PET OWNERSHIP

As adopted part of our families, pets should be treated with compassion. Too often, these creatures we chose to bring into our lives end up neglected, or worse yet, at an overcrowded animal shelter. It pains me to see litters of puppies at the animal shelter in my city, weeks old, abandoned by persons who maybe didn’t know any better and aren’t really concerned about the fate of these animals. I’m talking about a living, breathing animal, not some toy with batteries that becomes disposable once the novelty wears off.

I still remember this one dog at the local shelter, brown Chihuahua mix whom I affectionately named Peanut. Well, when I picked him up to pet him he was literally being eaten alive by ticks. I immediately took him to the facility’s grooming parlor to bathe him. It took my daughter, her 2 friends and I more than an hour to take out almost every tick on his little body with the plastic tweezers. I started crying as soon as I got in the car. The next weekend we went to check up on him, he wasn’t there anymore. And sadly he’s just one of thousands in this situation.

Being a responsible pet owner involves:

1. VET CARE
This includes spaying & neutering when the time comes, vaccines, heartworm treatments, dental care, etc.

2. DAILY EXERCISE

Your dog needs a healthy dose of physical activity on a daily basis. Always making sure, of course, that the conditions are not too extreme outside. Don’t assume that because it is a small dog (i.e. Chihuahua, terrier) it doesn’t need exercise. Your pet needs to be walked regularly , or sooner or later he'll start using all that pent up energy to make a mess around the house.

3. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Before bringing a pet into your home make sure you are aware of the responsibilities and expenses associated with being a pet owner. And make sure you’ve done your research on said animal. As you know, different dog breeds have different personalities. I hear cats are of a more independent nature. Is anyone in your family allergic to pet hair, who will have cleaning duties, who will be responsible for training the animal? These are all questions you need to be answering before bringing in the new family member. If you’re getting a reptile, make sure you know how to take care of it and what type of food it needs. Just get familiarized with the animal you’ve chosen to adopt to avoid the grim decision of sending it to an animal shelter because YOU didn’t know what you were getting into.

4.LOTS OF LOVE

Pets hardly ask for anything in return, yet bring so much joy into our lives.

As civilized citizens that we think ourselves to be, we really should be making things better. If volunteering at an animal shelter isn’t your calling, find something else good to do, but do something.