By Rachel Muraca - Customer Service
Thinking of buying a pet? Do you feel compelled to buy that little bundle of fluff from the pet shop? Think again. Across Australia, RSPCA shelters receive more than 144,000 animals every year. This enormous number does not take into account animals received in private and government run shelters across Australia. Why does this happen? Usually because of impulse buying from pet shops, along with the misunderstanding in thinking that all a pet needs is for you to feed it! The reality is, pet ownership is a much bigger commitment than just an extra mouth to feed.
Are you ready to own a pet?A pet is for life, not just while your puppy or kitten is a cute bundle of fluff! Are you ready to care for a dog for 8-14 years or a cat for 10-18 years? Are you prepared to walk your dog every day, rain, hail or shine? Groom him? Commit to puppy school for socialization and basic obedience training? Are you prepared to pay for yearly vaccinations, flea control, heart worm & intestinal worm control, de-sexing and microchipping? If the answer is no, then perhaps you are not ready to own a dog. Whilst cats are easier to care for and don’t require daily walking, they do still require grooming and human companionship, along with vaccinations, flea control, worming, desexing and a safe bed inside at night so they don’t go roaming the streets, killing wildlife and getting into cat fights!
Yes, pet ownership is a big responsibility and should not be taken on lightly. It is a big financial commitment and requires time management, persistence, patience and understanding. The rewards of all this effort are endless, as “an animal is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself.”~ Josh Billings
How can I help?There are many ways you can help the thousands of animals that are discarded each year.
First of all, don’t buy your pet from a pet shop. Whilst the puppy or kitten looks very cute staring back at you from the pet shop window, chances are they didn’t come from such a serene setting. Many puppies in pet shops come from ‘Puppy farms’. Puppy Farms or puppy mills are usually large facilities that produce puppies for a profit. The puppies and mothers are often kept in very poor conditions, with minimal or no veterinary care. Breeding animals may be continually mated and kept permanently in cages, never allowed out to exercise, play, have companionship or to urinate or defecate. Other problems include: over-breeding (too many litters per female), in-breeding (mating close relatives), poor hygiene and housing conditions, and the list goes on. Puppies born in puppy mills often have long-term health and/or behavioural problems as a result of poor housing conditions, poor maternal nutrition and a lack of adequate socialisation during the crucial first few weeks of life.
Second, do lots of research.If you live in an apartment, you will learn very quickly that an Alaskan Malamute is perhaps not the dog for you. The most important thing to do when thinking about buying a pet is to consider the 3 Hows: How much time, How much money and How big! How 1: If you don’t have a lot of time for grooming, then don’t consider a long haired breed. Likewise if you don’t have a lot of time for walking, a smaller dog may suit you better as you don’t need to walk as far. How 2: The general rule is a bigger dog will eat more food, so if you want to reduce your food bill, get a smaller dog! A companion for your existing canine friend is a great idea, but can you afford double the food, vet bills and space? How 3: How big is your back yard? This will need to be taken into consideration. A kelpie will not be happy in a small court yard!
Also, take the time to research the breeds you are looking at. Dogs have very different personalities and traits, and what may suit a single person may not suit a family, so make sure you take the breeders word for it if they say that the breed you are looking at is not for you.
Third, if you do buy a puppy or kitten, remember, DESEX DESEX DESEX!!Over population of domestic dogs and cats is a real problem, and over 4,000 dogs and 9,800 cats were euthanised in 2008/2009 in Victoria alone. There is no need to breed your cat or dog, and it is a myth that animals need to have a litter to become a ‘better’ pet. You should desex your pet at 5-6 months of age, as females can go on heat by 6 months or even earlier. Desexed animals are generally less likely to get diseases and illness such as mammary cancer and uterine infections in females and cancer and prostate problems in males. Desexing commonly reduces behaviour problems such as roaming, aggression and urine marking in males. In females it prevents mating behaviour and false pregnancy.
Fourth, Microchip your pet!A microchip is a permanent method of identification. The chip itself is very small – about the size of a grain of rice – and is implanted just under the skin between the shoulder blades at the back of your pet's neck. Each chip has a unique number that is detected using a microchip scanner. The microchip number is stored in a database with details about your pet and your contact details. Should your pet go missing, vets, animal shelters and local councils will scan your pet for a microchip and contact you via the database. It is the best way to reunite lost pets with their owners!!
Fifth and most importantly, if you are going to buy a pet, visit your closest Animal Shelter!Animal shelters are swarming with loving pets looking for a second chance at life and a loving owner. The best thing is, your purchase price usually includes desexing, microchipping, worming and the first vaccination. If you were to purchase a puppy & kitten and then pay for all of these things on top of your purchase price you would be paying twice or thrice as much! What’s more, you have never known love until you adopt a shelter pet; they seem to know they have escaped death row and that you have rescued them.
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.” ~ Unknown
