Adopting a Pet

Are you considering a pet for yourself or your family?  If you are considering adoption, there are some questions you need to consider before bringing one of those wonderful animals home. 

The first question is why do you actually want one?  Don’t adopt a pet because it’s just the thing to do or because your children are annoying you whining for a pet.  Remember, your pet could be with you up to 20 years.  The next question is deciding if you have time for one.  The pets can’t be ignored.  They require those things for life such as food, water, exercise and care, along with companionship. 

Another question is - are you financially able to take care of your pet?  The pet can be expensive with the costs of licenses, training classes, vet care, toys, grooming, food, litter, as well as other costs.  Are you ready to deal with a pet that creates problems?  Pets can be trouble with furniture that gets scratched or bitten, accidents in your home, become infested with fleas, medical emergencies, among other things.  Are you allowed to have a pet where you live now?  A lot of rental places won’t let you have pets or hold restrictions as to size and type of pet.  Be sure you are aware of those rules before bringing a pet home.

You need to consider whether this is the appropriate time to adopt a pet.  If you have children under the age of six, you might want to wait before adopting.  If you travel a lot, adopting a pet would be better if you waited until things were more settled.  Do you have the right kind of living arrangement?  Do some research on which type of pet would be best suited for where you live and your lifestyle.  Who is going to care for your pet when you are gone?  You will need to find either a friend, family, or find a kennel or pet-sitter.

Are you going to take the caring for your pet responsibly?   You need to have them spayed or neutered as well as obey whatever laws your community has on leashes.  Be sure to put an ID tag on your pet to let others know where the pet belongs.  Not only those things, but also you will need to feed and care for them as well.  Finally, are you willing to keep and take care of the pet for their whole life?

Once you have considered the questions and have answered that you would still like to have a pet, next you need to figure out where you are going to adopt one.  A great recommendation would be to adopt from a Rescue Shelter.  You have a great selection of animals that have gone through screenings for good behavior as well as being healthy.  If you are searching for a purebred, they even usually have those as well.  Between 25 and 30 percent of the population is purebred.

Many of the pets have just come from situations where someone wasn’t really sure they wanted to take care of it.  It’s sad that about half of all sheltered animals must be put to sleep due to lack of homes.  The pets have had temperament assessments to make sure the adoption match is perfect. 

There are roughly between 6 and 8 million pets, namely dogs and cats, put into shelters annually.  Unfortunately, there are only 3,500 shelters in the U.S., which if you look at the numbers just are not enough to house all the animals.  That’s another reason to adopt from a shelter instead of buying from a pet store.  You will be able to give a dog or cat a chance to live.

Remember, there is a really neat bond between a person and his or her pet.  Pets give unconditional love and ask for nothing in return.  The caregiver shows his or her love by feeding, loving, and giving the pet shelter.  Animals can be great stress relievers as well as help us when we are not physically feeling good.

The important factor to consider in adopting a pet is that it will take a lot of time, money, commitment, and effort - sometimes up to 20 years; so please consider this has a big decision to make.  Don’t make it on whether your kid wants one or anything else, unless you truly want a pet.  The shelters you will visit are full of puppies, kittens, as well as older animals that have been given up because they were irresponsible in their decision.  Please don’t make that mistake, for the animal’s sake.