Am I ready for a companion animal?
The decision to bring a companion animal into your life requires lots of thought and an assessment of your life – it should never be an impulse decision. Not doing so places your future companion at a higher risk of being surrendered or abandoned. Heartbreakingly, over 400,000 animals are abandoned every year in Australia. In many cases, these animals never find another home and are euthanased as a result.
According to the RSPCA, the top five reasons people abandon animals are because of:
Changes in housing (moving/rental problems)
Changes in financial situation (can not afford vet bills, medication, food, training, care)
Behaviour issues (unwilling to continue training or didn’t understand needs prior to bringing an animal into their home)
Change of mind (impulse buy, unwanted gift, too many animals, relationship splits)
No time (to care for the animal)
Here are a few questions you should answer before welcoming an animal into your family -
Do I know enough about the species and breed?
Perhaps the most important aspect is learning about the animal and breed you are considering bringing into your life. All animals have different needs, wants, and requirements. Understanding all aspects of the animal's behavioural traits, potential health issues, and natural life expectancy will help you to answer the following questions.
2. Do I have time to care for them?
All animals require love and time. You have to decide if you have enough to give your new companion attention, exercise, and playtime. You should also determine if you are more of a homebody or someone who loves to be active and if your desired companion can be part of your lifestyle.
3. Can I afford to care for them?
When adopting an animal you are making the commitment to provide them with all the care they may need. This includes providing them with proper nutrition, toys, general care, and of course, vet bills – which can be expensive.
4. Am I ready to make a life-long commitment?
A companion animal’s lifespan varies depending on the species. It is important that you commit to the animal’s entire life, which can potentially be 20+ years!
If you are ready to care for, love, and protect an animal for their entire life, then the next step is finding your new best friend. Visiting your local shelters and pounds to adopt a life is the most compassionate option. By doing so, you can take to help end the cycle of breeding, abandonment, and euthanasia. Animals in pounds and shelters have been abandoned for several reasons, most generally due to a mismatch between the breed and a person’s lifestyle, the previous carers moving to a place that doesn’t allow pets, or the inability to support the animal financially. By choosing to adopt, you are giving an animal in need a second chance at life and helping to shut down the cruel puppy farming industry.
If you are not ready to make a life-long commitment, why not try fostering? Fostering animals reduces your commitment and means you are caring for an animal until they can find a permanent home. It takes away the long-term financial element of caring for an animal and also provides you with an opportunity to learn about different species and see which one is better suited to your lifestyle! For the animal in need, it means they don’t have to spend so much time living at the loud shelter and gives them a safe, warm, loving temporary home.