With the holidays quickly approaching I know that some parents are considering whether to add a new furry friend into the family. Are your kids old enough? Where should you adopt the pet, a store, pet rescue, or shelter? What sort of supplies will you need for your new pet?
I have always been a lover of pets. When I was growing up, I constantly begged my mom to buy me a cat or a dog. I wanted a Golden Labrador Retriever or a golden kitty that I would name Garfield. After all, we lived on the street Garfield which meant that naturally, my favorite cartoon was the show Garfield.
For years my mom bought me many other animals; I had birds, hamsters, fish but couldn’t seem to make any headway on my top two choices. My mom didn’t think I was quite ready for the responsibility a cat or dog required. But when I was in 5th grade, my mom had a change of heart. One Saturday morning, we went to the local animal shelter and by that afternoon I was already playing with my brand new kitty named Garfield, of course. We had all of his paperwork, a follow-up appointment to get him neutered, and a starter kit to get us started.
I enjoyed Garfield’s company for many years, until I went to college. I eventually adopted another pet, a small yorkie-poo named Tyson and two years ago, a Shih Tzu named Precious.
As a long time pet owner and now mom of three, I can share with you the many benefits of adopting pets for your family.
Caring for a pet can give your children joy, responsibility, and can kids outside and more active than if they did not have pet.
Still, before you decide to adopt a pet, you want to consider a few things to determine if you and your children are ready.
- Are your kids the right age to take on some of the responsibility of a pet? If not, are you ready to be the primary caretaker of the pet?
- Will you be able to handle the financial commitment of a pet? There will be vet visits that are planned, and then those that are unplanned. The latter can put a rather large dent into the family budget.
- Will you spay or neuter your pet? Vets agree that getting your pet spayed or neutered can help them live happier and healthier lives.
- Where will you adopt your pet? Consider adopting your pet from your local animal shelter or from a rescue group. You can find a healthy pet, for a very low cost, and will be assisted a professional that can assist you with finding the right pet for your family.
To learn more about adopting a pet from a pet shelter, check out The Shelter Pet Project, a public service campaign from The Ad Council, The Humane Society and Maddie’s Fund. The project is aimed at increasing the number of pets that get adopted from shelters and rescue groups versus buying them from a pet store or a breeder.
You can also visit the Pet Project on YouTube, on Twitter, and on Facebook.
What do you think is the right age for a child to adopt a pet?
I was selected for this campaign by Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions are my own.
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