Considering a Pet for Therapeutic Purposes
One of the BEST decisions we ever made was getting a dog. Dogs make excellent companions, but so do a number of other pets.
Reasons Why You Should Consider Getting a Pet:
Important Things to Consider Before Getting a Pet:
1. Can you care for it? Will you be able to walk a dog? What if you're too sick that day to walk him? Who will walk him for you?
2. Can you afford it? Pets are expensive. Vet bills, pet food, toys, collars, flea medication, etc... You need to have money set aside in case emergency vet bills were to arise.
3. Do you have time for it? If you are gone for long periods of time then a dog would not be a good choice. It is not fair to leave a dog home alone for too long.
4. Who will care for it when you are away? If you have a hospital stay or a vacation planned, what will happen to your pet? Can you afford a pet-sitter? Do you have a friend or family member who will care for it?
5. Do you have allergies? If you are unsure, try petsitting for a week or so. Some dogs are considered hypo-allergenic (eg. poodle, samoyed, bichon frise, shih tzu, etc.). However just because a dog is "hypo-allergenic", doesn't guarantee that you won't be allergic to it! It is still possible to be allergic to hypo-allergenic dogs.
6. Do you have children/roommates/a partner who don't like animals? It is important that everyone in your house is on board with you having a pet.
7. Do you have small children? Having small children will affect the type of animal you adopt. Bunnies, small dogs, etc. can be fragile and unable to stand much rough-housing. A child unsupervised can accidentally injure a small animal or cause the animal to feel threatened and hurt the child.
While an animal can be a huge benefit to your health, you need to think through the logistics. It would not be fair to adopt a high energy puppy only to have him stuck at home alone all day.
2. Can you afford it? Pets are expensive. Vet bills, pet food, toys, collars, flea medication, etc... You need to have money set aside in case emergency vet bills were to arise.
3. Do you have time for it? If you are gone for long periods of time then a dog would not be a good choice. It is not fair to leave a dog home alone for too long.
4. Who will care for it when you are away? If you have a hospital stay or a vacation planned, what will happen to your pet? Can you afford a pet-sitter? Do you have a friend or family member who will care for it?
5. Do you have allergies? If you are unsure, try petsitting for a week or so. Some dogs are considered hypo-allergenic (eg. poodle, samoyed, bichon frise, shih tzu, etc.). However just because a dog is "hypo-allergenic", doesn't guarantee that you won't be allergic to it! It is still possible to be allergic to hypo-allergenic dogs.
6. Do you have children/roommates/a partner who don't like animals? It is important that everyone in your house is on board with you having a pet.
7. Do you have small children? Having small children will affect the type of animal you adopt. Bunnies, small dogs, etc. can be fragile and unable to stand much rough-housing. A child unsupervised can accidentally injure a small animal or cause the animal to feel threatened and hurt the child.
While an animal can be a huge benefit to your health, you need to think through the logistics. It would not be fair to adopt a high energy puppy only to have him stuck at home alone all day.
Suggestions:
1. Do not adopt a high maintenance animal. Big dogs = big walks. Smaller dogs = smaller walks. Cats, bunnies, fish, etc. = no walks. How much energy do you normally have?
2. Consider a low shedding animal if you have trouble with housekeeping. Vacuuming is challenging for me so getting a dog that didn't shed was important to us. While all dogs shed, some dogs (eg. poodles) shed very little.
3. Consider rescuing an animal. Archie came from a shelter that killed up to 100 dogs a day! There are many perfectly good animals in shelters.
4. Consider adopting an older dog. Puppies have more energy and can often be more work than an older dog.
5. Do your research. Learn all you can about the type of pet BEFORE you get it. If you're buying a puppy, make sure you research how to tell if a breeder is reputable and is not just in it for the money.
6. To save money, check out garage sales and craigslist for toys and other dog supplies. A new toy can be $10 at the pet store, or slightly used at a garage sale for $.25.
2. Consider a low shedding animal if you have trouble with housekeeping. Vacuuming is challenging for me so getting a dog that didn't shed was important to us. While all dogs shed, some dogs (eg. poodles) shed very little.
3. Consider rescuing an animal. Archie came from a shelter that killed up to 100 dogs a day! There are many perfectly good animals in shelters.
4. Consider adopting an older dog. Puppies have more energy and can often be more work than an older dog.
5. Do your research. Learn all you can about the type of pet BEFORE you get it. If you're buying a puppy, make sure you research how to tell if a breeder is reputable and is not just in it for the money.
6. To save money, check out garage sales and craigslist for toys and other dog supplies. A new toy can be $10 at the pet store, or slightly used at a garage sale for $.25.
|
|
|