Sometimes people think that there must be something wrong with a pet that ends up in a rescue organization. You can find animals that have had challenging pasts, but that is more the exception than the rule. And if animals in our care have had difficult life stories, Last Hope is committed to training and loving them to help them overcome their challenges.

Here are the four main misconceptions about rescue animals:

1.  There is something wrong with them. False! The truth of the matter is that most animals end up in rescue through no fault of their own. Perhaps the family fell on hard times or didn’t plan appropriately for bringing home a new pet. Given a loving family and stable home, even the most timid of rescue pets can still thrive.
2. Not knowing their history is risky. First of all, rescues often do have information about the history of many of their animals. Secondly, pets can be pretty resilient. Even pets that have experienced some sort of trauma can make loving and loyal companions.
3. They’re diseased. At Last Hope all of our animals are fully vetted before being available for adoption. All health challenges are fully disclosed to the potential adopter.
4. They’re too old. There are so many benefits to adopting an adult animal. They’re likely out of the chewing stage, house training goes a lot faster, and they’re more independent than young animals. Even if your heart is set on adopting a young pet, there are still options. Last Hope has had many puppies and kittens available for adoption. You may have to wait a little longer but younger animals to become available.

Don’t let the fact that an animal ended up at a rescue deter you from adopting him. There are many wonderful pets just waiting for their forever homes.