There are many perks to having a pet, as most owners can attest, be it companionship, playtime, or derpy faces. That’s why every biased person—referring to the pet owners again—is likely to encourage you to go for it, if you say a single word about considering getting one.

Quite a few of them might also encourage you to ‘adopt not shop’, and luckily, some people do. If you’re an avid reader of Bored Panda, you already know that we have a monthly appreciation post for those golden-hearted individuals, featuring pictures of their adopted additions to the family; if you’re not—continue scrolling, as what you’re about to see ought to boost your levels of serotonin. Here’s the September edition of adopted pets in their forever homes.

Bored Panda has turned to two experts in the field of animal welfare, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Political Science, Laura A. Reese, and Fran Marino Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the University of Florida, Julie K. Levy, to learn more about the ins and outs of adopting a pet. You will find our interview with them below.

#1 We Adopted A Mother And Son Combo From The Shelter, They Are Inseparable

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#2 Only Took 1 Day After Adopting Him For Him To Adopt Us

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Adopting a pet entails so many benefits for both of the involved parties. Welcoming a critter—be it a dog, a cat, a parrot, or any other, for that matter—into their home can improve the owner’s mental and even physical well-being; while for the critter itself, it means finally being cared for and loved.

“Pets are great nonjudgmental companions for both adults and children. It’s also been shown that having a pet reduces stress and reduces risk from heart disease, obesity, asthma, and other health threats,” Fran Marino Endowed Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education Julie Levy told Bored Panda in a recent interview.

#3 Went To Adopt A Puppy. Came Back With Her And Her Mum

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#4 Jedo Had A Reduced Adoption Fee At The Shelter Where I Foster. He’s A Senior Gentlemen Doing His Best To Be Handsome! He’s Just Been Adopted

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#5 We Adopted This Big Guy This Past Weekend, Was Told He Would Hide And Burrow As He Was Quite Timid. This Was Day Two At His Forever Home

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It’s clear that no matter how hardworking and loving shelter employees are, such a habitat can’t even come close to the environment in a loving home. “No matter how hard shelter workers try to make the pets comfortable, it’s still an institutional setting that can lead to stress behaviors and illnesses,” Professor Levy said. “That’s why we work so hard to place them in new homes as quickly as possible. That can be a foster home or a forever home.”

#6 My Lovely (Around 14 Years Old) Cat Who No One Wanted To Adopt

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#7 Finally Adopted Some Kitties Since Wanting Them All My Life. I Haven’t Felt This Happy In A Long While

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#8 Sooo, My Dad Adopted Another Puppy

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Animal welfare policies and animal sheltering expert Laura Reese seconded the idea that staying in a shelter is far from the best scenario for any animal. “Animal shelters are very difficult places for pets—lots of noise and stress, limited exercise and interactions with humans and other animals.

“Getting into a home makes a world of difference for their emotional and physical well-being. Being placed in a foster home until adoption helps them a lot, but the goal is to have them adopted.”

#9 My Newly Adopted Son Leo, A Vizsla Mix

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#10 After Losing My Cats After A Breakup, I Adopted This Silly Guy

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#11 My Newly Adopted Dog. She’s Very Energetic And Playful. Loves The Ocean

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Both of the experts agree that a pet’s personality tends to change after transitioning into a loving home. “There is a lot of change in behavior and it’s difficult to tell in a shelter what a pet’s behavior will be like,” Laura Reese pointed out.

She explained that shelter behavior tests are not particularly valid indicators of a pet’s behavior once they get into a home and can relax, as there is always an adjustment period in the new dwelling.

“My dog was very fearful of humans when I adopted her seven years ago. She is still improving even after all this time,” Prof. Reese shared. “Dog personalities are pretty malleable, open to changes in training and treatment. Cats are a bit less so but I regularly foster them, and though they usually come into my house hissing and hiding, working with them slowly and gaining trust allows them to come out of their shells. This will happen in an adoptive home as well.”

#12 My Wife Has A Tabby Addiction. All Stray Cats She’s Rescued In The Last Year

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#13 “(Oc)” My Crossed Eyed Rescue Kitty, After Cleaning Her Fur

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#14 Our Senior Shelter Dog Rufus Adopted A Baby Goat Who’s Mama Didn’t Take Her

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“We have to remember to give pets some grace when they’re transitioning from a shelter to a new home,” Julie K. Levy emphasized. “There’s a lot to take in—new people, a new house, and sometimes other pets to make new friends with. But it’s remarkable how quickly a pet’s personality can change from a reactive or depressed shelter pet to a happy and relaxed family member in a ‘real home’.”

