6 Reasons Why Shelter Animals Make The Perfect Co-Pilots

Many CDLLife readers take their pets along with them on the road. Pets are great company and they can even help you to keep your truck and freight safe.

While all pets are great, we think that there is something about shelter pets that makes them the perfect companions for truck drivers. Here’s why:

1. An animal from a shelter has been abandoned. Shelter animals have been left by the people who are supposed to care for them, leaving them with a feeling of abandonment. Life on the road with a truck driver is great for an animal who has been abandoned because you won’t be leaving your pet alone for hours while you work in an office.

2. Shelter pets are used to small spaces. An animal from a shelter has only a tiny space to move around — often a cage not much bigger than the animal’s body. In comparison, your sleeper and a truck stop parking lot are huge!

3. You can get an adult animal — and skip the high energy puppy or kitten phases. Often, very young puppies or kittens have too much energy to ride in your truck all day. Shelters are full of older animals who are already past their high-energy phases, making them calmer co-pilots.

4. You can take your pet on the road right away without vet trips. Almost all shelter pets have been spayed or neutered and are up to date on their shots. That means that you don’t have to worry about finding a vet for your new companion right away.

5. Shelter pets are less costly. If you purchase a pure bred animal from a breeder, you’re going to pay far more than you would if you adopt a dog or cat from a shelter.

6. Shelter animals are grateful because you’ve saved their lives. In even the nicest animal shelters, conditions can be pretty grim. Cramped quarters, fighting with other animals, stress, lack of human interaction, and low quality food are just some of the conditions pets have to face in shelters.

Worse? Many pets do not make it out of animal shelters alive. Most have just a few days between the time that they are dropped off and the time they are scheduled to be euthanized if they aren’t adopted.

When you choose to adopt your co-pilot from a shelter, you’ve saved his life — and on some level he knows it.