TIPS FOR ADOPTING A PET
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you decide what type of pet to get:
- What type of animal is the best fit for your home? Will you be able to live with pet hair, a litter box or the occasional wear-and-tear caused by pets?
- If you have children, how will having a pet affect them? Will everyone in your home welcome an animal?
- If you rent, do you have permission from the property owner? Are there monthly fees and/or an extra deposit?
- How much space do you have inside and outside your home? Will you need a fenced yard? How much time do you have to spend with a pet?
- What is your activity level? Are you sedentary or physically active?
- Do you have the financial resources if your pet has a medical crisis and has high veterinary bills?
- Do you have someone who can be a secondary caregiver if you are away from home? If not, how will you provide care for your pet when you travel?
Sources: LifeLine Animal Project, staff
PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR NEW ADDITION
The Better Business Bureau of Metro Atlanta, Athens and NE Georgia warns consumers about buying a bird, cat, dog or exotic animal from a source that isn’t reputable.
For instance, there are places referred to as “puppy mills” where the breeders put profits ahead of the health of the animals, in conditions experts describe as “inhumane,” according to the BBB.
Check carefully before buying a pet from out of state. If you don’t see the breeding facility, you won’t know what sort of conditions the pet was raised in nor is there a guarantee that the pet will even arrive at your home.
Consumers can find a BBB-accredited pet shop on the website (http://www.bbb.org/atlanta/), as well as check out the marketplace reputation of prospective sellers. You can also check to see if the breeder is a member in good standing with professional clubs.
Some scammers make big money selling pets that they stole from people’s property or public areas.
Don’t be fooled by a well-designed website: This is always good advice. Unscrupulous operators create professional-looking but fraudulent websites that are designed to lure potential buyers with cute puppy pictures they stole from other breeders’ websites.
Take all of the costs into account: Many people don’t think past the initial fee required to buy or adopt a pet. A cat costs about $350-$400 per year and a small or medium dog costs about $400-$500 per year and larger dogs even more. You also might want to consider buying medical insurance for your pet. Veterinary care can be very expensive when there’s a health problem or if your pet is injured in an accident.
Source: BBB of Metro Atlanta, Athens and NE Georgia
MORE ON ATLANTA PETS:
Warrior Puppy: Starved and abandoned as a puppy, Xena cheats death to change lives.
Rescue me: The last thing he wanted was a dog, until Lucy stole his resistant heart.
This time of year, the number of inquiries about pet adoptions starts to pick up at PAWS Atlanta, an animal welfare nonprofit and no-kill shelter in Decatur.
Thinking about a pet as a gift for Christmas?
Good or bad idea?
It depends, experts say.
Is it a surprise or is the person getting the cat or dog aware that soon there will be the pitter patter of little paws (or perhaps big ones) in the house?
Advocates want to find loving, forever homes for pets. All it takes is a little education and planning.
“We don’t think giving pets as gifts is ever a good idea,” said PAWS Atlanta Executive Director Nancy Longacre. “We want every pet to feel like and be treated like a member of the family. So, in order to make that happen, everybody in the family needs to meet that pet and make sure it’s the right fit for everyone who is living in the home. Once that happens, then the likelihood that it’s going to be a successful adoption or placement is really, really high.”
During the holiday period, several groups are holding pet adoption events.
For instance, Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue and Adoptions is joining forces with national animal welfare organization Best Friends Animal Society and other animal rescue groups and shelters to find permanent homes for pets.
With the adoption campaign, which runs through Dec. 31, select animals may be adopted for a $25 fee. Adoptable animals will be available for viewing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday at the Barrett Parkway PetSmart in Kennesaw, and two Sundays a month at Pet Supermarket at Ansley Mall.
So, what to do?
Longacre, for instance, suggests buying a collar, leash, pet toys and perhaps a feeding bowl, wrap them and place them in a gift box, then go as a family to select your pet. “That way, they still get the surprise of ‘Wow.’”
Pets have personalities, just like humans, so you want to make sure everyone gets along.
You may not want a high-energy Jack Russell terrier, for example, in a home of senior citizens or very young children.
"Having a pet is a lifelong commitment," said Karen Hirsch, public relations director for the LifeLine Animal Project, "and the person receiving the pet has to be actively involved in the decision to take on this kind of commitment. They're going to be caring for it medically, its needs for exercise, food and attention."
Timing may also be a factor. If you plan to have a house full of company during the hectic holiday period, then perhaps you might want to postpone bringing a new pet into the family.
You’ll want to give the pet time to acclimate to a new family and new surroundings. You don’t want them to be stressed.
You also want to protect the pet. Not everyone is a pet person. You don’t want a guest to roughly handle your new addition or feed him something that can be harmful.
The staffs at PAWS Atlanta and LifeLine Animal Project can help you find just the right pet.
In the end, “you don’t want the person to return the pet,” Hirsch said.
Check out these adoptable friends from PAWS Atlanta.
Some of the organizations to contact:
PAWS Atlanta
5287 Covington Highway, Decatur. 770-593-1155, www.pawsatlanta.org.
LifeLine Animal Project
404-292-8800 (appointments only for dogs), www.lifelineanimal.org.
Cat Adoption Center, 3172 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., Scottdale.
Atlanta Humane Society (Howell Mill Campus)
981 Howell Mill Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-875-5331, www.atlantahumane.org.
Atlanta Pet Rescue & Adoption
4874 S. Atlanta Road S.E., Atlanta. 404-815-6680, www.atlantapetrescue.org.
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