According to the most current statistics from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), roughly 3.3 million dogs and 3.2 million cats are brought to U.S. animal shelters each year. There are so many reasons to adopt a rescue animal. And while we do our part for the fuzzy animals, be aware that adopting a pet does much for human health as well. For instance, research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDB) links owning a pet to reduced feelings of isolation, lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

Do your part by giving a rescue animal a second chance by adopting them into your happy home:

1. Stick it to mass breeders
Believe it or not, commercial pet-breeding facilities and backyard breeders are a burgeoning business. Even worse, many of these puppy and kitten mills mistreat animals by keeping them quarantined in unclean cages and never socializing them. However, when you adopt from a pet rescue or animal shelter, you know you’re not supporting the cruel practices of mass breeders. Plus, when you adopt, you urge friends and family members to also adopt animals from a local shelter.

2. Friends for life
Shelters and pet rescues are an invaluable resource in any community. Generally, most cat and dog rescues, and certainly all shelters, mandate that all adopted pets be spayed or neutered before going home with new owners. This prevents overpopulation and stray animals in our communities. Shelters and rescue organizations are also great resources when it comes to raising and caring for your pet. Most are linked to local vets, training, food, and animal care providers.

3. Show some love to older animals
There are plenty of advantages of adopting an adult animal, so open your mind beyond kittens and puppies. For instance, most adult animals you’ll find at a rescue or shelter are housetrained and far past the puppy or kitten phase of life. So you know they likely won’t have accidents on your floor, chew your furniture, or bite you and your loved ones.

4. You adopt a healthy pet
Because all rescue and shelter animals get a full set of vaccinations and health exams upon entry, you know you’re going home with a pet that has been thoroughly screened for health and behavioral issues.

5. Adoption fees are cheap
When you consider the price of buying a pet from a pet store or breeder, you’ll pay upwards of thousands of dollars. However, adoption fees at shelters and rescues are typically quite low, and just recoup the costs of vaccinations, spay and neutering the animal.

6. You’ve saved a life
Probably the biggest reward of adopting a pet is that you’re giving them a second chance at life. Many of these pets have suffered heartships (i.e., abandoned or lost). By welcoming them into your home, you’re saving them from euthanization.