A pet is of course for life, and not for Christmas, or any other form of gift giving, temporal timeline. We’ve all heard this before. But what does this really mean? Put simply, it means that no matter how long the pet lives, and no matter how long we are in ownership of it, we must practice responsible care for our pets. There’s no one more universally disliked than someone who treats pets without love, or neglects them.
In fact, dislike is a timid word for these people. However, sometimes refusing to learn methods of becoming the best pet owner possible can sometimes put us in a light category of neglectful owners, and none of us want to do that. Whether you’re owning a dog for the first time, are gifting your teenage child a beautiful cat to take care of, or you’re deciding to expand your collection with some new, beautiful animal additions to the family, consider the best practices to look after them supremely well.
Consider the following:
Environment
It’s important to ensure the environment of your home can sustain a pet. There are many items on this checklist to consider. First of all, it’s important to ensure that the home is secure. Can your pet escape? This might lead to a set of other decisions. Do you wish to open the garden for your pet? If so, how strong is your fencing? Could they jump over or make use of an opening in the fencing links? If so, it might be worth taking care of this. Of course, those are the thoughts you’ll be having when dealing with a pet dog for the first time. Other pets are different. Consider a cat for example. Not all cats are cut out for outdoor exploration, and in certain living environments that’s important to consider. If you live in a busy street or suburb, or in an apartment building, your cats are likely to be homebodies. It’s important for you to keep that in mind, and how difficult any outside venture might be for them. However, in more relaxing environments, it’s of course possible that your felines will enjoy exploring, and hunting for mice or other rodents.
But this is hardly the extend of the environmental decisions you should consider. Following this fantastic pet safety guide should help you get to grips with the important decisions to be made. For example, how loud is the night time in your chosen environment? Do you live by a noisy bar? Can your pet adapt to the sound of bottle bank being filled at night? How might you mitigate these issues? Remember that a pet is not a robot. They are feeling and sensing beings with a need for love, care and a sense of security. If you cannot provide that, it might be that the lifelong requirement of a pet isn’t for you. If you’re willing to engage with this, you’re sure to make a phenomenal pet owner.
Cost
Pet’s don’t come cheap. While you may pick up a rescue dog and think it’s wonderful you can gain such a beautiful pet so inexpensively, remember that these dogs require plenty of care and love to unwind the issues they may have experienced during past ownership. It’s also very important to consider that health issues can occur over time, and visiting the vets is usually quite pricey.
Excellent and worth it, but pricey. It’s important for you to know that a pet is an investment, one that will provide you years of love and a beautiful playful relationship, but this won’t come without a price. Pets are always worth it, but it’s worth keeping in mind that stringent budgeting and forward thinking will be important when looking after your pet, and ensuring they’re fed good food will also come at a premium. This shouldn’t dissuade you from purchasing a pet, but should help you reconsider if your home situation is worth bringing them to.
Care
Pets require care. In the first few years, they will be silly. They will probably have accidents. They might need training and developing professionally. If you’re not willing to put this time in, you’re not as good a pet owner as you’d hope to be. Of course, smaller pets such as hamsters even have their own care requirements. You must be willing to clean their cages often, and to ensure their environment is safe. You must keep an eye on them when introducing other pets.
Let’s say you prefer a large, working dog, because they are the pets you think are the most beautiful. Let’s say you wish you owned a Husky. Huskies are pets with an intense need for work, massive amounts of energy to burn off, and with a chaotic temperament, even if reliable. If you’re not willing to work or walk them for long periods of time each day, or they haven’t an outdoor space to really enjoy, they’re going to be lacking a vital daily need. Care takes time, and it cannot be bought. If you’re willing to do this, you’re sure to make a great pet owner, but just keep in mind the various choices you can make to increase or decrease this time of care.
Family
Consider the family dynamics of your home. It might be that when looking after a newborn for the first time, purchasing two new large dogs is probably not a good idea. It takes time for pets to adapt to home life, even those who are raised from youth. Pets and children can sometimes be at odds just as much as they’re in-sync. Without the ability to view both potentials correctly and make the best decisions, you’re going to fall into a relatively unhappy circumstance. Consider the requirements of your family first, and then choose your pets and other potentials around that. You are sure to appreciate this good decision making far into the future.
With these tips, you’re sure to understand that a pet is for life, not just for Christmas.
I live in a rural area and there’s a couple of things that drive me crazy which is 1. the people that realize after the holidays that their pet is inconvenient in some way, like feeding, cleaning the litter box, vet bills, walking the dogs and so they will drop the poor defenseless animals out in my area instead of taking them to the humane society where they can be adopted. The 2. is how many people just leave their animals outside especially cats and dogs and the only shelter is a dog house or worse. We live in Canada and we have frigid winters which means if it’s to cold or hot for you then it’s the same for the pets.
I just wish we had better laws in Canada about this but instead the U.S. is beating us and has already made laws about about leaving pets outside. So now Canada needs to catch up and do the right thing.
Thank you for bringing this issue to light because you may help protect some animals out there from being dropped off somewhere alone and defenseless and also make people think before they react.
This is a really important part of having a pet. Pets are sensitive animals who need to be considered at all times and not given up on. In our home the dogs are a part of the family.
So true, the sad part is that most folks don’t comprehend the full costs of owing a pet may come to. Especially when it comes to care and diet