Imagine yourself locked up in a cage, smashed among many of your own kind without much food or water.

I do not think anyone wants to live in conditions like that.

It is one big reason why I think people should adopt animals from shelters instead of buying them from pet shops.

First, buying will contribute to the overpopulation of animals. Second, animals purchased from pet stores or puppy mills may not be very healthy when they are older. And third, pet stores are only focused on the money.

Purchasing an animal from a pet store or a pet farm will contribute to the overpopulation of animals.

According to the Peta2 website, 3 million to 4 million cats and dogs are euthanised in US animal shelters yearly because they do not have enough space.

Pet stores and breeders sell animals purely for the money and do not think about the actual well-being of the animals they sell.

Adopting an animal sends out the message that animals should have homes, be taken care of properly and be protected.

Natalie Song, 12

Grade 7 student