When you’re ready to add a pet to your family, consider adopting an animal from a pet shop or rescue organization instead of getting one from the animal shelter. From the costs associated with taking care of your new furry friend to how to handle potential behavioral issues, here are 9 things to consider before adopting an animal from a pet store.
1) Home Arrangement
If you live in an apartment, your landlord might not allow pets. If that’s true for you, try calling up other local apartments and asking if they have any pet-friendly vacancies. Even if they don’t have any right now, keep checking back as people move out and new units open up; there may be an opening where you can grab it while it lasts. Besides that, there are multiple ways to make your home pet-friendly on a temporary basis like getting a gate or baby monitor so your pet doesn’t go wandering off throughout your house when you aren’t around.
2) Vet Arrangement
The adoption process is an exciting one, but there are still some things you need to figure out before adopting. First and foremost: Your vet, this is important for many reasons. For one, you’ll have somebody you can rely on should anything go wrong after bringing your new pet home.
However, it’s also good to know what kind of services your vet provides before committing yourself financially. While most do more than treat sick animals (nail trims and vaccinations are pretty common), many require separate appointments or charge fees for certain procedures such as flea treatments or deworming pills.
3) Financial Costs
First and foremost, you’ll need to account for all of your new pet’s expenses. Depending on what kind of pet you get, you could be looking at major monthly expenses on food, toys, and vet visits. There may also be unexpected costs like emergency boarding fees if you can’t care for your pet during an emergency or transportation costs if your animal has behavioral issues that require a specialist outside of normal operating hours.
4) Time Commitment
One of the biggest factors in deciding whether or not you want to adopt an animal is how much time and money you can realistically commit. For instance, a dog needs far more attention than cats (it won’t take care of itself) and that means your schedule may need to change.
If you are already stretched too thin, taking on another life will be very difficult. Plus, how much exercise can you give your new pet? A dog will require at least one walk a day; do you have that kind of time? The larger and more active your pet is, the more time it will require and that means even more changes in your day-to-day life. Make sure you consider these elements before bringing home any animal, big or small!
5) Caring For Pets
While getting a new pet is exciting, it’s important that you consider both the short-term and long-term effects of adopting one. To help ensure your family’s long-term commitment, consider these nine things before you bring home an animal. While many animals in shelters can be adopted for little or no cost, some places charge high fees which cover necessities like vaccinations and spaying/neutering services.
Before making an investment in another living being, make sure that money isn’t coming out of your family’s budget at a time when it can’t afford to. It’s important that your pet gets along with your family and other pets – especially if there are kids involved!
6) Other People in the Household
What do the other members of your household think about bringing home a new pet? If they’re excited, all is well. However, if they’re not too thrilled, it may be an indication that you should reconsider. Remember, pets are long-term commitments—and no one wants to feel like their opinion doesn’t matter in such decisions.
Ensure everyone has an opportunity to voice his or her feelings—and give them ample time to adjust once you bring home your new companion. Also, have your family agree on what kind of pet would work best for your family and lifestyle.
7) Child Safety
When choosing an animal, it’s important to consider what kind of safety hazards might arise with that animal. For example, dogs can be aggressive, cats can scratch and bite, and guinea pigs can get really big. If you have young children at home or plan on having any soon, a dog is probably not a good choice (nor is any large or destructive pet).
Make sure you know what kind of care and maintenance your pet will need so it doesn’t end up in someone else’s lap. Also, remember to make sure your pet has all its shots before bringing it home! When you bring a new animal into your family there are always some costs involved—like getting its shots—so think about where those are going to come from.
8) Dog Safety
If you are adopting a dog, make sure you have time and money available to properly train it. Not all dogs are suitable for households with small children, particularly young ones that are still teething. To learn more about your dog’s individual personality and needs, sign up for obedience classes at your local pet store or shelter.
All puppies require plenty of training and guidance when they’re young; if you don’t want to deal with housebreaking issues or bad habits like chewing on shoes, steer clear of buying a puppy from an Internet pet store. Most internet pet stores only sell purebred dogs anyway; so unless you’re willing to pay thousands of dollars for a full-grown pedigreed dog—you shouldn’t go near them.
9) Cat Safety
When it comes to picking out your purrfect new pet, you’ll probably want to start with some cat safety information. There are some diseases that cats can carry that aren’t found in dogs. One of those is toxoplasmosis, an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii (toxo). In most cases, toxo doesn’t cause any symptoms and isn’t dangerous if you follow certain precautions.
If you decide not to get a cat due to toxo concerns, keep in mind that people can also catch toxo by eating undercooked meat or coming into contact with contaminated soil or water. Cat lovers and non-cat lovers alike should know about toxo before taking on pet ownership.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for a cat, dog, snake, or bird, it is important that you keep in mind how much work and attention your new pet will require. After all, what’s worse than adopting an animal only to discover that you do not have enough time or space for it? When thinking about adding an animal companion to your life, consider these 9 things before taking home your new pet.
