Don't Buy the Puppy, Adopt a Dog.

Okay, as the title suggest, this is what I will be dwelling on today. It is not solely on dogs but any other domestic animals. :)

Maybe it is the power of social media. These days, I have been seeing a lot of Facebook postings about adoption, fur parents giving up their fur kids, animals being put to sleep due to lack of space. And not to mentioned, the people who posted about adopting/buying Puppies only.

Actually, having a pet is never easy - I've learnt the hard way. Before you want/demand a pet, remember some points:

1)     Are you willing to clean up their faeces after they have done their business? It might be in public, but that's okay.. What's worse if it relieves itself in your home, your favourite sofa, the walls, and your bed?

2)     Food! What can your pet eats, what is dangerous for them, e.g. my dog, Sparky, can't eat grapes - like any other dog, he will vomits. Imagine cleaning up his vomit when he accidentally ate one grape.

3)     They need to have their activity and play times! Cats, dogs, rabbits.. They need to be let out and roam freely. You must bring them down for walks or open up their cage for them to roam about. You won't like being kept in a small cage 24/7. So do them!

4)     Bathe them! Eating, drinking, going for walks, activity time, dust.. Like humans, anything can make them dirty, pets need to have their bath times. And bathing them needs skill, you must not allow water in their ears and eyes. And drying them up with a hairdryer asap one you're done with the shower for them to prevent colds.

5)     The house will never be clean with a pet around. Your beloved sofa will be covered with fur. Wires tend to become chew toys. Your pet may territorise and sleep on the sofa. Anything but it is no longer just you, it's us. There is a need to clean up the house daily. It's going to be a chore and adding up to your burdens.

6)     Your pet will grow old; it will not be the cute little thing you thought it always will be. One day, they, like humans, may have no more energy to walk and run. They will be paralysed. You need to feed them. You need to clean them up when they can't move. It will be a horrible and heart wrecking sight but you need to be there for them.

A pet needs a lot of commitments. The list goes on and on. I am one fur parent that regretted having a dog in my house. But the joy of having one around is of great impact as well. If one day, I return home and Sparky's not around to greet me, I will feel sad..

So everytime you see a post about adoption, always consider what are the cons first. There are millions and billions of pros having a dog but the cons may affect you in future in abandoning that same dog too.

So think first, always.