Have you been thinking of getting into the role of being a dog parent recently? Knowing how best to act this thought is what turns your dream of adopting a paw-friend into reality.
If dog adoption has been on your checklist, then follow these tips:
- The first step in acting upon this decision is to run through a few pet rescue and animal welfare websites to get preliminary recommendations on the best course of action for you.
- The two main choices that you have are to go online and check if your desired breed or type of pet is available with any of the rescue centres or find a breeder for the same purpose. Note the latter will be much more costly,
- If you are zeroing in on a specific breed, you need to check the dog’s breeding papers and see if you can visit the dog’s birthplace to check its health, the health of its parents, and the conditions and care under which they have been nurtured by the breeder. Understanding the family history of the pet is important in exploring the ethical nature of the breeding and whether it may have inherited any genetic disorders.
- Whether you’re adopting a rescue or buying a purebred, ask yourself whether you are in a position to take up affordable pet insurance. You may even consider taking up a plan that includes dental insurance for pets.
- As humans have basic needs, so do our animal friends. Do you have enough finances to supply it with three meals a day, a few dog toys and safe chew items to keep them occupied, comfortable bedding and walking equipment? Can you provide good training and grooming as and when necessary? Or will you be reluctantly forking it out as soon as you bring home this extra fresh member of the household?
- Dogs are highly social animals, the presence of people around them is what keeps them happy and content. Can you manage to allocate a portion of your time to regularly take your canine friend for a walk/run or to a dog park where she can spend some precious moments with mates of her kind?
- If you are the kind of person who is always travelling, then the pet will get extremely lonely in your absence, which can lead to negative behaviours. It can also leave the pet anxious and depressed. Do you have any Plan B in place for its care and nourishment when you are out of reach? Can you hire the services of any pet carers or dog daycare centres?
- Another important issue that needs to be addressed is how do you introduce your dog if you already have some feline friends at home? Or another dog? How do you strike a balance and get them to behave well together under a single roof? You need to have a strategy in place to make the introduction process safe and easy.
Altogether there are a lot of formal and informal terms and conditions involved before signing up for being a dog parent, the role you will fill for the next few years or maybe even more.
Mentally conditioning yourself about this and choosing a dog that complements your temperament takes both of you a long way. Then, time and again you need to water the intimate bonds both of you share to instil trust, reassurance and ties of loyalty.
