Think You're Ready For a Pet?
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Adopting a Bechinka Japanese Chin With proper care, most dogs have the potential to live 10 to 15 years. LIFE CHANGES
What life changes do you foresee happening during the pet’s lifetime? Marriage? Children? A new job? A long-distance move? If any of these are a possibility, you must ask yourself: “Am I willing to spend the time, energy and money to care for my pet when taking on these new responsibilities?” ALLERGIES Maybe you are already married, or you already have children. What will you do if your spouse or child is allergic to or cannot get along with your pet? |
CHILDREN
If your decision to adopt stems from the desire to have a pet for your children, ask yourself if you are willing to take on the responsibility of caring for this pet when your children grow up or move away. Do you have younger children? Adopting a dog can be a lot like adding another child to your household. Many families find that with the demands of raising children and driving them to various activities, they don't have time to housebreak or train a puppy. What happens when the puppy grows up? It may adopt the habits of jumping on children and guests, begging, guarding behaviors, separation anxiety or destruction. Be sure to devote the time to training your pet, so you can coincide happily in the future. You must also be able to spend the time necessary to make sure that your children are treating your pet the right way. Animals that are mistreated by children can grow up to be aggressive or fearful of humans. This is why it’s so important to tell your children what is and what is not acceptable with the pets and watch their interactions closely. |
TIME Are you a working professional? Do you like to go out with friends frequently? Ask yourself if your schedule allows enough time to provide the care and exercise a pet requires. Will you have the time to walk your dog daily, for example? If you have children, will you have time to provide the daily care and exercise a dog needs every day? PUPPIES If you are considering a puppy, be especially careful in your adoption decision. As rewarding and fun it is to adopt a puppy, they require a huge commitment-one that many busy families at times cannot handle. Will you be able to arrange for midday visits so your puppy can go out and use the bathroom every 4 hours or so? Do you have the time to devote to puppy obedience classes? Are you willing to take the time to teach proper house manners to help the dog become a good companion? A cute, sweet, tiny puppy can become difficult as an adult if they are not given consistent obedience training to teach them household expectations. TRAVEL Travelling becomes complicated once you add a pet into the equation. If you travel frequently: What are your plans for the pet? Do you have a friend, family member or neighbor willing to watch your pet? Do you plan to send the pet to daycare or a boarding facility? Have you researched the costs? RENTING If you are a renter and plan to continuing renting in the future, you’re probably aware that many properties have pet restrictions, breed restrictions or require tenants to pay an additional fee if they own a pet. If you move, can you be sure your next place will allow dogs? Are you willing to put in the extra work to find a home that allows pets? Better question yet, does your current place even allow pets? LONG TERM COMMITMENT Pet ownership is not for the commitment-phobic. Are you willing to make the long-term commitment to care for this animal for his or her entire lifetime? If you answer no to this, it’s probably best you don’t adopt. |