This time of year, a lot of people are looking to get a pet for their family in time for Christmas. The thought of a furry creature running around seems to really get people all warm and fuzzy inside, but they don't really want to shell out anything from $300 up to $1200 for a dog or cat.

 

 

Well, before you totally dismiss the idea, I hope you can bear this in mind. Animal shelters are often bursting at the seams with pets that people couldn't keep, couldn't deal with, or just didn't have time for. It's truly heartbreaking, and I know firsthand... I've done a lot of volunteer work for an animal shelter in Homer Glen Illinois called TLC Animal Shelter. TLC Animal Shelter is run by Dennis Carter and his parents, along with the generous help of several volunteers. The TLC stands for Tender Loving Care, and by far that is what they provide for all the animals. I've been friends with them for over 15 years, and between my friends and my family (myself included), we've managed to adopt 10 dogs and 3 cats. They get everything from mutts to purebreds, and occasionally small animals like Guinea Pigs and rabbits, and they always treat them with tons of Tender Loving Care.

 

 

The next time you think about getting a new or additional pet, I hope you consider adopting from an animal shelter. After years of helping out at one, I've seen a lot of really good pets that people just couldn't keep for one reason or another. I've even adopted quite a few of these unwanted animals, and I've ended up with some of the greatest companions. If you live near Homer Glen, please stop by TLC Animal Shelter and consider adopting... even if you can't adopt, at least consider donating toys, newspaper, or most of all money, as it is very expensive to heat and cool the building for the animals. Anything you can contribute genuinely helps. You can find more information about what to donate, directions, what animals they have in the shelter, and more at their volunteer run website at http://www.tlcanimalshelter.org ...and don't forget to let them know that 'little Joe' sent you!

 

 

This rave written by Joe Rosendorf Jr.  This is merely an opinion based on personal experiences, and is intended to inform based on those experiences.