People adopt pets out of the goodness of their hearts. They are more than willing to take on the obligation of caring for another life, and hats off to them.

And if you’ve seen some of our previous posts, you’ve likely noticed a pattern. These kindhearted humans seem to find the most adorable little creatures. For you animal lovers out there, these photos we’ve collected from Reddit may tug hard at your heartstrings. 

For longtime Bored Panda readers, here’s our July edition of adopted pets. May this list give you warm fuzzies as you scroll through it.

#1 24 Hours After Being Found On The Side Of The Road In 95+ Degree Heat. Meet Booker (I Told Him To Smile For The Camera)!

Image credits: ShouldaMadeARaptor

#2 Newest Member Of The Family. Little Kev

Image credits: Mr-Filthyy

#3 I Love This Little Kitty Family. Honey’s Kittens Are 10 Weeks Old Now. I Think I’m Going To Keep Them All

Image credits: mac_is_crack

Early this year, Forbes compiled some statistics on pet adoption trends in the United States. It revealed that of the 6.3 million animals that enter shelters annually, only 4.1 million are adopted. 

One possible reason is that shelters don’t have as many purebred options, which may drive away adopters looking for specific breeds. According to the article, only 25% of shelter dogs are purebred.

#4 Went To Adopt A Kitten Walked Out With This 5 Year Old Gem Instead

Image credits: AltruisticSense0

#5 She Was Found In Firewood, And Now She’s Our Barn Cat. Sweet Little Kindle

Image credits: IDontFeel24YearsOld

#6 Love On The Mind. Rescue 1.5 Week Old Kitten. Meet Kenny!

Image credits: SCP-7593

Here’s a grim statistic: animal shelters euthanize 920,000 animals each year. That’s around 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats. However, it is important to note that the number of euthanized animals significantly decreased from 13 years ago when more than two and a half million animals would be killed in shelters. 

#7 Rescued Some Puppies - They Made Themselves Right At Home

Image credits: Gini555

#8 Acquired A Kitten That Loves To Perch On Shoes

Image credits: BoutToGiveYouHell

#9 I Was Afraid That They Wouldn't Get Along When I Brought The New Puppy Home... This Is How It's Going

Image credits: Sweetdreamsdoll

Forbes’ statistics also show that people prefer adopting adult dogs, which could make training more challenging. This is why experts like Mika Ito of Animal Haven advise stocking up on treats. 

As she told New York Magazine, positive reinforcement is a helpful approach they practice at their shelter. They follow the ethos of “ignore the bad, reward the good.”

#10 I Found This Kitten Near A Convenience Store, And She Follows Me Everywhere I Go, So I've Decided To Bring Her Home

Image credits: MartinezHill

#11 Found This Baby Cat On The Road. I Couldn’t Leave Her Behind. She Smells Like Flowers

Image credits: Mission_Spray

#12 Saw This Grumpy Lady At The Shelter Last Week And Decided To Adopt Her

Image credits: Handroid_

Illnesses could be another issue among adult dogs, meaning more medical bills. As a pet owner, you’d want to avoid this, especially if you’re on a tight budget. 

To prevent such problems from arising, animal behavior specialist and TV personality Eric Wiese urges prioritizing a visit to the veterinarian. As he told Country Living, it would help to immediately get them up to date on all vaccines. You can also consider pet insurance to help curb extra costs.

#13 I Adopted An Abounded Puppy From A Shelter Today! We’re Already Out Playing

Image credits: Superanthem

#14 The Most Boopable Nose Ever: My Adopted Boxer/Shepherd Rescue Puppy. I Love Him So Much!

Image credits: thatredheadedchef321

#15 My Wife Said "Let's Adopt A Puppy." I Said "A Puppy, Seriously? That Sounds A Lot Of Work. Well, Ok, Maybe We Can Foster One For The Weekend And See How It Works Out." Three Days Later... I Guess We've Adopted A Puppy

Image credits: tbajoras

As mentioned in our intro, adopting a pet means taking responsibility for another life. This may require your added attention, especially since you’re dealing with a new pet thrust into an entirely different environment. 

Wiese says adopters may need to adjust their schedule to allow them to provide proper care. The more time you spend, the easier it will be to develop a strong bond with them.

