Thursday, April 2, 2015

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Adopting a Pet~ Are You Really Ready??


It is important to me that my puppies go to good homes so there are a few things I would like you to think about before you adopt a pet whether it be from me or someone else. To begin, analyze your life style and ask yourself if you have the time, patience, money, and ability to properly care for an animal. Ask yourself if you would be willing and able to take care of a 2 year old child at this point in your life because they would be very similar to what you would be dealing with if you brought a puppy into your family- If that answer is ‘no,’ then it’s not the proper time to get a pet.

Puppies and animals take a lot of work!! No matter how much time and attention a breeder has given a puppy when they raise them you, as the owner, still have a ton of work to do once you get them home. Ask yourself if you can deal with potty training. How will you react when your puppy goes to the bathroom on your brand new white rug? How will you handle getting up in the middle of the night to let your puppy out for a potty break? What will you do with your puppy during the day when you are at work and they need to go outside? Do you have what it takes to put in the time and effort to get them properly potty trained?

Ask yourself if you can afford proper care and vet bills. Generally the first year is the most expensive when adopting a new pet. My Cockapoos come home up to date on their vaccines and de-wormings but they still require additional vaccines as they grow, additional de-wormings, additional vet checks, getting spayed/neutered, their rabies vaccine, and any other preventative care you or your vet desire.  Can you afford it if there is an accident and your dog needs to have emergency surgery? Can you afford it if an unexpected health issues appears? Also ask yourself if you are willing to pay for extra, unexpected expenses that could occur at any time.

On top of medical care animals require healthy food, toys, beds, grooming, supplies, treats, and most of all lots and lots of attention. Ask yourself if you are financially able to provide what is necessary to keep them healthy and happy and if you have the time to reciprocate that unconditional love they will endlessly supply you with.

Ask yourself if you have what it takes to put in the time and effort to properly train a puppy. Can you afford puppy classes and do you have time for them? Animals need to be molded into the type of animal you want them to be. If you want a fun loving, outgoing, and friendly animal you need to make them that way. Take your puppy for walks, take them to social events, expose them to kids, have friends over to visit, take them for car rides to mold them into what you want them to be. If you leave a puppy in the house all day and don’t put in any effort to train or expose them to things don’t expect them to just become the puppy of your dreams on their own. Ask yourself if you have what it takes to change an unexpected or undesirable character trait. What if your puppy doesn’t like your husband? What if your puppy chews on the table? What if your puppy develops toy aggression? Are you willing to put in the extra time and work that it will take to change bad behaviors? Are you willing to potentially pay for a trainer to help you change those issues? Most of all, are you willing to accept that you may be the reason for certain bad behavior and not only work on training the animal but also training yourself to be a better parent to them?

After thinking about all of the questions stated above finally ask yourself if you are willing to make a 10-15 (average) year commitment to an animal? I’ve said this before and I am sure I will say it a thousand times more but an animal is not an object, they are a living, breathing being with emotions, needs, desires, and unconditional love- they are not to be disposed of when things are inconvenient to you or if they have not become the pet of your dreams overnight. If you are currently renting an apartment that allows pets what will you do if you have to move, will the pet come along or will you get ‘rid’ of them because it’s too hard to find a new place that allows pets? What happens if you lose your job, have kids, get a divorce, move out of state, or decide you want to travel for awhile? It is not fair to bring an animal into your home if you are not ready and willing to commit to them for life. I understand that situations do happen but I have seen over and over again that people simply dump an animal at the shelter because they were too much work, didn’t turn out as expected, or just got inconvenient for them and that is not fair to the animal and not what I want to happen to my puppies. 

Please be sure that you are able to take on all the responsibilities, good and bad, of owning a pet and are truly willing to make a lifelong commitment to them before adopting one.