Things to consider BEFORE adopting
Do I have enough space?
If I adopt a pet, what size animal would be good
for an apartment? Private Home? Rural living?
A large dog, for example, would not be happy in a tiny
city apartment. You may need to ask permission from
your landlord to have a pet. Will you need to install a fence?
Do I have time to take care of an animal?
Think about all the care it would need like walking it, playing with it, being home on time to feed it? Who will take care of it when I am on vacation?
What would be the financial cost of owning a pet?
You would need to think about the cost of medical care such as spaying or neutering, vaccinations and care if your pet becomes sick or injured, microchip placement, food, grooming, daycare while you are at work or care during a vacation, pet insurance? According to one report, the total first-year cost of owning a dog is $1,270 and for a cat it’s $1,070. As you can see, having a pet can cost you over $1,000 in the first year, and well over $500 each additional year. (https://www.moneyunder30.com/the-true-cost-of-pet-ownership). If this is too high for you, there are foundations may be able to help with costs of pet ownership if you choose to adopt a shelter animal.
Are there any other pets in the home? Are there children in the home? You would need to think about if your new pet would fit in well.
Do you have expensive home furnishings you would not want?
Think about how you would protect your possessions as your new pet gets adapted to living in your home damaged?
Are there children or other pets in the home?
You would need to consider if the new pet will be a good match for your family and other pets you already have. May have to have the new pet in the home on a trial basis at first.
Do any family members have allergies?
If so, you may want to think about a different type of pet.
Spaying and neutering
By doing this, you will avoid bringing more unwanted animals into the world. Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized (670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats). (https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics) This is very, very important.
Once you have found a pet you may want to adopt, try to figure out what kind of personality the animal has (nervous, friendly, aggressive)?
If you have young children, make sure you choose an animal that would be gentle if provoked by a child. Some animals can be trained to adjust their behavior but not all.
Should I purchase a purebred or adopt from a shelter?
Maybe a stray animal just showed up on your doorstep and you are wondering if you should give it a home. You may want to foster a pet to learn how to take care of a pet and find our all that it involves. Maybe a full time pet would not be a good fit for your lifestyle. Fostering may be a good option for you if would like to help but can’t make a full time commitment.