#16 My Junkyard Kitty! I Found Him At The Junkyard I Work At A Week Ago Today! Everyone Meet Knox

Image credits: chasitayy

Now, we would like to hear from pet adopters. What are your best tips for those planning to do it for the first time? Is there anything they should know that isn’t often discussed? Comment below!

#17 Foster Pup's Go-To Place For Sleepy Time Now That He Trusts Our Home!

Image credits: CaLinOuRS38

#18 My Partner Found This Little Lass On Our Driveway A Few Months Ago. I Agreed To 'Foster' Her And She Still Hasn't Left

Image credits: darling-dingo

#19 My Cat Accepted The Kitten I Got 2 Days Ago

Image credits: Purple-Hat-3443

#20 I Adopted Pepè (Right) And Went Back For His Brother. No Black Cat Will Be Left Behind On My Watch!

Image credits: Sadiebutt

#21 Just Moved In, Bro Just Came In And Decided This Is Also His House

Image credits: alezcoed

#22 From Euthanasia List, To Forever Home

Image credits: PinkyAmethyst

#23 My Son Found This Kitten In The Street Last Night. Their Big Dog Adopted It, And Decided She’s Her Baby Now

Image credits: savinathewhite

#24 She Became A Foster Fail Today

Image credits: Disastrous_Aside_831

#25 I Adopted This Lil’ Kitty Today! Her Name Is Fiona :)

Image credits: CuteKitsunex

#26 Welcome Pocky! Parking Lot Rescue

Image credits: Anangel84

#27 I Rescue Her With 4 Kittens

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#28 Finally Adopted A New Kitty After A Month Of Living Hours From Home :)

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#29 Cat Distribution System Finally Chose Us

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#30 Two Farm Dogs Up The Road Had A Fling So We Unexpectedly Adopted A New Buddy. Meet Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw

Image credits: El_Boqueron

#31 Found This Lil Guy At Work Today, Well More Like He Found Me. Guess You're Coming Home With Me. Any Name Suggest??

Image credits: johngreen272

#32 Old, Diabetic And Blind And Just Invisible To Potential Adopters. I'll Ugly Cry The Day She Goes Home. I Think She's Absolutely Beautiful. Until Then, She Finds The Sunbeam And Rests

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#33 Brought Home A New Kitty 3 Days Ago And The Resident Cat Has Reacted Surprisingly Well

Image credits: SillyBilly04

#34 This Is Joey, We Adopted Him Today!

Image credits: ktlove907

#35 Rescued This Guy From The Streets

Image credits: Ilovemycats201

#36 This Little Gray Girl Showed Up On My Back Porch Three Nights Ago. I've Asked Around The Neighborhood, And Nobody Is Looking For A Missing Cat. Guess That Means I'll Be Keeping Her

Image credits: SilentPhilosophy3307

#37 I Just Adopted This Handsome Boy. He Was Dumped And Very Defensive. He’s Two Months Old. I Named Him Bruce Wayne

Image credits: twistednicholas

#38 New Small Kitten... Guess His Name?

Image credits: sierranotserena

#39 I Want To Take This Girl Home And Spay Her, But I'm Afraid I Won't Be Able To Find Her A New Home And Owners. I Have 3 Cats And It's Dangerous To Have A Fourth Cat Because At Any Moment I May Need To Move (I Live In Ukraine). My Heart Is Breaking ?

Image credits: SytchArt

#40 Meet The Newest Addition To My Family

Image credits: teridactyl99

#41 Had Nothing To Worry About With Introducing The Kitten, These Two Are Inseparable ?

Image credits: SpockVaporizesRock

#42 Just Got This Dog Today And She Already Claimed My Bed.

