcome a new pet into your home, you are taking on a new life. Not a toy. Not something you can be bored of within the week, and certainly not something that will understand what they did wrong when you turn them over to a shelter.

Some of the most common places for animals to come from are the pet stores frequently found in malls and otherwise popular shopping places. More often than not, these puppies will boast purebred status or come from a breeder.

Here is where research comes in handy.

These high traffic stops also have a high risk of purchasing puppies from puppy mills. These mills focus on nothing more than the turnout of puppies to be sold for profit, and often play host to substandard conditions and an array of problems for the breeding parents.

Knowing this beforehand helps the potential adopter to ask crucial questions about where the dogs are from, if the breeder is reputable – the list goes on.

Again, knowledge is power. Many prospective pet owners snag the cutest thing on four legs and hightail it home with hopes of a happily ever after.

Researching the breeds beforehand and finding what is suitable for you and your household will help to find that perfect fit in the long run if you do decide to bring an animal into your home.

There is a wonderful series online that I cannot praise enough as a helpful, succinct research tool for pet parents needing insight. Animal Planet runs a mini-series called Pets 101, Dogs 101, and Cats 101.