My dog is my best friend. He is a Rat Terrier, Shih-Tzu mix. I got him when he was around 3 years old. He was house trained, didn’t bark unless a squirrel or motorcycle passed, and loved everybody. He also loved, and still does, to cuddle (and by that I mean curl up as close to me as possible otherwise he won’t be able to sleep well).

He also does what I like to call a “dance” where he stands, sometimes walks around, on his hind legs and waves his two little front paws in the air. Needless to say, I think he is the best dog in the world.

However, I didn’t adopt Sawyer from a family environment or from a breeder. I got him from a shelter where the employees said that they had found him as a stray.

Now, I have no idea how a dog who had been alone on the streets for who knows how long could end up as well as he did, but I am glad he did his dance when I walked by his kennel to make me fall madly in love with him.

Almost everyone has seen the commercials with the sad looking dogs and cats that have been abandoned, and since I have adopted Sawyer, I now can’t help but think of him.

Thousands upon thousands of animals are abandoned or euthanized every year because of overbreeding, or because they simply weren’t wanted. Quite honestly, it makes me almost sick to think about those poor animals not being taken in.

I think more people, if they decided to adopt an animal, should go to shelters. Those animals need just as much love as a newborn puppy does.

If I would have decided to get a new puppy, I might not have known what real cuddling is, or that a dog could tilt his head so far while listening intently to what I’m saying. Even if the dog is a stray, it may be able to surprise you with its ability to learn and know what not to do inside the house: Sawyer is living proof of that.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t ever go for puppies, I’m saying that shelter animals should be considered just as much. Who knows, a best friend may be discovered just like my best friend Sawyer.

Melissa Sturtevant is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-7942 or at DENopinions@gmail.com.