6 Things To Keep In Mind Before Bringing Your First Pet Home

Pets warm the coldest of hearts and are there for us when no one else is. Adopting a pet is just like having a fluffy best friend who loves you unconditionally. If you’re an animal lover who can’t wait to bring their furry friend home, know that they take up a considerable amount of your time, money and space… So, here are a few things everyone should keep in mind before bringing their first pet home.

1. Have You Considered Adopting Instead Of Buying?

Adopting a cat or dog means to get them home from a shelter. Adopting is always considered to be a better option because there are so many of them living in shelters, waiting for us to adopt them. Breeders and pet stores breed and sell animals for profit, all the while neglecting their health and raising them in horrible conditions. For every animal you buy, there’s one in a shelter being put down because no one adopted them. So, always keep in mind that adopting a pet is always the better thing to do.

2. Can You Find Enough Time For Your Pet?

Most of us find it hard to find time outside our busy schedules. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student, parent or work a 9-to-5 job! Before adopting your pet, make sure that you will have enough time to spend with them and take care of them properly. No pet deserves to be brought home only to be neglected due to lack of time.

3. Is Anyone In Your Family Allergic?

It may be possible that a family member in your house, or even you might have an allergy you aren’t aware of. Cats and dogs tend to shed a lot of fur around the house and some people can’t have them around as it can flare up their allergies. So, it is important to make sure that everyone in your house is ready to bring a pet home, both physically and medically.

4. Will You Be Able To Take Care Of Your Pet Financially?

Pets ideally require a lot of maintenance that does not come cheap. Some finances need to be kept aside for taking care of your pet. For example, if you are bringing a puppy home, you need to spend money on things like, a bed, collar, regular vet check-ups, emergencies, grooming, dog food etc. Another factor to take into account is the breed of pet you decide on bringing home, as some animals require more maintenance than others.

5. Is The Place Where You Live Suitable For Bringing A Pet Home?

Pets need their environment to be suitable to their needs. For example, a pet dog would love if your house had a backyard or a park nearby where you could take him/her for a walk. Similarly, a Siberian Husky or any animal with thick fur would find a tropical country’s climate almost unbearable. A common mistake pet owners make in Mumbai, is keeping a pet husky while ignoring our hot and humid climate.

6. What Are Your Stands On Spaying/Neutering Your Pet?

It doesn’t matter if your pet is a dog or not, spaying and neutering is a topic that should be discussed by all pet owners. Spaying is the process of sterilising female animals by removing their reproductive organs and neutering is the process of sterilising male animals.

It is widely believed that sterilising pets has many benefits such as reduced homelessness of animals because animals shelters are overflowing with unwanted animals that are either put to sleep or left to live on the streets. Spaying and neutering reduces the homeless population of animals in shelters and also reduces the number of stray animals living on the streets.

We hope this article helped you in the process of making an informed decision about bringing your first pet home.

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by Team Interns via MissMalini