The holidays are quickly approaching. And in a city full of gypsies, wanderers, and escapees from colder climates, that can mean a lot of folks are about to fall into a seasonal pit of loneliness and despair.
Luckily, nothing cures the I-miss-my-family blues like the unconditional love of a pet. And shelter pets are the best pets of all. They need you, you need them...equal footing makes for the best relationships.
On that note, this weekend is the Miami ASPCA Mega-Match-a-thon at Tropical Park. Starting at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, it's 24 hours of adorable adoptables, just waiting for you to come snuggle. Here are ten reasons to find your new best friend at this weekend's cornucopia of cute.
See also: North Miami Beach Votes to Ban Sale of Commercially Bred Pets in Stores
10. Mutts are the best.
While shelter pets come in all different breeds (both purebreds and mixes are always available), we've gotta give a shout out to mutts. Mixed breeds are a melting pot of lots of different pedigrees (just like most humans). Being mixed means they generally avoid health problems that can plague particular purebreds, and anyone who's ever owned a mutt will rave about how totally amazing they are.
9. Pet stores are bad news.
As cities start voting to ban the sale of commercially bred pets altogether (North Miami Beach did so back in May, and Miami might follow suit soon), the time is now to turn to adoption. Shelters have every size, shape, breed, age and temperament you could think of -- sans the inbreeding and disease issues you often encounter at puppy mill-sourced pet stores.
