Reunions are always sweet, and this one is no exception. Four years ago, this lovely Beagle-Labrador mix was adopted from a litter dubbed “The Adams Family” and welcomed into her new home. Her brothers and sisters were all adopted, too, and each one was raised in a loving environment with people who valued them and loved them as family.
“Samo” was originally named “Pubert” after the Gomez’ baby boy (Samo is a girl). Her adventures and antics with her friends are documented in this joyful video, from puppyhood to adult age. It’s obvious that she loves her human family and that they love her equally. She is a well-adjusted, happy dog.
When Samo gets the chance to meet her siblings after four years, she fawns over them and greets them as though they never were separated. Their glee in seeing each other after so long is evident in their wagging tails and friendly advances toward each other.
But these dogs are the lucky ones. Each year in the United States, 2.7 million dogs and cats are euthanized, because there’s no room for them in the shelters. Most animals surrendered to shelters are there through no fault of their own. In most cases, the dogs are friendly, happy, and used to living in a family. It’s normally a life-change, like a move or a new baby that has caused their humans to relinquish them. Adopting a mature pet means you probably won’t have to housebreak him, either, and things like spaying/neutering and microchipping are already done. In addition, when you adopt from a shelter, you’re making room for other animals who need to be adopted.
Buying a dog from a pet store, online, or at a flea-market may mean you are supporting a multi-million industry that values profit over pets. Puppy mills are factory-style breeding facilities, where the mother dogs are kept in cages in deplorable conditions and bred year after year with no hope of change. The pups are sold in pet stores or by deceptive advertising online or at flea markets. Quite often, the animals are sick or have behavioral problems from their environments or from inbreeding. When the mother can no longer produce puppies, she’s abandoned, killed, or sold at auction.
Samo’s story is a happy one. You can make your own happy video by providing a home for a shelter dog just waiting for you!
