Adopting a pet is one of the most exciting and joyful moments in the lives of many people , but before making this decision you must take into account these tips for adopting a best family pets.
It is a living being that does not take care of itself, that will depend on you and that will accompany you for many years. Currently, 50.2% of Spanish households have at least one pet, but at the same time Spain leads the number of animals that are abandoned throughout Europe, and this is something very worrying.
That is why it is important to think carefully about the decision and know if we are committed to taking care of the animal until the end of its days.
- Care: what does having a pet entail?
For our furry friends, we are everyone they know, so it must be a nice and pleasant place. To comply with it, we can start by taking into account the ”5 L” that define animal welfare according to the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health):
free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition;
free from fear and anguish;
free of physical and thermal discomfort;
free from pain, injury and disease;
free to manifest natural behavior.
But the truth is that a pet will need much more: adequate nutrition, veterinary visits, physical activity and mental stimulation, education, socializing with other animals, basic care such as hygiene, shelter and a lot of patience and love.
- Economic stability
Providing your furry friend with a state of well-being has a physical, mental and economic cost. Before adopting a pet, you will have to assess whether your budget can adapt to the animal’s diet, routine veterinary visits, vaccinations or any possible accident, and in some cases, the help of a behavioral professional may also be necessary to coexistence is perfect.
If there is no stable situation to meet these expenses, adopting an animal can become a problem.
- Size, energy and character
When adopting a pet we must also take into account the time we have to dedicate to it, the level of activity we can give it, if there are children at home and what type of character you need it to have so that it adapts perfectly to your circumstances.
We tend to think that the smaller the animal, the less activity it will need, or that if we want a large animal we have to wait until we have a house with a garden. Or that cats can spend long days alone because they are very independent. The truth is that each type of animal is different, but they all need to socialize with us and other animals, play and eat well, as long as all of this is met, size is the least important.
- Time: work, vacation, family unit, moving.
If you have a job that requires you to spend long days away from home and the animal will be alone, if the family unit, or the people who share a house with you, do not agree to adopt a pet, or if when it is time to leave On vacation you cannot assume the extra cost of taking it with you or finding suitable accommodation for its care. If you regularly move house and do not know if you will be allowed to have a pet, you should not adopt an animal.
All of these situations are part of everyday life and must be taken into account before making the decision to adopt a pet or not.
- 200% Responsibility
If after evaluating the four previous points, you decide to share your life with a pet, do not forget that you have friends, family, co-workers and they only have you.