Picking Out the Perfect Pet for Your Family

Picking out the perfect pet for your family can be very time consuming, and rarely ends with all family members agreeing on which pet to choose. Begin your research by considering whether any of your children are allergic to any animals, the age of the youngest child in your house, how much interaction that you want to have with the pet, the amount of time that you are going to be leaving the pet alone each day, the amount of room required to allow the pet to move around and the overall cost of the pet. Doing your research prior to looking may save a number of hardships down the road. There are many different types of pets and it takes time to come up with the pet that it is right for your family. Whether you choose a dog, a cat, a rodent, snake, rabbit or pig, there are some important things to consider prior to your purchase.
It is important to start with a clear understanding of why your family wants to get a pet. This will understanding will greatly assist you in picking out the right type of pet for your family. Do you want a pet that is independent and requires little contact or are you looking for an energetic companion with whom you can jog or play Frisbee? Pets that are more independent are: fish, turtles, rodents, and snakes. Dogs, rabbits, potbellied pigs and some cats require more attention.
Some types of pets will need you to provide constant supervision when younger children are playing with them. Young children tend to hug pets a little too hard or may try to feed them something that would be bad for the pet. Older children can help you with some of the chores associated with having a pet. My own experience is that this help lasts for maybe two or three weeks, and then the responsibility of the pet falls on your shoulders. Many times I chose to bypass the aggravation associated with trying to get one of the children to take care of our dog and I just did it myself. I think that the best investment that we ever made was to fence in the backyard and install a doggy door. This saves me a lot of time that I was spending walking the dog, but the chore of picking up the dog droppings is not all that pleasant either.
When you begin looking into the cost of the pet, don’t forget to include things like food, shots, vet bills, bowls, toys, cages/homes and who will care for the pet when you are vacationing.
The amount of time that the pet will be alone each day will greatly affect the number of choices that you have. Everyone at our house is gone from early in the morning until dinner time. We all knew that we wanted a dog, we are definitely dog people. Bringing a puppy into our household would spell disaster. Puppies require a lot of attention and training. They tend to chew and pee on everything when left unattended. We chose to rescue a full grown dog from the dog pound because often times they are already trained and are much more tolerant of being home alone.
It is also important to consider your home environment when choosing a pet. How much room is there for the pet to move around or to set up their home? How will your neighbors or your landlord feel about this new pet? This is a big one to consider if your dog turns out to be a barker.
I hope these suggestions help you in your quest to find the perfect pet for your family. I think having and caring for a pet, if it is the right pet, can teach your children many valuable lessons.