By adopting rather than buying a new companion animal, you will reduce the demand that drives the commercial breeding of puppies and kittens. Each year, millions of healthy and well-behaved animals are destroyed in shelters simply because there are not enough homes for all of them.
If you adopt a young adult or older pet, you can avoid many of the domestic hassles related to house-training and teething. Puppies and kittens are cute, but they require lots of attention, training, patience … and newspapers!
If you already have a dog or cat at home, make sure that your new pet has a clean bill of health from a vet before exposing your other animals to any risk. This is particularly important if you adopt from a municipal shelter, where veterinary care is usually minimal.
Most private rescue organizations will guarantee the health of your new pet and will see to it that the animal has been tested for any contagious diseases, received the necessary shots, and been spayed or neutered before you take him or her home.
If your new pet is not already fixed, you’ll want to make sure to arrange for spay/neuter as soon as possible. Information about low-cost spay/neuter services in your area is available by dialing 1-800-248-SPAY or visiting www.spayusa.org.
A new pet in the house is an exciting event for youngsters, but don’t let their enthusiasm turn into a nightmare for you or the new animal. Being pulled from under the bed by eager little hands or being flopped on by a child is very distressing to most animals, and especially for those in unfamiliar surroundings. Their only recourse is to scratch, snap, or run. Two out of three of these natural responses are likely to land them back in the shelter, which is hardly fair. Teach your children to respect animals as they would any other playmate. If their new pet doesn’t want to play for now, teach your children to leave him or her alone.
While your new pet may turn out to be the perfect lady or gentleman from day one, it is more likely that he/she will take a little while to adjust to new surroundings and routines. Be patient. Be positive. Yelling or hitting an animal in order to correct unacceptable behavior will only make matters worse. If your new kitty wants to hide under the bed for a few days until she feels safe, that’s OK. Just make sure she has food, water, and a litter tray.
Behaviors like chewing, digging, and separation anxiety are just as common in dogs who come with a fine pedigree from a pet store or breeder as they are in mutts who have been rescued. Most behavior problems can be straightened out with patient and consistent application of a few simple training techniques.