3 min read
Leah Kateb is doing her big one for animals! You may know her as the breakout star from season six of Love Island USA, and now, she’s using her platform to speak up for a cause close to her heart: adoption.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Kateb and her adopted dog Blue are ‘coupling up’ with PETA to urge everyone to dump breeders and ‘swipe right’ on compassion.
A Bombshell And Her Bestie
In PETA’s sweet new video, Kateb shares how she has fostered hundreds—yes, hundreds—of dogs, including her forever companion, Blue. “I actually started fostering (Blue) when she was just six weeks old,” Kateb says. “I fell so in love with her, I just had to adopt her.”
A passionate advocate for adoption and a regular animal shelter volunteer, Kateb reminds folks that buying animals supports a cruel industry that contributes to the companion-animal overpopulation crisis. “There’s literally no excuse for anyone to be buying a dog,” she says.
Can we pull you for a chat? Here’s why adoption is so important.
Did you know that at any given time in the U.S., there are millions of homeless cats and dogs struggling to survive on the streets? These animals may get hit by cars, contract and spread diseases, starve, or suffer and die in other horrible ways. Many freeze to death when temperatures drop in the winter or suffer heat exhaustion in the summer. Cruel humans may even abuse or kill them. Meanwhile, shelters across the country are overflowing with unwanted animals.
Seriously, ew…It’s time to DUMP your breeder.”
Every time someone buys an animal from a breeder or pet store, another individual waiting in a shelter loses their chance at finding a home. Breeding also harms animals’ health, causing painful and life-shortening ailments such as hip dysplasia, heart conditions, chronic skin problems, brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, autoimmune disorders, and neurological conditions like epilepsy and degenerative myelopathy.
Virtually any type of dog can be found in a shelter or a breed-specific rescue group. In fact, ‘purebreds’ make up at least 25 percent of dogs in animal shelters. Petfinder.com is a great resource for those looking to adopt a specific breed.
Six Easy Ways to Help Cats and Dogs
- If you are ready to commit to providing a lifetime of love and care for a companion animal, always adopt and never shop. Take the pledge today.
- Check out Petfinder.com to search for adoptable companion animals in your area.
- To foster a cat or dog, contact your local animal shelter or rescue organization, fill out an application, and work with them to find a companion animal who best suits your living situation and experience level. Before you begin the application process, ensure you have the space, money, time, and energy to care for an animal.
- If you have the time, volunteer at your local animal shelter.
- Always get your companion animals spayed or neutered. These routine, affordable surgeries help animals live longer, happier lives. Sterilization also prevents more animals from being born into a world that can’t support them. Call 1-800-248-SPAY to find your nearest low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic, and click here for information on PETA’s mobile clinics.
- Sponsor a sturdy doghouse for a “backyard” dog here.
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