By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

It’s almost been one year since my family adopted our two dogs when they wandered to my grandmother’s house in a rural part of Gadsden.

I wanted to dedicate my column this week to the importance of adopting a pet, and the positive impact it will have on the pet, as well as on you.

The Shelby Humane Society will be selling ornaments the whole month of December and through the first part of January for $60. These ornaments will help a dog travel to another part of the country where the shelters aren’t overpopulated. You can see this story in this weeks Shelby County Reporter.

I encourage the residents of Shelby County to buy an ornament but I also strongly encourage people who are looking to get a pet to first take a look at the humane societies, specifically, Shelby Humane for this area.

On Christmas Day, our family will have owned our mixed-breed labs for exactly a year where they continue to be a joy in our lives each and every day.

I emphasize adopting a pet from the humane society because one, they need your help but secondly, the animals that come from these shelters normally turn out to have some of the best personalities and just need a little love and attention and I promise that you will be glad you adopted them.

The other great thing about humane societies is the wide variety of breeds that are available for adoption.

You can tour the humane society and interact with as many dogs or cats as you want to get a feel for which pet will work best for you or your family.

The main problem Shelby Humane Society and thousands of other shelters around the country are dealing with is overpopulation.

This can be a simple problem to fix and it starts with the owner. It is very important to have your pets spayed or neutered. By doing this, you are ensuring that you are not adding to the problems of overpopulation and abandonment.

I am so glad I have been a dog owner for a year and now it is hard to imagine what my life would be like without my black lab Ace.