In Honor Of National Pet Day: 5 Tips For Choosing The RIGHT Pet For Your Family

It's National Pet Day and while everyone is focusing, rightly so, on pet adoptions, the first thing you REALLY need to consider when thinking about a pet is:

HOW DO YOU FIND THE RIGHT PET? 

We wanted a dog, but a cat fits our lifestyle better.

Here are some tips:

1. Consider the time you have to devote to and take care of a pet.  Are both adults working? Are the kids old enough to responsibly care for one? This will help you determine if you need a low-maintenance animal (like a fish or cat) or can handle one that requires more care (like dogs or large birds).
   
   
2. Think about health issues. Sure, you might want a rabbit, but if someone in the family is allergic, you can rule that one out. 
   
   
3. Take into account where you live. Do you live in a high-rise in the city or have you got some land. You don't want to cram a large dog into small living quarters. Do you live in condo where pets may be frowned upon? 
   
   
4. Discuss any fears family members might have. I love snakes but am afraid of the live crickets I'd have to feed them, plus my husband fears these reptiles, so snakes are not welcome in my home.
   
   

5. 

   LOVE guinea pigs, but I'm allergic.  No piggies for us.

   Hold a family meeting to discuss the plan, stressing that finding the RIGHT pet can take quite a bit of time.  This is not a decision to be made lightly.  Plan on visiting a number of pet stores and/or shelters to find the right fit for your family.   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Once you think you've narrowed down the type of pet you want, research it, speak with people who have that pet, grill the salespeople at your local pet store (if they carry that animal) or at your local shelter.

It's better to know as much as you can, so you make the RIGHT decision.

What kind of pet do YOU have?  And if you don't, what kind would you like if you could have ANY animal?

I would LOVE a hedgehog!