Society today doesn’t stop to think before acquiring a pet. In some cases, there child or children have been bugging them for a puppy, cat, lizard, hamster, rat, guinea pig or some type of animal that is going to need to be cared for. Finally, their resistance breaks and they give in and lo and behold, there is a new member in the house.
Now depending on where you live and what you live in, this might not be a bad thing. However, if you live in a 2 bedroom apartment in a high rise building and you just brought a puppy home, who do you really think will be walking that puppy? See that’s the problem. People buy dogs and they live in apartments in the city and then don’t have time to properly take care of them or their children are not old enough to do it by themselves. Or you bring home a cat or a dog, you work 80 hours a week, your kids have extra curricular activities and the poor animal gets ignored.
We all want to give our children the things they ask for, especially if they are good hardworking children. You know the kind of kids that do their chores, go to school, do their homework and just generally good. Its okay to get them a pet, just make sure that they understand exactly what having a pet means. Kids see their friends playing with a kitten or a new puppy and they get all excited. They don’t see the hard work that goes into taking care of a pet. This goes for busy single adults as well. Don’t get a pet if you are going to be traveling or at the office all the time, unless you have the money to have them boarded at a good kennel, or you know some one that has a daycare for animals. Don’t laugh! They exist.
Be responsible and think! Don’t be selfish! If you don’t have the time to either teach your children to take care of their pet, tell them no. They may get mad for a little while, but they will get over it. If you are an adult and single and want a dog or a cat to keep you company at night or when you are home, think about when you are actually home. Is the dog or cat going to be alone more than it is with you? This is not fair to any animal or to you, especially if the animal acts out at being alone. You may get angry and start to mistreat the animal or it will wind up at the animal shelter because you weren’t thinking.
Just remember we each have responsibilities in this world. It is important to understand what it takes to have a pet, care for it, and keep it safe. Don’t be irresponsible!