4 Things to Consider Before Getting a Pet
Are your kids hounding you for a hound? Do cuddly kittens on TikTok leave you cooing? Plenty of research shows that interacting with animals can greatly enrich your life. A pet in your home, however, may not.
Let’s be real. Pets are toddlers who never grow up. Very rarely do they learn to open refrigerators, turn on faucets, make their own meals, use a toilet, switch on a vacuum, or get jobs to support their needs.
Every animal – dog, cat, hamster, snake – is one hundred percent dependent on you and/or your household members for food, water, shelter, socialization, and cleaning up waste.
Before you give into pleading eyes, consider a little logic.
There’s a cost to pet care, and it can be significant.
Someone needs to ensure a pet’s needs are met daily.
An effective caretaker uses clear communication and sets reasonable expectations. Does that describe you or someone in your home?
There are numerous ways to enjoy animals other than in your home.
The sections below help you think through the realities of caring for a pet in your home and help you explore ways to get your pet fix without the in-home commitment.
Costs for Pet Care
My kids often begged me for the “free” animals they found on the internet.
“Mom, it won’t cost us anything to get this…(insert) horse, puppy, kitten, or guinea pig.”
To which I’d reply, “Free is only free at the start. Even the smallest creature requires food, shelter, and enrichment.” (I know. I know. What a boring mom thing to say.)
With each roll of their protesting eyes, I’d lob another bit of parental logic.
“Do you know what it costs to feed that 100-pound lab-mix every month?”
“What do you think the nearest stable will charge to board that rescued racehorse?”
“Will you be ok giving up your activities to pay for agility training for that blue-eyed Australian Shepherd that needs loads of enrichment to stay out of trouble?”
What I learned after years of fostering animals and caring for our own pets is that carefully planned budgets fly out the window like heat on a winter day when illness or emergency strikes.
Before getting a pet, I recommend you look at your savings account to determine if you can support an unplanned trip to the vet, along with all the other costs.
When our guinea pig, Peppermint, no bigger than a small butternut squash, started peeing blood it took a $300 dollar dip into our family vacation budget to discover her rapidly advancing cancer.
The emergency surgery bill for my friend’s cat ate a $5,000 hole in her daughter’s college savings account.
This blog on Cutting Pet Care Costs | ASPCA for dogs and cats provides an in-depth look at what you can expect to spend on a pet in your home while providing tips on how to lower those costs.
If cost is not a hurdle, think about care.
Someone Needs to be Your Pet's Daily Advocate
“Who will take care of these animals?” I’d ask my pleading children.
“I’ll get up before school to walk the dog,” claimed one sister.
“I’ll stay home on the weekends to clean the guinea pig cage and litter box,” asserted the other.
Who are we kidding?
It will be me doing most of the care or at least most of the badgering to ensure the care gets done – the feeding, the walking, the cleaning of the guinea pig cage, the brushing of the dog’s teeth, the loving of the pets when everyone else has something better to do.
A pet needs an advocate, or task master, to ensure their needs are met daily. If you’re ok being the primary caregiver and/or chore administrator read on.
If you’d rather not add more demands to your day, skip to the section below "Interact with Animals Outside Your Home" to learn how to enjoy animals without the commitment to a pet.
Communicate Well for a Good Pet Experience
I wrote the blog “Consider How You Communicate Before You Get a Pet” (subtitled “Don’t Tell My Husband”) about my experience bringing home a kitten without his consent. I wouldn’t recommend the approach.
In the perfect home, a pet would be welcomed by every member of the household. At a minimum, everyones' wishes and concerns would be voiced. Clear expectations on care and responsibility would be communicated. If your partner says he won’t clean the litter box, ever, don’t be surprised when he replies “no” after a later request. Have a better plan in place than hope.
All companion animals are sensitive creatures tuned to their environment. It’s that sensitivity that helps us bond with them.
Our family spent a six-week equine-assisted psychotherapy session in a dusty paddock with Dr. Steve and his assistant, Honeybun, a roly-poly chestnut pony with an unruly forelock.
When Honeybun was at ease with our emotions, she’d nuzzle our shoulders and palms for treats. If she sensed anger, confusion, or frustration, she’d high-tail it to the other side of the arena. Dr. Steve used Honeybun’s natural reaction to human emotions to keep us truthful during therapy and to learn communication skills we could use at home.
You don’t need a horse in your house to measure how well your household communicates. I imagine you already know. If communication at home is still a work in progress, why add more challenge?
Imagine the emotional stress you’ll feel when pet care isn’t going the way you’d like.
Now imagine that same emotional stress being felt by the pet when their needs are not met or when they sense tension in your household.
It’s ok to say no to a pet. There are plenty of ways to get an “animal fix” without the full-time, in-home commitment.
Interact with Animals Outside Your Home
Most non-profit groups can’t exist without the passion and willingness of volunteers – lots and lots. Be a hero to them and the animals by volunteering your time.
Shelters and rescues often need help socializing animals. Think dog walkers, ball players, string spinners, story readers, kitten and puppy snugglers, and horse groomers.
Volunteers who clean cages and stalls and feed animals help free up time for shelter staff to run the business, find foster care and fundraise.
Speaking of foster care, many rescue groups can’t rescue the high volume of animals in need without foster volunteers to care for them in their homes and pastures. There isn’t enough shelter space to do so.
Rescue groups typically pay for all medical expenses, food and supplies. The foster family provides the shelter, love and care until adoption. It’s a short-term option without the long-term time and cash commitments.
After more than a decade of fostering cats and dogs, I’ll stand on my soap box and shout, “Fostering is a win-win for the people and animals involved.”
Even zoos need volunteers. I spent a few weeks during a late spring sitting on hay bales at a local zoo socializing baby goats for the animal interaction area. The following summer, I helped the zookeepers prepare meals and feed baby tigers. Talk about enriching animal encounters!
Consider Cost, Care and Communication Before Getting a Pet
Deciding to get a pet for your home should not be taken lightly. A pet’s mental and physical health is wholly dependent on you. Your mental and physical health may be impacted positively or negatively by the animal.
If you’re still on the fence, take the time you need. There’s really no rush. There's more to read on the First Steps page.
If you’re ready for a pet, best wishes for many years of love and snuggles.
(Feature image illustration of animals by Merio on Pixabay)