JAck Russell Terrier

Having a pet in the house is diffrent now then it was just a few years ago.Gone are the high profile people of the world walking in a LA pet shop and dropping $3000 on a teacup puppy. Do something like that now and suffer the ire of PETA. Even our new president is being affected by the recent developments in the economy. He has realized that you cannot simply enter a pet store and 30 minutes later exit with a new family member. The president has stated that trying to find a new dog for his children is tougher than finding a Commerce secretary. He has been trying to model what a responsible new potential pet owner should be like during a recession, or any other time for that matter. During these times we must consider the needs of all the family members and hold off until the household is settled before inviting a new family member. He is also showing setting a good example by getting a pet from a shelter or rescue group.

Although the president’s choice of a new family pet, and whether it will be a labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound has been all over the media, more importantly is the unstable future of our natin’s pets in a time when there are those who can not pay for their bills.In our nation’s hayday, it was common to see stories that made us laugh and shake our heads about how people would spend exorbitant amounts of money on their dogs. They thought that their dogs actually appreciated the posh bottled water that was served to them in a crystal doggie glass. Stories of million dollar doggie trust funds, thousand dollar doggie hotels, pearl necklaces, and other instances of doggie decadence covered the news stands daily.

Ever since economy has spiraled down,, stories of pets have evolved and are now much more daunting and saddening. The media all across our country have been reporting about local animal shelters becoming filled far beyond their capacity, often times being forced to euthanize a greater number of otherwise healthy pets simply because of space constraints. Still others have abandoned their pets in foreclosed homes or chained up in back yards of abandoned properties, left to die of starvation, often times un able to reach food and water slowly starving to death at the end of a chain. The LA times even made pets and the economy their features story of the New Year. Pets are quickly turning into the luxury that can no longer be afforded.

The current downslide follows a previous upswing seen in adoption rates of the recient past. For nearly a decade shelters and rescues have been seeing a consistant rise in the rate of pet adoptions a starke difference from the overwhelming intake and decline in new adoption applications. There is no real way of knowing if we have seen the bottom of this staggering trend or if there is more despair to come. One thing is for certain, it is not getting any better.

Any progress made in the past of educating the public on the need to adopt from rescue groups instead of purchasing from a puppy store means nothing if our hurting economy causes people to not be able to afford to own a pet or take care of the pets that they already have in their home. Vet costs alone have been a major factor in family’s decisions to give up their beloved dogs. With the average vet visit costing in the range of $200 a visit, people often have to decide whether they can spend this month’s credit card payment and unless they find a way to reduce their credit card debt, they often have no choice but to give up their pet.

Another sign of the rapid decline of the luxury pet market was the cancelation New York’s Pet Fashion Week. With all this negative news on the pet industry it is noteworthy to mention that pets have all kind of benefits. Vets across the nation have said that pets are an excellent way to lower blood pressure which helps justify spending the money spent on them.

For many of us the only solution to avoid having to make the choice of paying bills of feeding the family pet, is to get themselves in a position to weather the economic storm. For many people this could mean entering into a credit card debt settlement program or other ways of lowering their household expenses. Filing for bankruptcy is often not the best choice for these embattled pet owners who do not want to deal with the court system, paying attorney fees nor having the black mark on their credit report for up to ten years. Often times credit card counseling, which is run by the creditors, is not a realistic option since in most cases the payments are no less and sometimes more then what they are paying at the moment. Again this makes the owner struggle with pet food not to mention vet bills as mentioned earlier.

Whatever program you may decide,  should you need credit card debt relief, ensure that you educate yourself on the differences between the programs and fully aware of the pitfalls. In most cases speaking to someone who can assist you in settling your debt can be helpful and is suggested over going it alone.

This discussion over pets and how they affect our economy will probably go on as long as people are struggling in this economic crunch our nation is experiencing. The underlying issue is that we either need to deal with the debt we have and survive this recession, or resort to what many have and abandon the family pet. Where will this trend stop? Will the next crisis force us to decide whether to take care of our kids and pay for medical insurance or leave them on the side of the street to survive on their own.

If you are set about owning a pet, it may be better if you will first inquire about the best times to do pet adoption. Inquiries are a must if you want to get what you want and what will fit in to the kind of life that you are leading.

