Things to Consider Before Getting A Pet

It’s a lovely idea that you’re thinking of having a pet as there are emotional, mental, and physical benefits for yourself. However, you need to ask yourself whether you’re ready to welcome a pet into your life and your family. It’s a life-changing decision, not just because you have an additional family member to care for but more because it’s a lifetime commitment. With that being said, I’ll share the tips and lessons that I’ve learned in my years of having a dog.


Credit to The Malaysian Times for the image

Financial Stability

One of the most pertinent questions that you have to ask yourself is this: are you financially stable to support a pet, especially when it is ill? Although you’re able to roughly calculate the amount that you need to spend on pet food, it is hard to gauge how much you’ll need to spend on medical expenses for a handful of reasons. One of which is the length of treatment and duration of recovery if your pet has a serious medical condition. The other is the costs of yearly vaccination.

If you’re confident that you’ve enough money to do so without driving yourself into debt, you’ll need to think of the next question too.

Living Space


Credit to Ikea Malaysia for the image

Along with financial stability, the place where your pet would be living in poses great importance. Does your home have a small or large space? The reason why you have to consider this stems from the type of pet that you intend to own. While guinea pigs and turtles are alright with enclosed spaces, pets like dogs and cats do not live well in small spaces. Home is one of the few places where they can roam freely and explore independently.

Family Members

This wouldn’t affect you much if you’re living on your own. What about if you’re living with your family members? Then you’ll have to be sure that you’ve a consensus that everyone is open to the idea of you bringing a pet home. As having a pet is a lifetime commitment, each member has to be willing to share the responsibility of caring for the pet, such as giving it a shower, feeding its meals and going for a walk with it as an exercise.

A pet is not a living thing that you dispose of when you lose interest in it, so it’ll complicate things if you insist on having one when your family members are against it. You’ll have to be solely responsible for it and there’s no guarantee that you’ll have help too.

Time


Credit to National Post for the image

Another question is whether you have time. Are you able to carve some extra time out of your busy schedule?

Time is another thing that you need to contemplate on before you go ahead to get yourself a pet. No matter how pressed you are for time, you need to spend some time socializing with your pet - be it through daily walks or teaching it tricks with treats. If you’ve decided on having a dog, you’ll also need to bring it on its daily twice-a-day walks. To make sure that your dog isn’t bored of the same walking route, you also need the extra time to wary the walking routes that you take your dog on and expose it to different environments.

You can’t expect it to be holed up indoors at all times without it becoming depressed or saddened. Dogs are living creatures who are just as sociable. There might be a great chance that your pet could have potential negative impacts on its health if it doesn’t socialize with other animals or with fellow humans.

Being on the Go


Credits to Steven Lewis on Unsplash for the image

Does your lifestyle or work force you to be away from home for long periods of time?

You’ll need to analyze whether your work impacts on your ability to take care of your pet. If you’re someone who frequently travels for work or on impulse, it’s not recommended that you should have a pet because of the time spent away from it. Furthermore, you’ll need to search for a pet store that offers boarding services in advance. While most owners are aware of what boarding stands for, it is defined that the pet store will take care of your pet for the duration that you’ll be away.

Whereas if you’ve dogs or cats, you’ll need to ask someone else - other family members or your friends - to temporarily look after them. This would inconvenience them and might expose your dog or cat to additional stress, especially if it is not familiar with its temporary guardian. On top of that, there is a risk of separation anxiety if you’re away from it for an extended period of time - even if it is an independent dog who doesn’t mind your absence on in a while.

I hope that the aforementioned guide would be able to assist you in ensuring that you’re physically, emotionally, and financially ready to have a pet in your life. As it is a life-altering decision and commitment, you’ll need to be confident that you’re absolutely prepared for a pet. In the unlikely event that you want to have a pet but are unable to, you could always visit a dog park or your friends’ pets.