To adopt a dog or a cat is a wonderful thing that will change your life and, in many cases, will save the animal's life. There are plenty of reasons why you should adopt one or more dogs or cats. They will make your life so much richer and funnier, they will always love you more than any human could, they will make you healthier, they will never leave you, you will never lonely again, you will smile more, you will laugh a lot, you will meet a lot of new people (dog owners usually know everybody in the neighbourhood!), you will be the best, prettiest, loveliest human being on earth – at least in the eyes of your pet!
Somebody once said: “Life without a dog is possible but senseless.
(Cat lovers: please replace “dog” with “cat”)
It´s so true!
Do you feel, you are missing something important in your life not having a pet? Have you been thinking of taking that cute stray from outside 7/11? Are you on your way to the next shelter already? Wait a second! As fantastic as this decision is, please consider a few very important things before bringing home a new family member:
Be absolutely sure that all members of your family/household are okay with the decision of adopting a pet. Talk about your plans with everybody, don't surprise them. NEVER, really NEVER bring a pet home as a gift or a surprise! Also, don't bring a dog or cat “for the kids”. An animal is no toy, it's a living being with needs and feelings. While a pet can make an excellent companion for your children, it still needs a grown up tending to it's care.
Be absolutely sure that nobody in your family/household has an allergy against fur.
Be ready to pay to have your pet sterilised if it is not already and check the status of your pet before taking it home. You could end up with more than you bargained for!
Can you take your pet with you if you have to move abroad? This is particularly important for Koh Phangan residents who are not native to Thailand.
Be absolutely sure that your landlord is okay with you having a pet.
Check your financial situation. Even though some shelters give away their animals for free, it doesn't mean that your new friend won't cost you anything. You will have to buy all the equipment; a bed, a leash and a collar in the beginning, but you can get most of that stuff relatively cheap. Same goes for food. Pet food usually is much cheaper than food for humans, so as long as you don't adopt a Great Dane, it won't cost you too much to feed your new friend. But still, you need to calculate the extra cost. Many people also forget that sooner or later they will have to pay vet bills. Not only does your pet need vaccinations on a regular basis and monitoring for disease, when they get older many animals get sick. This can go from stomach problems which require a special diet to serious diseases such as arthritis, epilepsy or cancer. Treatments for that kind of stuff can be quite expensive. And there´s nothing worse than people who abandon their pets because they are old and sick! But there are good possibilities how even people with lower incomes can manage such costs. There are health insurances for pets which are in most cases a good value, the catch is that they are only suitable for younger pets and are really expensive for older ones. So you best start them when your dog is a puppy or teenager. Another option is to create your own “insurance”, meaning, you put aside a small amount of money every month for emergency cases. Only if you have the funds to treat your animals when sick, or if you are willing to save money just in case, should bring a pet into your life.
If you have to relocate overseas, can you afford to take your pet with you
Do you have enough time for your new friend? If you want to get a dog and are away more than six hours every day, then sadly this is not a good idea. Consider taking a cat instead. Dogs are very social creatures and suffer if left alone too long. It´s okay if you have two or more though (and there's only one thing better than having a dog: having two dogs!). If you want a dog, you also should know that you have to walk them at least twice a day for half an hour. Many people think that dogs are happy if they have a garden, but they are very wrong. A garden is some kind of a bigger living room in dog´s eyes, it gets boring pretty soon. A dog needs regular exercise outside of your property, even if you have the worst hangover of your life. If you keep your dog restricted to the garden and home, it may develop behavioural problems.
This one is more for dogs but some toilet training is at least required for cats. Before bringing a dog home, you need to know that it will not only need a lot of love and affection, but also discipline and training. You need to train your dog how to behave around you, other humans and other dogs. This is not easy, takes time and patience. You can do it by yourself (there are many good books about that and surely the people from the shelter can recommend some) or find a dog trainer, but doing nothing is irresponsible towards your dog and other people. If your dog doesn't obey you it might get in dangerous situations easily or into problems with other people and dogs. There wouldn't be so many do haters in this world if dog owners educated their dogs better.
Last but not least, the most important point. If you decide to adopt an animal, make it a decision for a lifetime. Don't abandon them, don´t bring them back if they are difficult or not what you expected. Have patience, give them time and if necessary, seek some professional help. After a few months, for a dog, you mean literally the world. If you give him away or abandon him, for a dog it´s the end of the world. Imagine you´d lose your job, your home and your loved ones in one single moment. Terrible idea, isn't it? Exactly this is it what your dog would feel if you abandoned him. Please never do that to an animal. Think first before you get one.
Written by Anna Mocikat
Keep updated with phanganist.com by following our Facebook page.