#15 A Rooster “Adopted” Me. He “Ran Away” From Home (2 Houses Near Me) Because The Other Younger Rooster Beats Him Up. I’m Stuck With Him And Feel Sorry For Him And Want Him To Be Happy/Have A Nice Life

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#16 Cosmo The Dog. Can You Believe He Was A Rescue?!

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#17 Farmer Was Feeding Kittens To Their Dogs, & I Rescued Her. How Did The Cat Distribution System Give You Your Cat?

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After bringing our family dog home from a shelter just over three years ago, I have seen with my own eyes the change he went through. Shy and fearful at first, he is now… still shy; but far less fearful. Over time, he started to show off his personality more and more, and figure out what to do with these unflavorful knick knacks I give him—it’s safe to assume that he hadn’t had that many toys in his life before the shelter or before the forever home. Needless to say, the situation is much different now.

#18 Meet Teddy. He Was A Surrender To A Local Shelter Because Of “Behaviors”. Their Loss. Just Goes To Show Any Dog Can Be A Good Dog With Training And Love

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#19 Adopted James. He’s About 5 Years Old. He Has Stomatitis And Had To Have All His Teeth Pulled. His Tongue Sticks Out All The Time. He Lost All Of His Hair. It Has Grown Back Except By His Ears. He Has To Take Two Medicines Daily Forever. But, He’s Got A Forever Home To Do It In

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#20 Just Adopted This 10 Year Old Sweetie

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Expert in shelter animal wellness Julie K. Levy pointed out that when it comes to a dog’s adjustment to the new home, shelters often refer to the ‘3-3-3-Rule’. “A good rule of thumb to remember is it takes about three days to decompress from shelter life and the big transition; they may be scared or confused. Give them space, let them rest, do not force interactions, be patient and positive. 

“It takes about three weeks for the dog to understand the new routine,” she continued. “Be consistent in feeding and play times and set boundaries and expectations using only positive reinforcement as they let their guard down.

“It takes about three months for the dog to fully bond with and become part of the family. They feel trusting and secure in their new routines and their true personality shines through.”

#21 I Caved And We Adopted Her. Now Known At June

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#22 This Is Mango My Rescue Conure. Earlier Today I Was Singing After My Shower And She Started To Fall Asleep

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#23 Our Adopted Angel

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No two cases are the same, that’s why certain character traits of the pet, or joys and troubles raising it tend to differ with each individual one—whether they were taken from a shelter or not.

“Adopters are not going to encounter any different problems than anyone else who acquires a pet. It is a myth that there is something ‘wrong’ with shelter animals,” Laura Reese told Bored Panda. “They are in the shelter primarily because of human-related issues like losing a home, not having enough time for training, letting them run loose.

“There are particular advantages to adopting adult animals from shelters,” she added. “They often come house trained, you are able to tell more about their personalities, you know exactly how big they are going to get, and many already have a lot of discipline.”

#24 Just Adopted A New Puppy! Meet Georgia!

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#25 Adopted A Snake! Wanted One Since I Was A Little Girl And He Is The Most Adorable Baby Ever!!!

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#26 We Adopted This Handsome Boy Today. He’s Called Benny

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Another point both the experts seem to agree on is the importance of taking action. “Shelters and rescues across the country are full to the brim with adoptable pets right now and it appears that adoptions are down,” Prof. Reese pointed out. “To avoid euthanasia for space in high-volume shelters, adoptions need to increase.”

J. K. Levy added that more pets are coming into shelters than are being adopted. “Sadly, shelters are experiencing crisis-level crowding as families face challenges like inflation and housing insecurity. There’s never been a more important time to adopt a new best friend.”

According to the World Animal Foundation, roughly 6.3 million of cats and dogs alone are surrendered to animal shelters annually, only 4 million of which find a home every year.

#27 We’ve Just Adopted Mollie, And Crazy In Love With Her!

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#28 Someone Abandoned A Box Of Bunnies On A Wooded Trail Near My House. They Are Sweet As Honey. Love Being Held And Cuddled

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#29 Just Want To Show Off My Girl Miss Nibble, Who I Adopted Via Craigslist

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#30 We Adopted Our First Cat In This Country. I’d Like To Introduce You Guys Our Little Princess Safira. Isn’t She The Cutest?

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#31 My Rescue Kitten, Gizmo, Wanted To Say Hello Today!

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#32 Found This Little Guy As A Barn Cat The Other Week During A Birthday Party. He Instantly Got Glued To Me. I Asked If I Could Adopt Him. As You Can See, They Said Yes Lol

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#33 Rural Rescue Kitten

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#34 I Think I Officially Adopted The Cutest Girl In The World

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#35 [oc] Say Hi To My One-Eared Rescue, Kuro!

