As I approach the Friends of Linden Animal Shelter, I see 4 dogs caged and cold in the snow, patiently waiting for their walk. I approach them, 2 are very angry, another just wants to sit and bark at me, and the last cold, scared, and just looking for love. I spoke to the woman about to take him on his walk. The little black furball approaches me and just wants me to pet him and allow him to lick me. The woman tells me that he was found on the side of the road one day, he appears to have run from home. He has been at the shelter for two weeks and no one has come looking for him. Often this is common with animals in a shelter. Dogs and cats are left abandoned and no one bats an eye. For the animal I am sure that being adopted is very rewarding, replacing abandonment with love and care.

The ASPCA’s website states that each year 7.6 million animals are put in shelters. Out of those 7.6 million, 2.7 million are euthanized, and 2.7 million are adopted each year. Those poor animals that are not adopted in time are put in kill shelters, where they will patiently await their last day stuck in a cage.

I adopted my own at 6 months old. The family who had him prior to me had kept him in a cage and abused him. At first he was scared and it took some time for him to get used to his surroundings, but he clung to me like glue, and never leaves me. He even cries when I go on vacation. He is still very scared after 4 ½ years of having him.

I spoke with Ailene Rada-Reznik about the adoption of her dog. “I adopted Shadow from Petsmart, he was only 3 months old. He lived to be 12 years old.” She continued on about her view of adoption, “I would always choose to adopt a pet, if I ever got another one. There are too many of them for adoption and not enough people to take them in. Just go for it, it’s definitely worth it, for you and the animal!”

“I have adopted every one of my animals from a shelter, I have 2 cats and 3 dogs,” said Samantha Terrabochia of Fort Lee. “Shelter animals are the best, they have so much love to give, especially if you are willing to give it back to them. Imagine being locked in a cage waiting for someone to come along and love you. How could you not love that person to pieces for saving you from being sentenced to death?”

Most animals who are at shelters will be put down. These poor animals are left by their owners, to be locked in a cage. If someone doesn’t come to rescue them, they are euthanized.

“It’s a shame that these loving animals could be left to live the rest of their life in a cage, and yet there are still people buying from pet stores and puppy farms. It’s one thing if you have allergies and need a hypo-allergenic dog, which are also in shelters, but if you are just looking to buy a puppy because they’re cute, it’s a waste, they grow up too,” said Kelly Sherman of Secaucus. “Puppies are cute for a little while, and then they grow up, they turn into

big dogs, just like the ones sitting in a shelter waiting for someone to love them. Why not save a life?”