Contrary to popular belief, instead of cats and dogs, the first American animal activists focused mostly on horses, working tirelessly to protect the welfare of animals who were a key mode of transportation.
Then, on April 14, 1869, Caroline Earle White and a group of women established what’s now considered the first American animal shelter, in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. In addition to horses, its mission expanded “to provide as soon as possible, a refuge for lost and homeless dogs, where they could be kept until homes could be found for them, or they be otherwise disposed of.”
It marked a turning point. The notion of a shelter, or even a municipal pound, as a place where you could go and find a pet, according to historian Bernie Unti, really took hold in the latter part of the 19th century and then has grown steadily ever since.
So to celebrate how far we’ve come, we at Bored Panda are continuing our monthly series, and have compiled the sweetest pet adoption photos we could find. Continue scrolling to check them out and in case you’ve missed our earlier publications, we kindly invite you to catch up: October, September, and August.
For everyone who is thinking of (or has just) invited a new critter into their home, we also had a chat about making the transition as smooth as possible with the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), a veterinary charity in the United Kingdom. You’ll find it spread in between the images.
#1 Beagle Puppy Cuddles Up To The Rescuer Who Saved Him From Euthanasia. Nice Dog Rescue Story Heard From Franklin County Shelter And Adoption Center In Ohio
Image source: ProfessionalDavidson
#2 8 Month Old Abused Retriever Mix. Scared And Sad. Brought Her Home. She Barely Moved. Was Scared To Even Walk Around The House. Lowers Head When You Reach To Pet Her. Couple Days Later With A Little Love And A Stubborn Beagle That Kept Bugging Her To Play And She’s A New Happy Dog Running Wide Open
Image source: impirepro06
#3 Adopted The Cutest Stray I’ve Ever Met My BF Named Her Edith (Aka Edee)
Image source: mackenzie1701
#4 I Recently Finished Chemo Treatment And Decided To Adopt A Husky! Say Hi To Loki!
Image source: Idontlikeworms
#5 Fishtopher The Cat Finds Forever Home After His Adoption Listing Went Viral
Image source: kimjexziel
#6 Meet Jade, My Newly Adopted 9 Year Old Fluff Ball
Image source: Gordondel
#7 Meet Leo And Luna! Even Though I Saved Them From A Sad Home They Have Ended Up Rescuing Me From Some Sad Days! #catsrule
Image source: OrganicGinger69
#8 I Went To Adopt 1 Dog
Image source: slugger92
#9 This Is Bubble. We Adopted Him Knowing He Was Feral And Probably Would Never Go Near Us! 3 Days In And We Are Already Getting Contact
Image source: Aaron123111
#10 From Stoic To Smiley
Image source: Physical_Ad3997
#11 Lola
Image source: ErinWalkerLancaster
#12 Just Adopted This Cat Who Sits Up Like A Groundhog
Image source: bcEOS70D
#13 This Handsome Man Was Thrown From A Car Window And Luckily Someone Found Him, I Saw His Adoption Post And Was The First To Inquire. Meet Sushi!
Image source: vampiric-midget
#14 Meet Smeagol! We Found Her Outside In The Rain Clinging To Some Rocks
Image source: voredsims
#15 Rescued A Barn Kitty From The Cold Yesterday
Image source: Shronkydonk
#16 Dad Wanted To Get Mom A Puppy; She Rescued This Senior Citizen Instead. Allow Me To Introduce Mr. Kiss Kiss
Image source: FiliKlepto
#17 Just Adopted Sylvester. He Is Showing Off His One Fang And Shredded Ears. He Has Feline AIDS And Is The Gentlest Boy
Image source: JordanPromise
#18 My Wife And I Adopted These Two Sisters Recently, Aka They Chose Us At The Animal Shelter. Love Black Kitties
Image source: Affectionate-Art-303
#19 An Update To My Update: Sir Remi Remington And His Mustache Won Me Over. I Couldn’t Part With Him After Fostering Him As A Bottle Feeder And Because He Fit In So Well With The Family. I Officially Adopted Him
Image source: WhatIsTheTeaToday
#20 Our Family Adopted A Cat Today. I Swear He’s Smiling
Image source: minnimmolation
#21 I Knew Adopting A Kitten Would Be Kinda Cute, But I Had No Idea What I Was In For
Image source: TurtlesAndBobcats
#22 We Found The Best Stray
Image source: kingtooth
#23 Meet Nala! We Rescued This 14 Yo Beauty And She’s Absolutely Amazing
Image source: Firehawksmom
#24 I Rescued This Kitten Outside Of My High School! Named Her Rocket Because I Found Her During A Paper Rocket Test
Image source: SCGkitty
#25 Meet My Newly Adopted Cat Benson! He Was Neutered As An Adult Right Before I Adopted Him So He Has The Cutest Tom Cat Cheeks! His Eyes Are Also So Beautiful!!
