Teens, especially girls, love animals. I've noticed there are lots of young people, again
mostly girls, who volunteer at animal shelters and boycott
products that were tested on animals.
But when it comes to adoption, most of my peers give me a frightening wake-up call. I've heard of many teens who got their pet from a breeder, pet store or, in one case, for $10 at a flea market.
Sometimes we have debates in class that give me a pit in my stomach. One time, some girls were saying that they loved their dog and bringing it to the groomer, where they put the little bows in the dog's fur.
Somehow, this led to that ASPCA commercial with Sarah Mclachlan. "That commercial makes me feel so depressed," one of the girls piped up. "Yeah," said the other, "I change the channel when I watch that because it makes me guilty about my animals."
But when it comes to adoption, most of my peers give me a frightening wake-up call. I've heard of many teens who got their pet from a breeder, pet store or, in one case, for $10 at a flea market.
Sometimes we have debates in class that give me a pit in my stomach. One time, some girls were saying that they loved their dog and bringing it to the groomer, where they put the little bows in the dog's fur.
Somehow, this led to that ASPCA commercial with Sarah Mclachlan. "That commercial makes me feel so depressed," one of the girls piped up. "Yeah," said the other, "I change the channel when I watch that because it makes me guilty about my animals."
Teens seem to avoid any guilt like the plague. If you ask them why they don't go vegetarian for those poor pigs, they often say something like, "Stop making me feel guilty! I don't want to hear it." We seem to ignore what makes us feel guilty because most of us don't want to take any action or time to help.
I've tried to persuade my friends to think about using Petfinder and looking at their local shelter. However, it seems that these people are highly influenced by their parents, who think it's much easier to buy from a breeder.
I try to hope that someday those teens will grow up. Until then, I believe the best way to promote adoption to teens is through positive messages that emphasize the beauty and awesome personalities of shelter pets. If we concentrate on the brighter side, maybe some of those teens will feel less guilty and a little more eager to help.
What do you think?
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Petfinder's amazing influence
