Your First Pet

So you think you are ready to adopt your first pet?? 

I can tell you from experience that come late winter, early spring, we will receive many requests from people who want to surrender the pets they received over the Holidays.  That cute puppy (or kitten) in the window will grow up.  It will also need training.  It takes a lot of work for someone who is not used to having a pet to take care of. 

 

 

Oh how I remember those days when Mirage first came into my life.  I had always been a cat person and when Merlin (my cat, I told you about him in a previous blog) died my husband decided Codie and I needed another furry friend.  We visited a local pet store, (these were the days before I knew about animal rescues and shelters), and looked around.  As my husband said hello to the puppies out front, I decided to venture in!  There were more puppies inside, along with birds, fish and other critters. I could hear a baby kitten crying and went the other way. I was too heartbroken to look at them.  

While wondering to the back of the shop, I came across 6 or so stalls.  Each stall had 10 to 15 puppies of all sizes. They were barking and jumping, all wanted to say hi to me. I pet a couple of them as I walked down the aisle.  Well in the last stall there were about 10 puppies jumping up trying to get my attention.  As I approached the last stall of puppies begging for my attention I noticed a little white ball of fluff just lying there ignoring the other puppies.

About this time the owner came through and tossed a large scoop of food into the floor of each stall. The puppies went crazy trying to gobble up all the food and anything else that was lying on the floor. I don't think the floors had been cleaned in quite some time.

During all this commotion, the little white ball of fluff just lifted its head and watched. I went to the as far down the aisle as I could to the back of that stall and called out "Hello baby. Aren't you hungry?"  Those little brown eyes locked onto mine and I gently called for her to come to me. She was very scared and tentative, but slowly walked over to me. I reached down to pet her and the next thing I knew she was in my arms!  I never put her back down. I went to find my husband and he said "I thought you were a cat person?"

As I was holding her, tears were just flowing down my face. My heart had started to heal the minute I picked her up! That little white ball of fluff was just too good to be true and so we named her Mirage.

 

Being a cat person, I had never had to train a puppy before.  Cats are pretty self-sufficient, independent, and don’t need to be taken outside several times a day to go potty.  The first few months were very stressful for all of us.  It is a lot for anyone to handle, especially someone who has never had pets before.  Remember this when you decide to get a pet for yourself or for your loved one.

Believe it or not, most purchases in pet stores or adoptions in shelters are impulse buys.  You didn’t go into the store or shelter to buy or adopt a pet, you just wanted to see what they had and then that one adorable little face catches your attention and the next thing you know you are walking out with your new pet.  You had no idea what that impulse would turn into. 

Now that you have your new pet you have to buy all the supplies that go with owning that pet.  This in itself can be quite an expensive procedure.  Kennel, food, bedding, potty training materials, food and water bowls, training, medical expenses (health check & vaccinations), spaying and/or neutering, grooming, etc…  The ASPCA has this chart on their website giving you the average cost for the first year of pet ownership for a variety of pets.

As I said earlier, we rescued Mirage from a pet store.  This was before we knew anything about animal rescues.  Because of Mirage, we learned a lot.  Mirage was from a commercial breeder and had some major long term health issues.  She was 8 months old when we found her. 

I say we rescued her, because if we had not bought her, she was going to be sent back to the commercial breeder to have more puppies.  This inspired us to do research on commercial breeders.  It was not pretty.  If you do get a dog from a breeder, do your research and visit their home and see if you can meet the mother and father if possible.  If a breeder won’t let you go to their home or meet the mother, then steer clear of them.  The American Kennel Club (AKC) can always give you a reference to a reputable breeder.

 

Got off topic again there…sorry about that.  One thing to consider before getting your first pet is the number of pets in shelters and rescues looking for new homes.  Think about fostering a pet so that you can see the amount of time and attention they will need before actually adopting one yourself.  This is especially beneficial if you are interested in a specific breed.  Most breed specific rescues are desperate for foster homes.  They can also educate you on the breed and help you find the perfect pet to join your family. 

 

By the way…this goes for dogs, cats and other animals.  Of course there are more breed specific rescues for dogs, but there are some for cats and other animals as well.  The American Kennel Club has a listing on their site for breed specific rescues.  They also have information on hundreds of breeds of dogs.  If there is a breed you are interested in, this is a great place to start.

Here are a couple links to cat rescues.  The Purebred Cat Breed Rescue  group and Fancy Cats are two that I have heard of.  If you are interested in a specific breed of cat, you could do a search.  For example Ragdoll cats…This is a wonderful breed and there is a rescue for them.  Then there is my personal favorite, Siamese Cat Rescue.  My Merlin was a Lynx Point Siamese.

There are also many other animal rescues out there.  Anything from birds, potbelly pigs, horses, and even reptiles…you can find a rescue for just about any type of animal.  Just search the net to find them.

I always recommend you do your research before getting a pet.  Make sure you know what kind of care they are going to need and what supplies you are going to need.  It will be an adjustment having this new life that you are responsible for.  I would say a good 6 months for an adjustment period.  At times it will be difficult, but oh so worth it in the end.

Be Well & Be Happy,

Pet~Pourri