This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of PetSmart Charities for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.
Back when my husband and I were newly married, living in Mississippi, we adopted our dog, Zora.
We had planned to go back to South Carolina to adopt a dog from our hometown, but when we went to PetSmart to gather our new-dog supplies before our trip back home, there happened to be a PetSmart adoption event. So instead of just buying dog food bowls, toys, a brush, a collar, and other goodies, we actually adopted a dog that day!
We didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened. We saw this little black puppy and fell in love. She wasn’t a tiny puppy… maybe 7 months old at the time. But she was so sweet. We played with her, took her for a little walk, and petted her at PetSmart before going to lunch together.
All through lunch, we kept talking about her. Thinking maybe that’s the dog for us.
She was. We went back and she was still there, though her brother had been adopted and taken to his new home while we had eaten lunch.
We filled out all of the paperwork and arranged to pick up Zora after our trip to South Carolina was over (so she stayed with her foster family while we traveled).
When we took her home, it was so fun having her with us! When my husband was at work, I still had a companion with me. I got to teach her tricks, take naps snuggled up together, and help her through challenges.
Seven years, three cross-country moves, and three kids later, she’s been with us along every step of the way (okay, maybe not EVERY step… she’s had some “vacations” at my in-laws’ house during our travel).
Why are we glad we adopted her, on that summer day 7 years ago?
3 Reasons to Adopt a Pet
Love – My husband loves that our dog is 100% happy to see him every single time he comes home. She wags her tail, circles his legs, and rubs herself against his legs and hand until he pets and scratches her. Dogs don’t know any limits when it comes to love.
Companionship – I like that our dog is always around, even when the big kids are at school and the baby is asleep, or everyone is in bed for the night and my husband is away on work travel. Her little snorfly sounds in the middle of the night remind me that I’m not alone, and even if she’s lying on her bed while I’m working on chores, the company is wonderful.
This cool guy is ready for anything! A photo posted by Emily Chapelle (@emilychapelle) on
Connection – One of the first things I noticed when we first brought Zora home with us was how amazing it feels to connect with an animal! To understand and respond to her needs, and to teach her to understand us (learning tricks and “rules”), plus the empathy she seemed to have for us right away… it’s pretty darned incredible!
A pet is a living being. And love, companionship, and connection are perfect reasons to invite a pet into your family for the rest of its life.
This week is PetSmart Charities National Adoption Weekend, from November 13th to 15th, and you can visit your local PetSmart store to adopt your newest family member and companion.
How does it work?
Local animal charities and humane societies will be at PetSmart stores (find your nearest store here with the PetSmart Store Locator) with dogs and cats who are looking for their “forever homes.” Adoption policies and fees vary, but you can ask staff and volunteers on site to answer any questions you may have.
Find A Pet near you.
If you adopt this weekend, share your story with PetSmart Charities by visiting https://www.petsmartcharities.org/celebrate-your-pet/adoption-announcements
So, will you be bringing someone fuzzy home with you this weekend? Let me know about it, or if you’ve previously adopted a pet.
2 Comments
Our 2 fur baby cats also adopted from PetSmart, are the sweetest, most loving pets we have ever had…including some previously adopted cats. They tend to want to be nearby wherever we go. They know we love them and spoil them, and they love us right back. I hope they are with us a long, long time.
Awwww! We adopted our first dog, Ivy, from the shelter on Camp Pendleton when we first got married. She had been found on one of the ranges and was in bad shape, but they fixed her up and she sat there for two years before we adopted her. She’s an old dog now, and went to live with my mom because they both needed companionship (and Ivy couldn’t handle being around our kids and their energy anymore). We just adopted our second dog, Nala, who came to our house and immediately became a nanny to our kids. She herds them into one room, then sits in the doorway and watches them. She checks on them at night, and the other day she even found our 1 year old lying on the floor, so she curled up with her and cleaned the top of her head for about 15 minutes!