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Once a family decides they are ready for a pet , be it husband and wife, or parents and children, it’s time to look at your household dynamics and whether what you want, is something you can all live with.
Dogs and cats are the most popular pets. But millions of them end up in shelters every year, often because they did not fit the environment they were brought into.
If there is nobody home during the day, you could put off acquiring your pup until summer vacation, when it would not only have constant attention and care, but a chance to bond with the children. Households that have a babysitter or other caretaker, need to make sure that the additional care of a puppy is acceptable to them, before they find themselves without that extra pair of hands. Giving children responsibilities in accordance with their age and capabilities is a wonderful way to teach them that someone else needs them, and that if they own a pet, they must help take care of it. Too often, the home based parent ends up being the primary caregiver, which can take some of the joy out of the furry acquisition, for them at least. Cats present very different challenges. For the single person who works all day, they can come home to find a kitten has been involved in destructive behaviours, and is now crying constantly for attention. People often forget that baby cat has come from a litter, possibly a home with more animals and people, and now it is alone a good deal of the time. And they can become very “needy”, to the point they drive a working person to distraction. I’m often asked about getting two kittens at once. It is a good idea really, as they are wonderful company for each other when alone, and there is more purring and petting to share amongst the children and adults.
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