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Essay 3 Directions

Argument Research Essay

For this assignment, select a controversial topic and brainstorm to come up with main supporting ideas to support your stand. Then, as instructed, plan your thesis and main points and gather research to support your points.

Look at the sample research paper on adopting shelter pets. Note the formatting and the placement of in-text citations. Note how the in-text citations refer to the citations on the works cited page. Your paper should look like the sample. The sample can be found below.

Your Name

ENGL 1101

Ms. Brilliant

April 15, 20XX

Shelters, Never Breeders

Americans love their love affairs. A majority of American households include pets, usually dogs or cats or both. Of course, many other animals make pets from rodents to reptiles to the occasional wild mammal, but dogs and cats are by far the favorite pets. Americans also love, or think they must love pedigreed animals, those bred for particular characteristics like strength and size, hunting abilities, or just cute looks. The problem is that we have too many potential pets who do not have homes. While breeders cause the productions of hundreds and thousands of animals for which they charge from hundreds of dollars to thousands, many other cats and dogs are bred and mixed because of a lack of spay and neutering. Too many of these cats and dogs, perfectly good pets, end up in shelters or are euthanized by the thousands simply because they do not have homes. Animal shelters have large varieties of cats and dogs, even pure-bred pets rejected by owners. Shelter animals are often better pets that pure-bred pets. People looking for a cat or dog as a pet should always adopt from shelters and never buy from breeders.

Breeders are often reliable but are more often greedy, cruel, and unscrupulous. As many as seventy-eight percent of American breeders are unlicensed, and close to that many are simply greedy and unscrupulous. These puppy mill breeders force dogs to live in tight, squalid conditions and produce litter after litter of puppies that are sold for high profit. The animals live their lives in small cages and are even, at times, bred to the point of death. The puppies often lack traits that buyers think they are purchasing. But the breeders continue for the sake of profit. (“Evil Mills”).

Even reputable breeders allow dogs to produce too many litters and increase the dog and cat populations. People who seek dogs or cats from breeders are often more interested in prestige than pet companionship. They are more likely than people who adopt from shelters to abandon the dogs or cats when they grow bored of the animals and grow tired of caring for them. (Taylor 22). Getting a pet for the sake of prestige is disastrous, but too many people do so. (Etter, Channen 37). As breeders breed animals, shelters, both the kill and no-kill varieties all over the country are perpetually overcrowded. Animals that are healthy, handsome, and usually well behaved need owners, need families, but too often never find them because these pets are surplus and are often treated as unnecessary goods (“In the Name of Humane Behavior”). When people adopt from shelters, they discourage dog breeding for profit and adopt pets to love.

It is a known fact that many dogs and cats are overbred. This inbreeding causes a number of physical difficulties. Animals bred for particular looks or behaviors often suffer physically. They can have joint problems, weight problems, inherent diseases like diabetes, eye problems, hearing problems, mental difficulties, and even debilitating deformities (Scott 545). The typical mixed breed dog or cat is usually physically stronger and more intelligent or at least more mentally astute and active. Inflicting these painful traits on an animal is cruel (Etter, Channen 74). In general, mixed breed dogs even live longer than pure breeds (“The Personalities of Animal World.”) Mixed breed dog and cats are often grateful to be sheltered and loved as part of a family or even as a companion to a single person or couple. They make great family lovers and protectors. Pure breeds often just cannot measure up to mixed breed animals.

Finally, mixed breed pets are less expensive, not only to acquire initially but over time. A typical charge for purchasing a pure bred can be, at the low range, three- to-nine-hundred dollars. Many are sold for thousands of dollars. (“Shelters across the Land”). And because they are often

inbred, their physical and mental difficulties can cost owners thousands of dollars in veterinary costs far beyond maintenance care (Scott 333). If not given the special care, often including surgeries, the animals suffer. Letting them suffering is inhumane, and surrendering them to shelters is also inhumane. Yet, many people do abandon the animals. (“Shelters Across the Land”). The more humane owners simply have to pay exorbitant costs that owners of shelter animals are spared. While pure breeds go for very high prices, shelter animals are adopted for modest fees that usually include the cost of spaying or neutering and first check-ups and shots (“Pet Populations”). The stereotypically neurotic and suffering pure bred is not wholly a stereotype. And the typically happy family cat or dog, running and playing with the children or snuggling with its human family is the norm, not the exception (Taylor 31).

People are free to own pets or not. They are free to pay thousands for a pure-bred beauty, a poodle of a Lhasa Apso or a Yorkie, a Maine Coon, a Siamese, or a Rag Doll. The fancy pets certainly do bring people pleasure, but they do so at costs. Shelter animals are as appealing, as loving, as loyal, as healthy, and often, more so. Anyone considering adopting a pet should always consider a desperate and loving shelter pet over a pet from any breeder.

Page BreakWorks Cited

Etter, Lauren, and Jill Schachner Chanen. “How Much Is That Puppy in the Window?” ABA Journal 100.8 (2014): 11-12. Business Source Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2016. proxygsu-mac2.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edslex&AN=edslex970519EE&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 21 Nov. 2020.

“Evil Mills.” Center for the Humane Treatment of Domesticated Animals: Humane Society of the United States, 2. Decade Search Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2016. proxygsu-mac2.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edslex&AN=edslex596DA0FE&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 21 Nov. 2020.

“In the Name of Humane Behavior.” Time Warner Newslines: Weekly Publications, US and UK, 22 September 2016. EBSCO HOSTS. Web. 28 October 2016.

“The Personalities of Animal World. Nature Host USA, July/August 2014. Web. 29 October 2016. SMTHS//Hosted.brementalin/humanity/334-67/htp. Accessed 22 Nov. 2020.

“Pet Populations: An Explosive Problem.” Rural Georgia, vol. 40, no. 10, Oct. 1984, p. 11. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=agr&AN=GUA84132328&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 14 Nov. 2020.

“Shelters Across the Land,” Eyes Out Discovering Life, 2019. Web. https://www.humane.approach_34-U87/unt. Accessed 24 Nov. 2020.

Taylor, Judy Sutton. “Anti-Puppy Mill Legislation Across the Country Is Dogging Pet Stores.” ABA Journal (2015): 1. Business Source Complete. Web. mac2.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=120286812&site=eds-live&scope=site. Accessed 27 Nov. 2020.