For some college students, the thought of taking on a pet never crosses their mind amid the chaos of work, school and play. But for many people like myself, a dog is the perfect companion. My experiences with dog ownership have taught me one thing – when it comes to getting a dog, adopt, don’t shop.

Although not all breeders are shady characters, there are many who are in this business just for the money and don’t have the best interest of the dog in mind. I have first-hand experience with this.

In high school, my family wanted a German Shepherd. My mom did her research and knew German Shepherds were excellent family and guard dogs. She found a breeder out of Oklahoma and after making the drive to meet them, my mom and I were in shock. The house smelled of feces, dogs were locked in dirty crates and the puppies were crying. We ended up not taking a puppy that day, but instead the dog they were ready to “retire” because she was aging out. We took our new pet to the Vets at Fort Sill where she was fully vetted out. It was ruled that her teeth were gnawed down in spots from trying to bite her way out of a crate, and she was not only malnourished but had a tumor growing in her reproductive organs. This poor dog was abused physically and mentally and it took years of training and patience to get her to open up and trust humans again. This is all too common of a story.

Fast forward to my first year of graduate school, and I wanted a companion. I did my research and decided I wanted a smaller dog since I live in an apartment, like many college students. I looked for reputable rescue groups and found one: Lone Star Shih Tzu and Lhasa Apso Rescue, a volunteer rescue organization based in Houston. For six months I searched online for the dog that “spoke” to me. In January, I found her. Her name was Bows and she was a Havanese mix. I spoke with her foster mom for over a month trying to ask all of my questions and make sure this was the dog for me. On February 15, I took Bows home.

Four months later, I adopted another fur baby: a flea-infested Shih-Tzu who I renamed Basil. A friend told me about him and I rescued him locally, from the Humane Society of Wichita Falls.

Not only are there plenty of animals in need of loving homes, but as college students, our lifestyles are usually better suited for these rescue animals than for a puppy straight from the breeder. Older dogs won’t require the same level of entertainment and exercise as puppies and are more likely to be house trained (and not ruin your safety deposit). Rescuing a pet is cheaper than going to a breeder, which is enough justification to adopt for many people. Not to mention, when you adopt a dog, you are potentially saving their life.

If I could, I would adopt every last shelter animal, but I can’t. However, I realized that I could eliminate the demand for breeders by showing people where they could adopt a shelter dog or specific dog breed from a rescue group like where I got Bows. Thus, my project Why Shop When You Can Adopt was born. If pet ownership isn’t practical for you, consider community activism to help find these animals their forever home. Speak for the ones who can’t speak.

Jasmine Jones is a political science graduate student.

Resources in the Wichita Falls area:

• Humane Society of Wichita Falls
• City of Wichita Falls Animal Services Adoption Site
• Texas Pit Crew Animal Rescue and Education
• Good Shepherd Rescue and Sanctuary of Texas
• Pekes and You Pekingese Rescue
• All Texas Daschund Rescue
• Miss Fannie’s Feline and Canine Friends
• Emily’s Legacy Rescue Inc.
• Little Dogs Big Hearts Rescue