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Professor McDunn
Persuasive Speech Outline
Introduction
Attention Getting Material:
Looking at these adorable puppies, you would think that you couldn’t find them at a shelter. But
you can. When one thinks of an animal shelter, he/she would come to the conclusion that those
animals there were most likely abused, abandoned and are now aggressive to humans. However,
that is not the case.
Relevance: Knowing more about pet stores and puppy mills will allow the audience to decide
where they will be getting their pet if they want to bring one into their life.
Purpose: The purpose of my speech is to persuade the audience to consider adopting a pet from
the SPCA or a local shelter instead of buying one from the pet store or other sources when he/she
is committed to bringing an animal into his/her life.
Preview: I am going to address the reasons why one should consider adopting a pet instead of
buying one from a pet store.
Transition: Have you ever wonder what happens to the animals that do not have a home? They
are usually wandering the streets. If they are lucky enough, someone kind will find them and turn
them over to a local animal shelter. From there, they will get a second chance. Adopting a pet
from a shelter will give you the satisfaction of knowing that you have done a good deed.
I. Reasons why one should adopt a pet instead
1. You will save a life
“Staff members sometimes…make…decisions to euthanize animals who haven’t
been adopted” meaning that they put the animals to sleep (Humane Society of the
United States, 2011)
By adopting, you will be saving two lives; the life of the animal you are adopting
and the life of another wandering animal. Animal shelters are usually
overcrowded, so when an animal is adopted, there will be room for the shelter to
take in another animal.
Transition: Not only that…
2. You are giving the pet you are adopting “a second chance at finding a home”
(American Humane Association, 2011)
There was an article published by the Associated Press last week about a pit bull being
abandoned and left to die for by his owner. He was “found at the bottom of a trash chute
[last month] in New Jersey and was rushed to the veterinary emergency room” and
doctors thought he wasn’t going to make it (Henry, 2011). However, he is a fighter
and he would not give up. Now, he is becoming stronger day by day, and it is going to be
a while before he gets adopted, but he is going to find a new home.
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There are many other stories about pets being abused and abandoned. These animals,
they do not give up. So why should we give up on them? Instead of buying a pet, you
should give these little fighters a second chance.
Transition: Besides that…
3. You will receive a healthy pet, usually with vaccinations and he/she is most likely
spayed/neutered
If you adopt a dog or a cat from the Houston SPCA, your adoption fee will
include a “health evaluation, microchip, spay/neuter surgery, initial set of
vaccines, rabies vaccination (3 months of age or older), deworming, heartworm
testing for dogs (6 months of age and older), a bag of pet food and a free exam
with VCA Animal Hospitals” (Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, 2009)
Transition: Furthermore…
4. You will not be supporting puppy mills and pet stores; those cute puppies in the pet
store could possibly have come from a puppy mill
 Definition of a puppy mill: “Puppy mills are commercial dog breeding facilities
that are operated with an emphasis on profits, not animal welfare” (Reiter, 2010)
 “Puppy mill operators keep their dogs in cages for up to 24 hours a day and breed
them continuously. The cages often have wire floors, and the dogs get little vet
care and no socialization” (Cohn, 2009)
 “They continue to thrive because they prey on unwitting consumers who are
smitten by too-cute-for-words puppies in pet store windows and on legitimateseeming websites” (Humane Society of the United States, 2011).
Transition: This leads me to my research on pet stores and why you should not buy a pet from
them
II. Reasons why one should not buy a pet from a pet store
1. The puppies could come from puppy mills
 “Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills where dogs are not bred for good
health and temperament and where they are often raised in inhumane conditions”
(American Humane Association, 2011)
 Beau Archer, Humane Society Spokesman said, “most pet stores get their puppies
from puppy mills” (Cohn, 2009)
2. Medical problems
Beau Archer, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the U.S. said, “puppies
from puppy mills are often prone to medical problems” (Cohn, 2009).
3. Even though there are some pet stores that sell pets from caring private breeders, you
cannot tell whether the pet store is telling the truth or not.
 Jan McClellan, “an animal rights advocate” said “they all deny that the puppies
come from puppy mills, but they do” (Cohn, 2009).
 “Puppy buyers looking for the perfect dog should steer clear of pet stores, and
they should also be leery of online sales” (Reiter, 2010).
Conclusion
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Summary: Thus, when one is ready to take care of a pet and wants to give an animal a home,
he/she should consider adopting from his/her local animal shelter. By doing so, he/she will be
doing a good thing because he/she will not be supporting puppy mills. Not only that, he/she will
be giving that special animal a second chance, a new home, and a new life.
Concluding Device: I believe that you do not have to go to a pet store or a breeder to find the dog
that you want. If you go to an animal shelter, even if it is just to take a look, I am sure you will
be able to find the dog that is right for you there.
Works Cited
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"Adoption Services." Houston SPCA. Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
2009. Web. 09 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.houstonspca.org/site/PageNavigator/adopt_main>.
"Buying vs. Adopting." American Humane Association. American Humane Association. Web.
10 Apr. 2011. <http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/adoption-pet-care/buying-vsadopting.html>.
Cohn, Ari. "E.V. Pet Stores Pledge to Avoid Puppy Mills." Newspaper Source. EBSCO, 27 Oct.
2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=5917309c-287e4320-8360c35e4987a46d%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=13&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZS
ZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=nfh&AN=2W62154644587>.
Cute Puppies. Perf. Puppies from the Humane Society of San Antonio. YouTube / Cute Puppies.
Humane Society of San Antonio, 18 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJAuPZIsd1I>.
Henry, Samantha. "Pit Bull Abandoned in NJ Gains Worldwide following - Yahoo! News."
Yahoo! News. Associated Press, 8 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011.
<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110408/ap_on_re_us/us_dog_in_trash>.
"Puppy Mills : The Humane Society of the United States." The Humane Society of the United
States : The Humane Society of the United States. 2011. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/puppy_mills/>.
Reiter, Carol. "Puppy in Pet Store Window May Be from Puppy Mill." Newspaper Source.
EBSCO, 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.
<http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=f556b89b-9f7a-4370-af6f-
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6038a6b733db%40sessionmgr13&vid=2&hid=127&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2Z
SZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=nfh&AN=2W64246968929>.
"Top Five Reasons to Adopt : The Humane Society of the United States." The Humane Society
of the United States : The Humane Society of the United States. Humane Society, 28 Oct.
2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.
<http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/adopt/tips/top_reasons_adopt.html>.