There are so many reasons why adopting an animal is the best idea you can think of. You are saving a life, and giving an animal its second chance is the first.

Other advantages are: battling puppy mills, saving money, making yourself a nicer person, improving your emotional (and physical) health, and getting the boasting rights we all secretly yearn for. And no one knows it better than people who saved and adopted an animal.

People love to share photos of their adopted pets, and we have selected 50 of the best of them. We know you are going to love them.

1. "I Rarely Adopt (I Always Rescue Then Adopt Lol) But This Little Cutie That Was Born With A Facial Birth Defect Stole My Heart The Second I Saw Her Adoption Post. Please Say Hi To My New Adopted Kitten, Nala!"

2. Adorable

3. "My Newly Adopted Friend. I Think He Likes Me"

Kelly DiCicco, an adoption promotion manager at the ASPCA, says that “despite the recent surge in pet adoptions due to the Covid pandemic and quarantine, animal shelters are under immense strain right now.”

COVID-19 has put an enormous amount of pressure on animal shelters throughout the country. Since this is a continually changing situation, every shelter is facing unique challenges.

Because of the social distancing regulations, numerous shelters had to reduce staff, which “has meant reductions or limits to the number and types of services offered to the public.”

Furthermore, the majority of the shelters have been hit financially due to decreased contributions and the inability to host face-to-face fundraisers

4. "We Adopted This 11 Year Old Senior, Shayshay, Today From A Woman Who Couldn’t Keep Her Anymore. Her First Photo Matches Her Personality. We Are So Happy To Have You, Beautiful Girl"

5. "Our Son’s Dream Of Becoming A K-9 Officer Got One Step Closer Today. We Adopted Him At 2.5 After His Parents Passed Away. His New Best Friend, A Little Girl Named Jovi, Was Born On His Biological Mother’s Birthday. Meant To Be!"

6. "Rescued This Very Good Boy, Arnold!! He Looks So Handsome In His Sweater!!"

7. "We Adopted A Second Cat From A Hoarding Situation. It Turns Out He Was My Cat’s Soulmate. The Two Of Them Have Been Inseparable Since He Arrived"

Even though the pandemic has created many new challenges for shelters, many are now applying inventive solutions to adopting processes.

“With hundreds of thousands of animals across the country currently in shelters, with rescue groups, and in foster care, animal welfare organizations are implementing innovative solutions, including virtual or socially-distanced adoptions, online meet-and-greets using video chat, and minimal-contact drop-offs or pickups to help these animals find adoptive homes.”

Right now, numerous shelters throughout the country are doing their best to make sure that each pet in need of a loving family finds one.

8. "We Adopted Nova 12 Weeks Ago Today And I Wanted To Share With You All How Much He Has Changed Since He Arrived"

9. "I Accidentally Adopted A Sleeping Machine"

10. "Just Rescued This Sweet Lil Old Lady, Chloe. She’s 12 And She’s Gonna Have Her Finest Years Yet"

11. "Baby Squirrel Found Alone In Apartment Loft Gets Adopted And Lives In A Cosy Hat, His Name Is Conker"

12. "This Is Dalton, The 13 Year Old Diabetic Dog My Family Adopted Today"

13. "Been Telling Myself The Only Way To Keep Them Together Is To Just Adopt Them Myself. It’s Not My Fault. I Have No Choice"

14. "This Is Axel. He Was So Scared In The Animal Shelter That He Didn't Get Adopted For 4 Months, And Then Got Returned For "Being Too Shy" When Someone Finally Took Him Home. He Loves His Life Now! Pure Bliss"

15. "Got This Little Boy From The Animal Shelter, Meet Percy !"

16, "Stray Momma Kitty Brings Her Babies To The Nice Lady Who Had Been Feeding Her. All Kitties Were Taken In And Adopted"

17. "A Very Fluffy Good Boy That Got Adopted Yesterday"

18. "The Stray I Adopted Came With One Little Surprise !"

19. "Just Adopted Both Of These Little Monsters"

20. "This Angry Cat Is Named Giggles. He Was Just Adopted From A Local Shelter"

21. "My Friend Adopted A Stray Cat Two Months Ago vs. Now"

22. "I Just Adopted This Gorgeous Boy Who Was Saved From A Hoarding/Breeding Situation And He Is The Most Affectionate Cat I've Ever Met! Completely Obsessed With Tofu"

23. "My Boyfriend’s Dog, Rex, 3 Weeks Post-Adoption!"

24. "Picked Up My New Best Friend From The Shelter Today! Meet Bosewick!"

25." Broke Down And Got My First Cat Because Of You Guys! Meet Meeghan"

26. "Our Newly Adopted Dog Has Already Found Her Favourite Spot In The Morning Sun!"

27. "We Adopted Our Second Kitten Last Week. He Sleeps Weird..."

28. "Just Adopted"

29. "Rescued Junkyard Dog Became Huge Fan Of Warm And Dry Towels And Blankets"

30. "Mountain Climbing Stray At Work...adopted!"

31. "[rip] This Sweet Boy Went Over The Rainbow Bridge A Few Days Ago And I Miss Him So Much. 17 Years Of Pure Puppy Love"

32. "I Volunteer For The National Foundation For Animal Rescue. This Shoulder Kitten In Training Was Recently Adopted And Now Has Many Shoulders To Ride On!"

33. "Adopted Bambi Tonight And I’m In Love"

34. "The Long Adoption Paperwork From Animal Control Was Worth It To Bring Winston Home"

35. "She Seems Pretty Happy With How Her Life Turned Out After Adoption"

36, Rescue Cuddles

37. "I’m Back Again With A Stray That Adopted Me. Her Name Is Stoner Because She Stole My Taco Bell At 3am. Musta Had The Minchies"

38. "After 25+ Years, I Was Finally Able To Adopt My First Cat. Everyone Meet, Alaska"

39. "My Adopted Baby Finally Healing! Lots Of Treatment , Human Herpes Medication Being The Final Cure! I Love Him So Much"

40. "Big Bertha, One Of The 3 Ladies I Adopted Yesterday"