A primer on pets

So you’re thinking about adopting a pet?  Outstanding!!   Pets can be a wonderful addition to home situation.  Choose wisely, because the wrong pet or breed can turn pet ownership into a nightmare very quickly.

Before being a stay at home dad, PR guy and daddy blogger I did communications and fundraising for a large animal shelter in Atlanta.    I worked at PAWS Atlanta for five years and during that time I encountered the best and worst aspects of owning a pet.  My knowledge on exotic pets, snakes, spiders and the like is very limited, so for the purpose of this post I’ll just comment on cats, dogs and the occasional rabbit.

 Why do you want a pet?

One of the biggest mistakes you can do is to give a pet as a gift.  Whatever the occassion or for whomever, this is a bad move for you and the pet.

What if the pet is the wrong color?  Wrong size or age?  What happens if the recipient is unable to care for the pet?

If the relationship doesn’t work out then the pet will be a reminder of somebody that they don’t want to be around anymore.  What happens at animal shelters in the first two weeks of January is that they get inundated, slammed with dozens of pets from people that received them as a present.  Don’t add to the problem and never, ever give a pet as a present. 

Similarly, after Easter my friends that work at rabbit rescues get swamped with rabbits because folks thought they’d be cute to give as an Easter present.  Rabbits are cool pets, but again, never, ever give a pet as a present.

I met hundreds of people who said that they were getting the pet for their children.  ‘My children will help care for the cat’ or ‘they’ll walk the dog when they get home from school’ are things I heard quite often.   If your children will help care for the pet then you are the exception and not the rule.

A cat or dog can certainly teach your child some lessons about responsibility, but expecting them to be the primary caregiver is not realistic.

Are you willing to take care of the pet?  If the answer is no, then you aren’t in a position to get a pet.

If your child wants to experience the comfort and love of a pet can provide then volunteer at a shelter.  The difficult angle to that is very few animal shelters will allow ‘hands on’ youth volunteers.  One reason for that is insurance liability, closely followed by volunteer attrition.  You say your child will volunteer, but getting them to the shelter may conflict with your schedule, not to mention the fact that children change their minds.

Where do you live?

Do you live in a condo, townhome, home or apartment?  Obviously, if you’re renting, check with your landlord the moment you think about adopting a pet if you’re unsure of their policy. 

Regardless of where you live you need to think about your new pet fitting into where you live. 

If you’re adopting a dog think about how big the dog will be, as opposed to how big they are now.  I’ve seen hundreds of dogs that were seeking new homes because the owner didn’t realize how big the dog would be.  The other side to that issue is that bigger dogs need more exercise.   A bigger dog like a retriever canlive in a townhome or condo, but they will need lots of exercise-LOTS. 

Thinking about adopting a large breed puppy and live in an apartment?  This is a disaster waiting to happen.  The puppy will ruin your apartment and anger your neighbors due to their constant barking.  If you live in an apartment you need to get a smaller breed dog. 

If your cat is going to be inside/outside be very careful if you live in an area with lots of traffic.

Health & Finances

The dirty truth on adopting a pet is that caring for them can be expensive.  For dogs and cats, you need monthly heartworm and flea preventative, in addition to the annual shots. 

If you don’t shop around the annual shots can cost $250, plus $40 a month for flea and heartworm preventative.  Those costs are without the unexpected expenses like ear infections or sickness.

If you shop around, usually at your local humane society, you can get your pet vaccinations for around $50.  You can also purchase the monthly medication cheaper if you shop around, look online or ask your local humane society. 

Up next we’ll chat about the various places where you can adopt a pet.  The differences, ethics, operational procedures and prices from where you adopt your pet may influence your decision.