Not because you want a very big dog are you going to be allowed by adoption centers to have one. The centers will do a lifestyle check to find out if what you want is really what you need. There should be a correct match. If you do not have sufficient time to do rounds of running or to play with your pet every day you might find it difficult to keep an active pup.

Who you are will determine what kind of pet you deserve. It is big responsibility to be a pet owner. The animal shelter will do their best to make sure that the decision will be beneficial for you and your chosen pet.

The Costs
This is one factor that you must be prepared for. Acquiring a pet through adoption is less costly than when you buy them on commercial pet stores. But there are some considerations that you must also be prepared to allot for. This includes, most importantly, is the medical needs of your pets. You should be ready that just like you, they may get sick from time to time. And the sickness may vary from simple to severe. And accidents may also happen when you least expect it so you have to have that extra budget to be able to handle the situation.

Save a Life
If you are still undecided about adopting a pet, here is one great motivation for you. Did you know the fact that in the United States alone, over four million  pet animals are being destroyed per year? So in your decision to adopt a pet, you are also saving a life in the process.

If you don’t have the know how to start the adoption procedure, you can find out the nearest one or local center of the United States Humane Association. You can also ask the help of the veterinarians near you and they can point you to the right people. You can inquire too at the pet stores of your nearby areas. But please be sure that before you precede any further with the adoption process that you are ready in all aspects that may require you to be.

Financial is a priority. But aside from that, you must also be ready to open up emotionally. Animals are like humans, they need to feel loved and taken cared for. About your idea you must also talk to the important people of your life who are also going to involve with the pet. This is a serious matter that requires you to be responsible for your every decision.

The Correct Time
The best times to do pet adoption, of course, is when you are ready in all aspect mentioned above. But if you want to get the best deals, it will be best for you to seek out the shelters in springtime and early fall. These are the breeding seasons so your choices will be a lot varied.

Meanwhile, if you don’t want to be stuck with minimal choices, do not go during Christmas season. Many people are adopting during this time and so the process is being hurried.

In any decision that you do in life, you must think hard about it in order to arrive at the best choice as much as possible. In the end, it is also you who will suffer or who will benefit from anything that will arise from that. Thought of adopting a pet must also be in your priority list if you wish to venture out about this.

Why would you want to adopt?

your reasons might be very simple like, you wish to have a companion. The pets of your choice will depend on your lifestyle. You don’t want to get an animal that will require a lot from you physically if you cannot really afford the time to give it to them. You can just settle for a tamer one like a fish, rabbit or parrot that will serve as a companion white they really don’t ask you for too much attention. It will be enough for you to give them their basic necessities like shelter, warmth and food.

You may also want to acquire a pet because you merely want to make a difference and help in this good cause. You may have a soft spot for animals especially for those that have been left in shelters or have been cared for by charitable institutions. This is a good omen and can lead you towards a brighter future in caring for pets. Just make sure that you are ready for the responsibilities that will be required from you when you opt to trek this route.

Do not give pets as presents.

This is a must. The reason for this is very obvious. The recipient of the gift may not be ready to owe up to the responsibilities that your gift comes with. What do you think will happen to the animal when they are handed to an unwilling owner? You may have your own reasons why you give the pets as gifts. You may think that you’ve already assessed the recipient based on the facts that you know about them. But for sure, there are certain spots that you do not know about them. The pets may end up in shelters or may also be given out to others. The worst thing that could happen is for the pet to be ignored and may cause its health to diminish.

What are the other considerations?

Owning pets will give you lots of joy. But these are animals. You cannot teach them to tidy up by themselves. So expect the unexpected. Prepare yourself to clean up your pet’s mess that may be distributed even on your favorite parts of your house. You can teach your pets tricks and share with them some manners. But you must not expect them to follow what you are saying all the time. They may be intelligent but you are superior than they are. You cannot expect them to do the right things all the time. You may be surprised to see eaten foods or chewed papers or shoes at times.

If you are not prepared for such situation, what are you going to do? The most probable thing is that you will vent your anger at your pet. You may want to decide to get lost of them the instant they did what seems to be inexplicable. These pet adoption considerations can help you open your eyes and mind if you can be trusted to be a responsible pet owner.