How to Choose a Family Pet

Think carefully before adopting a pet to be sure that that kind of pet will be a good fit for your family. Take into consideration your time and space for a pet, as well as possible family allergies and who will be responsible for the work that care for an animal engenders.

It's been proven that having a pet can improve your health, both mentally and physically. Having a pet in your family can prove to be a lot of fun and a good learning experience. Buying or adopting a pet is an until-death-do-us-part kind of agreement; it is like adding in a new member to the family. It is important to think carefully about whether or not you'd like a pet, and what kind of pet you'd like.?br />First think about the amount of time that you have to take care of your pet. If you are constantly busy and do not have time to take care of a pet, then it certainly isn't a good idea to get one. You will need to commit to your pet, so make sure you have enough time to tend to its needs. Think about the things that you like to do. If you like to go out into the wild a lot, you may want to take your pet so you should get a pet that can go through the forests and nature. If you like staying in all day, an indoor-loving pet may be better. Remember that your pet needs exercise, so make sure you have enough time to do that.?br />Next, think about the amount of space you have in your home for your pet. If you have a lot of space like a large yard for example, then you can get a large or active dog. If you have a little less space, cats or smaller dogs may be in order.?br />Although animal companions have been proven to improve health, sometimes they can be bad for you. If you or anyone else in your family has had allergies to pets, then getting one can pose a threat to your health. Before you decide to adopt a certain breed of pet, get your family and yourself exposed to the same breed at a breeder's home or an animal shelter to check to see if there may be an allergy. You won't be able to appreciate your pet if you're sneezing and coughing all the time, and it is harder to find another suitable home for your pet after they are past their cute puppy or kitten stage.
If you have children in the family, then getting a pet can teach them the value of discipline and taking care of a living creature. If they are very young, it may be better to get a young pet since older and larger ones could scare them. Make sure that your children can handle the responsibilities of having a family pet before you get one. You can train them by asking a friend or neighbor to let them see how to take care of an animal and let them try taking care of one for a while. A child may be ecstatic when thinking about having a pet, but when it comes down to the dirty jobs they may back out of their agreement to take care of it.?br />Dogs and cats are a lot of work to take care of, and dogs need more care because they are more socially demanding and cats need a little less because they are very independent. If you don't think your family is ready for this responsibility, you can adopt smaller pets like fish or hamsters. These are also very cute and fun to have around, while at the same time they take a little less work and have a shorter life expectancy.?br />One thing that you should definitely not do is adopt or buy a pet for someone as a surprise. In the past, well-meaning friends have bought pets as gifts only to have to return them because the recipient couldn't take care of it. A better idea is for the recipient to choose a pet of their own liking, so that you know they will love it and take care of it.