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#36 Adopted A Pound Kitty Last Week! This Is Margaret

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#37 Rescued Squirrel (Named Cricio) Falling Asleep In My Mum’s Lap (Oc)

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#38 Remember Oompa From Our Shelter. Today He Was Adopted After More Than Two Years With Us. Good Bye My Sweet Gentleman, Have A Great Life!

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#39 My First Rabbit – Nicknamed Bunbun Because I Cannot Think Of A Cute Name Ever

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#40 I Adopted This Cutie Last Week. I Named Him Hammy Aka Ham Sandwich Aka The Hamster

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#41 One Day I Found Her On The Street And She Adopted Me As Her Human

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#42 I Like To Think I Have The Cutest Kitten. I Adopted Her From The Street At 4mo. 2nd Pic Is The Day I Found Her

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#43 Adopted Lilli Last Friday, Only To Discover She Was About To Pop

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#44 Our New Babies..ozzy And Cream

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#45 Meet Simi. She’s So Chill And Sweet [oc]

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#46 My Roommate And I Adopted This Little Guy Named Snoopy

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#47 We Drove 1800 Miles To Adopt An Scared, Unsocialized Pooch. This Is Her At Home

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#48 Rescue Pup Finally Feeling At Home. This Is Snow

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#49 I’m Starting To Think She Was The One Who Rescued Me And Not The Other Way Around. Introducing…chloe! ♡ (Oc)

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#50 Our Newest Rescue, Pixel!

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#51 Adopt Don’t Shop. Our Newly Adopted Dog Lumi With Her Bigger Brother

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#52 I Adopted Him 72 Hours Ago, I’m Already In Love

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#53 This Is Bruce, 3.5 Months Old Rescue And Precious

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#54 My Hammy Is Missing 2 Of His Toes. I Adopted This Hamster From A Woman Who Had Bought A Pregnant Hamster From The Store, And That’s How My Hammy Was Born

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#55 There’s A New Diva In Town. Her Name Is Måne (Moon In Norwegian) And She’s Literally One Of The Prettiest Cats I’ve Ever Seen. Say Hi!

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#56 Adopted This Baby A Week Ago. She Has Tummy Issues But Otherwise Doing Good

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#57 My New Baby. I’m In Love!

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#58 Last Year, My Kitty Passed Away, And This Community Was So Kind About It, So I Wanted To Share A Joyful Update. I Just Adopted Two Kittens, And I Love Them So Much. Meet Pearl And Grits. They Are Siamese And Tabby Mixes. They Love Play Time, The Shower Curtain, And Pets

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#59 Welcome To The Family Maple ?

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#60 Adopted This Beauty Girl Today

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#61 We Adopted Two Kitties

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#62 This Is Sekiro. I Adopted Him About An Hour Ago

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#63 I Am A Romanian Rescue Found In A Plastic Bag With Her Brothers And Sisters

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#64 I Got Prescribed A Esa For My Schizoaffective. Just Adopted This 5 Yo Lil Guy From The Humane Society

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#65 Our 7 (Ish) Month Old Rescue Pup Rodeo

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#66 I Just Adopted A Tabby, He’s A Great Boy, Silly And Also Super Cuddly And Happy And Curious

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#67 When I Adopted Toby They Said He Was Vicious… The Only Thing Correct About That Is He Is Viciously Cute ?

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#68 Adopted This Little Guy Yesterday. I Love Him. Dont Know What To Name Him Tho…as Of Now His Name Is Little Guy

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#69 Adopted This Dobe Girl Two Weeks Ago, I Am Obsessed

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#70 My Sweet Boy Adopted This Month. His Name Is Smudge

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#71 My New Girl! 8 Month Old Rescue From South Korea

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#72 Our Rescue Is Settling In Well! Just A Couple Of Boys

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#73 Livestock Guardian Doggos When They Are Rescued And Raised Spoiled Be Like ??. She Was From An Accidental Litter Of Farm Dogs That Were Given Up To A Rescue

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#74 The Newest Member Of Our Family, Banner!

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#75 I Was Told That The Kitten I Adopted Was 14 Weeks, But He Looks Younger

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#76 Meet My Son Sammy/Sam. Told My Family That I Had A “Child.” ?parents Were In Shock Until I Actually Showed Them What I Was Really Talking About Lol. Adopted Him From The Shelter 2 Days Ago!

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#77 My Girlfriend And I Adopted Grumpy Cat

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#78 Meet My New Rescue, Harvest! ?

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#79 My First Hammy! I Adopted This Sweet Lady A Few Days Ago, She’s About 1.5 Years Old. Say Hello To Mina 🙂

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