Thankfully, the majority of us pet lovers here on this board are very responsible about our pets and do our best to provide them with the best lives we can give them. Unfortunately, it seems that there may be certain members on this board, who love animals just the same, however, they may not be following the responsible *rules* of having pets. I felt it my responsibility to try my best to explain what enormous responsibility comes with every pet addition to any household. You are all welcome to add tips in your replies.
Now, what does responsibility mean? What does it mean to be responsible?
The definition of R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-L-E is:
- Able to be trusted or depended upon; reliable.
- Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's behavior.
From this definition, it can be noted that being responsible is something that, if not done properly, can be a reason to take one's actions into account. Responsiblity is thus, a big thing, and not something to take lightly.
When one has a pet, no matter what the animal, the pet is dependant on its owner, and the owners must be fully responsible for it. Below, we will discuss some issues of responsibility that comes with the addition of any pet in the family.
Points to discuss and verify before adding a pet to the family
Financial Situation
One of the first things to take note of before bringing a pet into the household is considering your family income and financial situation. Adding a pet to the family is adding monthly and yearly expense. Before going on the the next point, one must ask him/herself the following questions:
Do I have enough money to buy food, toys, and basic neccessities for my pet?
Do I have enough money to ensure medical care for my pet?
If, God forbid, there's an emergency, am I capable of providing my pet with the vet bills, etc. needed at that very moment?
Am I stable enough financially, and otherwise, to ensure I will hopefully have enough to care for a pet for years to come?
If the answer to any of these questions is *No*, stop right there and decide on getting a pet when the situation is right. If the answer to all these questions is yes, go on the the next point.
Family discussion
Having a pet is something that should be decided amongst the whole family. If one member of the family just goes and gets a pet, and the others have problems, (disagreements, allergies, medical situations, not willing or unable to take care of their part of the responsiblity *if you are a kid or teen and get a pet, a lot of the responsibility is on your parents*, etc. If every family member does not condone with the idea of adding a pet to the family, do NOT get one. It will only cause problems and can end up with problems in the life of the innocent animal. Again, if not everyone in the family agrees, stop right here and don't go on to the next point. If everyone agrees, move on with the questions.
Children in the family
Another thing to think about before you get a pet is if you have have young children. Questions to ask yourself on this issue include:
Are the children of the family well educated on how to behave with a pet?
Is any child too young to understand how to react to an animal?
Is there any child that can cause potential harm to the pet?
If all is clear, move on. If not, work on the problems and solve them before adding a pet to the family.
Previous Pets
If you already have pets in the household, you may need to ponder on certain issues before adding another pet to the household. Things to ask yourself include:
Do I have any larger pet that can possibly cause harm to the pet I am adding?
Is it possible for the pet I am bringing to cause fear in the hearts of my previous pets?
Can any one of my previous pets be a potential predator to the animal I am bring home *or vice versal*?
Do I have a secure house in which there is no possibility for my smaller pets to get loose, and God forbid, killed or hurt by my larger pets?
Am I bringing my pet into harms way by adding a pet?
Am I bringing my future pet into harms way by bringing it into a home with other pets who have a large prey drive?
If all is clear, go on. If not, do NOT add a pet to your family until the situation is different and safe.
Time/Devotion
When bringing a pet into the family, know that the pet is a living thing and needs friends and company to keep from getting bored. Ask yourself the following questions:
Do I have enough time for another pet?
Will I give the pet enough attention?
Will I be able to fulfill its needs?
Will the pet be happy in my household?
Environment
When adding a pet to the household, one must be certain to have the proper environment to house the pet in. If you have allergies, you should have an area to keep your pets, where they won't cause so many problems to your health that you'd end up getting rid of them. You must also ensure that they feel safe in their environment, and that there are no hazards threatening them.
Conclusion
In this post, I have discussed the issues of the responsibility that comes with the addition of any new pet to the family. If you are unsure of any issues discussed here, postpose your adoption of an animal to when the situation is right. If all is clear and you are positive you can be responsible on ALL of these issues, go for it.
I spent a LOT of time writing this, and I hope and pray that it benefits us all, and the certain members learn from it and apply it in their animal loving lives. We are human beings and make mistakes, however, once a mistake has been made, it should NOT be repeated. With every mistake, there are lessons to be learned and responsibilities to be added. Everyone, please feel free to add your comments and add any issues of responsibilty I may have missed.
I would also like to add that, no matter how much you love animals, having too many can cause disruption and horrors in the lives of the pets, and if you are not responsible enough to take care of each and every one of their lives, perhaps you should think about it and not add anymore pets to the household.
Everyone including myself, lets go back to all the points listed, and see if WE can be considered responsible pet mommies. If we're not, there's a problem that needs to be corrected.
If you go over the questions and see faults within yourself, don't be surprised if others criticize, because that's all they might know. Please, no one take this personally. It is for all of us to take note of and a good thing to review every now and then when we love having pets so much.
The only reason I'm writing this is because I care for everyone's pets and animals, and I hope and pray that all of us, including myself, go over this, see our faults and try to fix them, and see what we're doing right and contnue to do so. You all love your animals and you all care, so do the best you can for them for as long as they live in your lives, and in your care.
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I must rescue it. (Good reason as long as you are sure you will be able to provide proper care and attention).
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