Image credits: ScullingPointers

#43 My Husband Just Came Home With This Little Kitten. She's 3-4 Weeks Old, I've Never Cared For A Cat This Young. I Need Advice

Image credits: Sea_Panic9863

#44 When For A Morning Jog. Ended Up With A 3 Day Old Kitten, A Mama Cat And A Hefty Vet Bill

Image credits: HappyMeMe77

#45 Me And My Foster Puppy

Image credits: bippitybop319

#46 I Can't Believe The Kittens Are From The Same Litter. They're So Different

Image credits: Pretty-Two-4141

#47 Munchkin Getting A Flea Bath. Found Him In The Middle Of The Road After Midnight. The Cat Distribution System Got Me! 16oz Of Love

Image credits: ADVAnimalTransport

#48 Pepsi, Rescued From The Euthanasia List, Is Living His Best Life

Image credits: PinkyAmethyst

#49 Hard To Believe It’s Only Been Six Days Since My Wife Rescued This Feral Kitten

Image credits: RatSumo

#50 Just Adopted This Little Guy

Image credits: Laura_Osborne1

#51 I Just Love This Boy! His Name Is Harley And He Showed Up On My Doorstep And I Took Him In

Image credits: EverythingTrueCrime

#52 These Two Were Adopted From The Shelter I Volunteer At By Two Different Friends Of Mine. This Was Their First Time Meeting Without A Fence In Between Them!

Image credits: NBAJam95

#53 Adopted These Three Boys From My Local Humane Society Today

Image credits: Corgi4lifes

#54 I Finally Adopted My First Pet, And It’s This Cute Little Kitten!

Image credits: kuya_keeno

#55 Mookie, Our Lovable New Shelter Dog!

Image credits: rjohnstone13

#56 Just Adopted This Little Girl, Say Hi To Momo!

Image credits: unavoidable8630

#57 After 3 Months In… I Am Confident I Adopted Well

Image credits: ToasterOvenLovin

#58 How Can Anyone Think Black Cats Are Bad?

Image credits: DGhostAunt

#59 Finally Adopted My Own Kitty!

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#60 This Is Takoyaki. She Is Coming Home In Ten Days, But She Already Stole Our Hearts

Image credits: cute_and_horny

#61 Just Adopted, Say Hi To Shakespeare!

Image credits: amilehigh_303

#62 Our New Rescue Baby Has A Permanent Scowl

Image credits: Red_method

#63 Adopted This Cute Fella Today!?

Image credits: myself_diff

#64 A Stray Had Kittens Under Our Shed. This Is The Last Living One And We Decided To Adopt Her

Image credits: IceQueenSeventeen

#65 Took In A Stray That Hangs Outside Of The Yoga Studio I Teach At. Meet Zelda ?

Image credits: xloveisamixtapex

#66 Rescue Foster (From Tennessee, Currently In Michigan)

Image credits: PeekaBooDew82

#67 Just Rescued This Puppy! What Breed Is He?

Image credits: iluvchikins

#68 Been Wanting A Cat All My Life, Now I Have 2

Image credits: sarahstiger

#69 My Cousin Rescued Some Kittens. Here They Are Napping!

Image credits: KingsKnight24

#70 Meet My New Rescue Cat, Monkey!

Image credits: Satanium

#71 Went To The Humane Society This Morning And After 2 Hours Of Hiding Under The Couch, This 5 Yo Is Already Claiming Her House. Is That Normal Or Am I Just Lucky?

Image credits: missbhaving77

#72 Found A 4 Week Old Kitten Outside A Grocery Store. My Male Cat Heard Him Crying In Our Bathroom While He Got Better And Decided He Was Gonna Be The Dad

Image credits: sleepilyLee

#73 After 5 Years My Parents Finally Let Me Get A Kitten!

Image credits: Super-Web-3779

#74 Don’t Know If I Adopted A Kitten Or Werewolf

Image credits: crispychimps

#75 Is 4 Cats Too Many Cats?

Image credits: Wraith_Wisp

#76 Adopted This Depressed Cat From Local Animal Rescue Center Today. Center Staff Said That She Was Abused By Her Former Owner And Suffered This Depression

Image credits: ammar_zaeem

#77 Groundhog Moved In Under My Shed. I Named Him Gary

Image credits: DogeDoRight

#78 I Found Beezle In A Parking Lot Five Months Ago. She Has A Skin Issue That’s Helped By Steroids As Well As A Suspiciously Large Belly That Would Lead You To Believe She’s Pregnant. (I Had Her Spayed) The Vet’s Best Guess Is An Autoimmune Issue. So, We’re Rolling With That

Image credits: candygorl

#79 I Addopted A Senior Cat Today. What Should I Know?

Image credits: Tiny_Count4239

#80 Took In A Stray Cat, It Had Seven Kittens In My Nightstand

Image credits: wheresthebeach