If you walk over to Pet Central, and take a look at the Neopian Pound, what you see might shock you. Abandoned NeoPets everywhere! Each day, hundreds of NeoPets are left at the Neopian Pound, either because their creators could no longer care for them, or because their owners didn't want them anymore. Many NeoPets do get adopted. However, there are still over 60 NeoPets desperately needing homes, and the number coming in more than equals the number coming out.
What makes NeoPet owners so careless? Why would they leave their precious NeoPets all alone in the Neopian Pound, waiting and wishing and hoping for some caring person to come along and adopt them? There are two main possible answers.
1. The owner couldn't care for them anymore. They didn't stop ahead of time to think of how much care their NeoPet would require, or squandered their Neopoints until they had nothing left with which to provide for their Pet. They could no longer keep up on the needs of their NeoPet(s)--both item-wise and time-wise--so they left them at the Pound.
2. They didn't want them anymore. They didn't think that maybe someday they would get sick of their pet, or wouldn't want to "mess with it" any longer. They just thought of how they wanted one now, and rushed right into adopting/creating one. But later, they decided, "This isn't something that interests me anymore..." or "I don't like my NeoPet after all..." and it's off to the Neopian Pound for their poor NeoPet.
Besides these, there are other reasons. Maybe they wanted a different NeoPet, but didn't have anymore room. Maybe they're disconnecting from the Internet, either temporarily (such as do to a move) or permanently. (These reasons, however, are more understandable.)
Many people don't consider leaving their NeoPet at the Pound to be a big deal. But you must think of your Pet. They're all alone in the Pound, lonely and probably scared. They do not get fed well many times, and nobody plays with them or buys them things or loves them. They are cramped together with other NeoPets, and many times, are never adopted. How would you feel if your NeoPet dropped YOU off at such a place, where almost every other person passed you by? You wouldn't like that at all, would you? Uh-huh. That's what I thought!
Now, here are three good reasons NOT to abandon your NeoPet. There are more, but you have to have some time left to spend with your Pets after you're done reading this, so I'll only list three for now.
1. The chances of being adopted are small. No matter how beautiful, how strong, how quick, and how sweet your little Pet is, the chances of being adopted are not large at all. This is due to the fact that many people would rather create their own Pet, so they can customize them. It is also due to the fact that there are so many NeoPets in the pound, and not everyone can be adopted. Also, if someone is looking for something in particular, it's likely that they'll give up before they find your Pet, or, if it does not fit their idea or does not stand out, overlook them.
2. They are in danger. I have three NeoPets, all of them adopted from the Neopian Pound. All of them, when adopted, were so hungry they were close to death. This is not a happy ending for your NeoPet! They are in danger of starvation, and of being wiped off of the database before being adopted. The Pound can't hold them all, you know!
3. They are not happy. All of my pets, when adopted, were feeling worthless. Their happiness level was at the lowest possible. It took me days of playing and encouraging and loving them before they started to perk up. Think of their sad little faces, of how betrayed they must feel! Don't you feel the slightest bit of guilt? Conviction?? SYMPATHY???
Here are some reasons to adopt from the Neopian Pound.
1. Many of the Pets are more experienced. There's nothing wrong with creating your own Pet, but many of the abandoned Pets have higher levels, are quicker, stronger, have better defence levels, and some even come with their own PetPets! (One of mine did.) Some have also read a lot of books, and therefore, have a higher level of intelligence. Many times, abandoned pets have more max. hit points, because they have completed quests/training courses.
2. You will be giving a sad, homeless NeoPet a good home! A home where they can be fed regularly, played with, and loved. Where they can explore, make new friends, and never have to worry about being left alone, waiting for their second chance at being a wonderful pal for someone.
Finally, here is one very good alternatives to leaving your NeoPet at the Neopian Pound:
1. Keep it! Consider why you're leaving your Pet there, and ask yourself if there is any possible way you can keep it. If you have to go away for a few days, there's no problem! Leave it at the Neolodge! It will be fed, played with, and kept safe and healthy and entertained. If you are wanting something else, ask yourself if it is just a fad. Will you really be happy with the new pet? Or will you dump it too, when you find something else? If you can't feed them, but are trying to earn more Neopoints, and really want to keep them, why not go to the Soup Kitchen? While you're collecting NP to buy food with, the Soup Faerie can help you out!
If you must leave your NeoPet at the Pound, why don't you put it in, and place a message on each message board, telling people about your Pet? Post its statistics, species, colour, gender, name, strong points, weak points, social level (does it like making friends, does it hide, is it mean to other NeoPets?), and whether or not it would make a good battling pet. If it comes with its own PetPet, make sure they know this, too! And if, sometime, you think you'll want to adopt it again, by all means, keep track of it. When you can, you can go back and readopt your Pet.
Now, I've probably worn you out. But hopefully you'll see my point. Please, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR NEOPET AT THE POUND!!! And try to adopt your next NeoPet! You can find just about anything for anyone there, and you're bound to find something you like!
