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by Candy Valentino
Making a decision to bring a
new dog or cat into your
home is a big one and should
not be an impulse decision.
There are so many factors to
consider when ensuring a
good fit for both you and
your pet. Choosing a breed
of dog that fits best with
your lifestyle is the key to
a life filled with happiness
for you and your new friend.
Picking a dog from a pet
store window just because he
or she is a cutie could be a
disaster waiting to happen.
Here are a few questions to
ask yourself before
selecting your dog of
choice:
-
How much time can I
spend with my dog? Dogs
are social creatures;
they will not be happy
left out in the yard
alone. You must be
committed to spending
several hours a day with
your dog.
-
What kind of space can I
provide for my dog? If
you live in a small
apartment, a Great Dane
may not be best suited
for you. Many dogs will
not do well in a small
space unless you expend
a great deal of effort
to meet their needs.
Dogs can be pretty
adaptable, as long as
you help them out.
-
How much money can I set
aside for the care and
feeding of my dog? Food,
veterinary checkups,
vaccinations and routine
medical care, collars,
licenses, ID tags,
leashes, carriers: all
add up over the lifetime
of the dog. It also
might be necessary to
replace items the dog
may damage or destroy as
well as paying for
medical emergencies.
Making sure you have the
financial resources to
care for your new family
member is essential.
-
How much exercise can I
give my dog? If you are
very busy and your time
is limited, you should
look for a small or less
active dog able to get
enough exercise in your
home or from short
walks. Not all small
dogs are less active nor
are larger dogs more
active. To find out how
much exercise your pet
will need, research the
desired breed, or
breeds, if it is
"mixed."
-
How much grooming can I
do? All dogs require
some grooming.
Long-haired dogs are
more likely to need
additional grooming than
short-haired dogs.
Grooming is a vital part
of good health. If you
get a dog that requires
regular grooming, be
prepared for the expense
or perhaps be willing to
learn how to groom Fido
on your own.
These are all good questions
to ask yourself when
deciding if you should bring
a pet into your life, and if
so which one to choose.
There are millions of dogs
and cats across the country,
and thousands in our area,
just waiting to find a new
home
************
Other questions before
adopting your new pet
include:
-
How much training can I
do on my own? No matter
which dog you choose,
training will make your
dog much more compatible
with you and your
lifestyle. A trained dog
can go more places with
you without disruption
and can more easily be a
part of your everyday
life.
-
What are you looking for
in a dog? Do you want a
dog that will jog with
you? Go on long hikes in
the woods? Do you want a
companion to travel
with? An addition to
your family and a best
friend for your
children? Or do you need
a dog for protection
when home alone?
Once you have identified
if a dog is right for
you and you have done
your research on the
type of dog that best
suits you, consider
adopting from an animal
shelter or rescue.
The perceptions most
people have about
adopting are not often
true. To clarify, here
are some common
misconceptions about
rescuing an animal from
a shelter.
-
I
want a specific breed.
If I adopt, I can only
get an older dog that is
a mutt. NOT TRUE. I am a
great example. I have
the pleasure of sharing
my life with 3 beautiful
purebred Chihuahuas, all
of which were adopted
from shelters. We even
adopted two of them as
puppies.
There are websites that
have information on
millions of dogs and
cats in animal shelters
and rescue facilities
across the country. You
can view pictures, read
a description, find out
their age, temperament,
and even the information
and location of the
shelter that is
currently caring for the
animal. Some rescues are
even breed specific. 25%
of all dogs put to sleep
in animal shelters are
purebreds. The other 75%
are wonderful
mixed-breeds just
waiting to find a
loving, caring home.
Thousands of Pugs,
Greyhounds, Collies,
Chihuahuas, Beagles, and
more are available for
adoption and able to be
viewed at the click of a
mouse.
Currently there are
213,932 animals
available for adoption
on
www.petfinder.com
alone. There are
hundreds of thousands of
animals for adoption on
www.1800saveapet.com
and
www.pets911.com.
-
I
don’t want a dog with
problems. All
rescue/shelter dogs have
problems. NOT TRUE. A
dog that doesn’t have a
home must have done
something wrong, right?
Not so. The number one
reason an animal is
turned into a
shelter/rescue is what
we call, Owner
Surrender. Most
“problems” occur from
the dog not being
properly trained, or the
owner not choosing the
correct dog to fit their
lifestyle.
The top ten reasons dogs and
cats end up in shelters are:
-
Their owners are moving
and plan to get a new
dog there.
-
The owners having a baby
and don’t have time for
the dog anymore.
-
Parents bought the dog
for the kids and the
children lost interest.
-
The dog got too big for
the home (a result of
not doing proper
research).
-
The owners are getting a
divorce.
-
The owners are getting
married.
-
Growing children are
demanding more time from
the owners.
-
The owners wanted a new
puppy and the current
one was getting old.
-
The dog or cat sheds too
much (not doing proper
research).
-
The dog or cat is
pregnant (not getting
animal spayed or
neutered).
All of these “problems” can
be avoided by properly
selecting the dog or cat
best suited for you and your
situation, as well as
conducting proper training
for your pet.
-
I
want a puppy because
they are easier to
train. Believe it or
not, in most cases an
older dog will learn
faster than a puppy. A
puppy has an attention
span of 4 minutes and a
bladder so small that he
has to go to the
bathroom about every two
hours. An adult dog has
to use the bathroom less
frequently, and
understands why you are
praising him. Adult
shelter dogs bond very
well with their new
owners. They know what
it is like to lose their
family, and appreciate
every little thing you
do for them. Puppies
think you owe them the
world. (I know this to
be true, you should meet
my dogs.)
-
Adoption Fees. The fees
involved for adoption
are typically much lower
than those of a breeder
or a pet store. The
rescue or shelter from
which you’re adopting is
not doing any of this
for profit. Your
adoption fees help to
reimburse the
organization for
veterinarian care,
shots, spaying or
neutering and daily care
for the animal. More
times than not, the
shelters have far more
expense for the dog or
cat than the adoption
fee covers.
-
Adoption Contracts. Most
shelters often have an
adoption contract for
potential pet parents.
The information gathered
helps reaffirm that the
dog or cat would be a
good fit for you and you
for the dog. The shelter
also wants to make sure
that you are aware of
the long term commitment
this entails. The
contract covers
requirements such as
returning the animal to
that shelter if you
change your mind for any
reason, the mandatory
spaying or neutering
(most dogs already are),
and reviewing all
information they have on
the pet such as
veterinarian records,
age, breed, temperament
or other special
instructions.
Choosing to share your life
with a dog or cat is a
long-term commitment, one
more wonderful than words
can describe,-- if the
proper research and
selection is done first.
(Although in some cases, the
dog selects you!)
We feel so blessed each and
every day to have our three
Chihuahuas: Gucci, Louie,
and Armani, in our lives.
They each bring us so much
joy and unconditional love.
I hope that by reading this
you will at least consider
adoption by rescuing. It’s a
wonderful way to acquire a
pet! You will not only
dramatically change the life
of that dog or cat, but your
own life as well.
Did you know there are 45
cats and dogs for every one
person born? Only 1 out of
10 dogs gets a home. Only 1
out of 12 cats born ever
finds a loving family. 800
dogs and cats are killed
every hour in the United
States because there are not
enough homes for them.
That’s over 7 million dogs
and cats put to sleep each
year due to overpopulation.
Opt to adopt!
Candy Valentino
Founder & President of The
Animal Friends of
Westmoreland
www.animalfriendswestmoreland.org |