Image source: hehehehehehhhe
#26 So Cute
Image source: jehad_mamdoh
#27 Rescued This Cat From The Cold And It Looks Like He Has Claimed Me As His Owner
Image source: Comfortable_Dark1626
#28 Carson Spent Two Years At The Rescue – He Was Too Shy/Nervous For Everyone. Their Loss. They’ll Never Know What They Missed Out On
Image source: samitarium
#29 My Fiancé And I Decided To Adopt A New Kitten. Everyone Meet Larry!
Image source: sassyshelbbs
#30 Friend Just Adopted This Adorable Girl. Her Name Is Sadie
Image source: pancakes4all
#31 Was Looking Around To Adopt A Bunny And Found This Derpy Looking Bunny
Image source: Flying_Boat
#32 I Was Adopted Yesterday By This Pretty Lady!
Image source: spider_fly
#33 Just Adopted These Brothers, They Seem To Be Waiting For Me To Do Something
Image source: animabot
#34 Our Beautiful Rescue, Pashmi
Image source: sudhu28
#35 Went To The Rescue – Met Somebody. Named Him Jackson. We Are Going To Have A Blast
Image source: keeperofthedingo
#36 Welcome To The Family. Adopted A Kitty
Image source: Roselovescats
#37 Decided To Give The Cat My Fiancé And I Adopted Some Tuna For Thanksgiving. He Then Went Into What We Affectionately Call Goblin Mode. Safe To Say He Enjoyed It!
Image source: Vaughn-De-Vile
#38 Our New Baby Girl
Image source: budmanm3
#39 Nala Was A Little Lonely, So I Adopted A Brother For Her. Meet Aurum
Image source: Meraneus
#40 Another Rescue, Crazy Lady Thought She Could Keep Kittens In A Tiny Cage Without Food Or Water. 5 Of Them Made It, This One’s Name Is Marsha Marsha Marsha
Image source: Vern_Mcnue_Fishing
#41 Just Adopted This Kitten Yesterday. Meet Chloe!
Image source: lokidoki2727
#42 Rescued A Dumpster Diving Kitten Last Night
Image source: Sobotkafan
#43 Rescued Her From Being Eaten! Now She Cuddles Me No Matter What I Do
Image source: Intelligent_Mood_272
#44 We Adopted Frankie Today!
Image source: blp_fz1
#45 Scared And Hissing Little Cat We Saved From The Pound. He Made So Much Progress In Just A Month
Image source: Spinozaurr
#46 Adopted Name Alfalfa, We Call Him Alfie. Nearly 3 Years Old And He’s Just A Little Smol Boy That Shouts All Of The Time
Image source: ghostinthesn0w
#47 Just Adopted A New Kitten. Decided To Name Him Koda After The Cub In Brother Bear. He Reminds Me Of A Mcflurry
Image source: JoeCamRoberon
#48 Just Adopted This Smol Goblin! His Name Is Merin
Image source: Lt-Cmdr-Data
#49 I Adopted A Kitten With Three Legs And Lol
Image source: popebologna
#50 Adopted A Black Kitten, Named Him Ryuk
Image source: goth_eggz
#51 Our Beautiful Rescue, Pashmi
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