It can happen to anyone. You see a beautiful striped kitten, with white legs and green eyes desperately seeking attention. Or maybe it’s a beautiful Labrador whose tail seems to be wagging just for you. You take a look and the next thing you see is that you are walking through the animal food aisles at the grocery store.
If you are like most of us, falling in love with an animal is very easy. And no wonder! Because sharing your home with a four-legged friend can be one of life’s greatest pleasure Adopting a dog, cats and other animals give us unconditional loyalty and acceptance, constant companionship, and even help us defuse stress after a hard day at work.
Adopting an animal, therefore, is a big decision. Dogs and cats require a lot of time and money, and a responsibility of more than 15 years in many cases. Owning an animal can be very rewarding, but only if you’ve really thought about this decision before adopting a mate.
Things to Consider before adopting pet.
Do you have a spirit of sacrifice?
Once again, the little efforts that goes along with having a dog come to the fore. Tasks that can sometimes seem like an effort, such as taking it out in the morning, or picking up our pet’s excrement. You have to do it, everything is part of the same pack.
Is your family cooperative?
If we are lucky enough to have family to help us, we will have gained a significant advantage. We will not be alone to take out our pet, to educate it or to give it affection.
Are you able to educate?
Many times we do not think about it but educating brings with it a discipline that is often difficult. Educating is not being harsh, strict, or cruel that we have to be very clear about from minute one, okay? Educating is guiding and establishing guidelines.
Are you ready to know how to feed it correctly?
Closely related to education is the feeding of our pet. It is important that we are clear that we cannot give in to everything; dogs do not eat certain things that we do at home. There are plenty of feed and food to be able to give a healthy and balanced diet to our pets.
Are you prepared for the ruin and mischief?
This can happen, you are already warned. It is in your hands to establish the limits with a good education. The behavior of dogs is often a reflection of the education they have received.
Can you pay for the vet and vaccinations?
If before we talked about the responsibility that comes with adopting a dog, now we cannot ignore the economic part. It is also part of our decision, because many times our dog will need medicines and vaccines that we must buy for their good health.
How do I see myself in ten years?
Yes, nobody has a magic ball to see the future (or at least not that we know of).
But if you plan to study languages abroad, be a rock star or go around the world on a bicycle, perhaps having a life partner who will wait for you behind the door every day is not the best option for you now.
The shelters are full of animals that their families decided to remove from their lives because children were born, moved to another address or a new job was taking too much time.