October is the month of pumpkins, haunted houses and our entrance into fall. What’s more important than Autumn propaganda? Dogs.

October is Adopt-A-Dog month! There is no better time to introduce a new member of the family. However, before your family decides to make a lengthy car ride to Missouri to bring back a puppy from a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility, educate yourself on how you could get a puppy AND make a difference.

Adopt a dog—don’t buy one. A humane society is a group that aims to stop human or animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. Skip the long car ride and the cost. Head over to the Hinsdale Humane Society, or go a little farther to the West Suburban Humane Society. This does not include the generous amount of shelters in the Chicagoland area. The mission of these private, nonprofit organizations is to care for animals and find them a compassionate home. They want to end suffering and neglect and be a voice for the animals. Some of these dogs come from as far as Tennessee or are rescued from the Chicagoland area. They come from neglecting homes, or are rescued from the road. Humane societies won’t give you a 100-percent Golden Retriever. It will give you a dog like Nitro. Nitro is one of the many dogs that have yet not been adopted yet. He is one and a half year old Norwegian Elkhound Mix, and extremely cute. There are many other dogs available, most of them mixed breeds. Adopting a shelter animal can turn both you and the dog’s life around.

Adopting a shelter dog makes a difference in a mistreated mutt’s life. Rachel Stern ’18 is an avid dog lover and her family owns two shelter dogs, Dice and Bella. Dice was found wandering the streets of Indiana after escaping a fire, and Bella was found in a box on the side of the road with her brothers and sisters at only a few days old and rescued by a shelter.

“I feel like I have made a small difference by helping my dogs and I definitely will continue to adopt from shelters and encourage others to do the same, because shelter dogs are sometimes put down if they’re not adopted, and less likely to be adopted,” Stern said.

Shelter dogs may have experienced horrible things before they were adopted, and many people assume they are not as well behaved, but ultimately it depends on the new owner and how it is raised. These dogs now have a better life because of the Stern family. When you adopt from a shelter it helps dogs who have struggled get a better life.

“[The dogs] are so grateful to have a safe home,” Stern said. “They are very loving and protective and I feel like my family and I have made a huge difference.”