Selecting A Family Pet
Recently, my family made a momentous decision. After much deliberation, we added a new member to our household -- a small hamster, now named Patch.
It was not an implusive action -- but a compromise reached after lengthy conversations. The subject of a new pet had been under consideration since our cat succumbed to old age last summer. Mom wanted another cat, but that wasn't possible with our son's allergies. There is still the pending question
of a puppy purchase somewhere in the future. However, Mom and Dad are not adjusted yet to the presence of our small, rodent-type creature, which scurries from us whenever we near the cage. The other day it got away from our son, and we spent an hour retrieving Patch from under the kitchen cabinets.
Suggestions For Selecting A Family Pet
In order to assist other parents, who are being pressured into a pet purchase, I asked our veterinarian, Dr. John Mulnix, to share his expertise and some tips on making a wise, pet choice. Here are his suggestions.
- If your family has never owned a pet before, first identify the most important characteristics about your life style. Consider such questions as:
- Do both parents work?
- How much free time can you devote to a pet?
- Are you an active family, wanting an active pet or a quiet family?
- What space do you have -- big house with large yard or small apartment?
- Do you need an animal for protection?
- Are there any family health problems or allergies?
- Are you away from home a lot?
- Do you have very small children? -- (Fragile, less interactive pets don't work as well in a house with toddlers.)
- Involve the whole family in any decision. Then once you commit to buying a pet, you need to do some homework before it's time to purchase. Don't impulse buy and live to regret the afternoon you took home that cute, tiny puppy (which is now grown, weighs 95 pounds and eats as much as the rest of the family).
- Visit the library and read books about different animals as possible pets or study the animal you are considering. The AKC Dog Breed Book is an excellent resource if you want a dog.
- Browse at a local pet store. You might be surprised at the pet choices on the market -- there's everything from fish and ferrets to gerbils and dogs.
- Remember that certain pets demand more attention than others, and in turn, may give more attention. Dogs need more human contact, while cats require less with their aloof, independent natures. Small, pocket pets like gerbils are short-lived and may not be highly interactive.
- Realize that there will be advantages and disadvantages to any choice. Match your life style and needs with the characteristics of different types or breeds to find the right pet for your family.
- Before your actual purchase, convene another family conference. Discuss the final choice and responsibilities that go with pet ownership. Buy your new pet subject to a health check. Also, explain to children that young pets are fragile and scared -- special handling is required.
Dr. Mulnix believes that the decision to get a pet should be a family commitment, and therefore, the responsibilities of pet care shared by all family members. Sometimes, a pet can become resented by a child who is given too much responsibility for it. Divide tasks or rotate them -- and assign where age-appropriate. Smaller children can help feed the pet, while older family members (hopefully, not just Mom and Dad) clean up after it and bathe it. Make any task a part of the daily or weekly routine.
Obedience training for dogs is highly recommended. Since dog's view a human family as "its pack" and each "pack" has a dominant figure, the authority figure in the household should be the one assigned obedience training chores. Children should not be given this task.
Happy pet hunting! The jury is still out on my own family's decision.
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Pam Wynne Fellers is a local free-lance writer and mother. This
informaton originally ran in the Parent to Parent column she writes for
The Coloradoan, a daily Fort Collins, CO newspaper.
Parent To Parent: Selecting A Family Pet / EpiTwo@aol.com