Now is a great time to adopt a pet!
If you've been thinking about adding a four-legged family member, get down to your local shelter – there are plenty of great dogs and cats to choose from. In fact, the shelter population in the U.S. has risen by 900,000 animals since 2021. And if you're a dog lover, you're really in luck. USA Today says, "Shelters are teeming not only with the kinds of dogs that people might imagine, like large-breed mutts and pit bulls; but also huskies, French bulldogs and designer dogs."
But it's not for lack of demand – of the estimated 23 million dogs that were acquired during the pandemic, just one quarter came from shelters.
This is our adopted guy, Barney! AKA: Barnaby Jean, Big B, Beefarino, "They Call Me Mister Jean", B, Old Brown Eyes and so on :)
Getty Images