Checklist: 8 things you need to know if you want to have a pet

Julia Dudkina

Many years dream of a dog or cat, and having finally gotten a pet, they begin to regret about it: someone turns out to be not ready for responsibility, and someone simply cannot get along with the pet. We have already told you what problems novice pet owners might face. Together with the volunteers of the organization "RusDog" we understand what needs to be considered before acquiring a pet.

You will have to adhere to the regime

Especially if you are going to have a dog. You need to walk with her twice a day and play or train at least half an hour. For some breeds this is not enough - for example, vigorous likes need at least three, and preferably four or five hours of active exercise per day. Otherwise, the dog will be bored, chew furniture and walls, and maybe even fall into depression or get sick.

Most "ordinary" dogs may have enough shorter walks, but this still means that you will have to get up earlier and will certainly return home in the evening, even from the funniest party (unless, of course, you have previously agreed to help). With cats, things are simpler, but they also need to follow the feeding and games mode - although it can be convenient for a person to dump a lot of dry food and leave for a few days, it will not help the pet's well-being.

And change habits

Some believe that only the birth of a child can truly change life, and a pet is only a “preparation”. But if you think this way, it is better to think once more before you start a cat or a dog: to take care of him, you will have to change not only the regime, but also habits. It will be necessary to adapt the space, especially while the pet has not yet mastered the basics of training: food cannot be left on the table just like that, and you have to hide garbage bags in a bucket with a lid, otherwise in the morning there will be scraps all over the apartment, and the dog may become poisoned. If you are going to start a bird, then you may have to make a permutation: the cage should stand against the wall, but not at the window, and in a sufficiently lit place.

When you are going on vacation, you have to decide where and with whom to leave your pet, you will need to agree with a friend or relative for help or find a reliable hotel for pets. And of course, you will need to train and play with the ward - everyone needs attention, and the animals are no exception (especially if you do not want the cat to climb the bedside at three o'clock in the morning).

Every month you will spend more money

If you want to buy a purebred dog or cat, then it is better to look for an animal from a proven breeder, and this is not cheap: for example, you have to pay forty to forty-five thousand rubles for a Maine Coon, and fifty to one hundred thousand for a corgi or siba-inu. If you take an animal from a shelter, then you certainly will not have to pay for the purchase (but it would be nice to donate to volunteers anyway), but this will not save you from further expenses.

Monthly expenses will certainly increase: pets need good food (your pussy would not buy Whiskas), collars, leashes and toys. If you want to attend training sessions or contact a zoopsychologist, then you will have to pay for a good “human” tutor. By the way, it is better not to neglect this kind of advice, because with the wrong upbringing, both the pet and the owner will be unhappy.

A lot are worth as regular (for vaccinations and monitoring of known diseases in advance), and unscheduled treatment to the vet. We all, including animals, periodically get sick, but the treatment of pets does not cover OMS. If you are not at all prepared for unexpected expenses and you have nowhere to wait for financial support, it may be better to wait with the animals.

Animal boundaries need to be respected

Dogs and cats do not immediately become attached to the owner. Puppies bite painfully in the first few months, kittens scratch (by the way, you can’t let them play with your hand in any case, otherwise you have to pay with bloody wounds for the rest of your life). Affectionate, they usually become only closer to the year. In addition, each animal has its own character. It’s impossible to guess how a puppy or a kitten will grow up: it may turn out to be docile or independent, calm or energetic, but in any case it will have its own tastes and needs - and they will just have to be accepted.

Not all animals love to sit on their hands, but in no case can you impose a hug on your pet: it has boundaries that you should respect if you want a cat or dog to be happy. What we understand as an expression of love, an animal can perceive as an attempt to limit its movement, and this leads to stress. For example, it is better to miss a cat on the fly, as soon as he is in your field of vision - it is better to slowly raise your hand first in order to understand the mood of your pet and whether it is ready for stroking.

At the same time, the animal will probably choose a pet from the very beginning and will first of all obey it - most likely it will be the person who feeds the pet and cares for it. But sometimes the choice of "beloved master" is not obvious, so if you have dreamed of a cat or a dog for years, and she has appointed you as a pet not, you just have to put up with it.

Each pet will have its own characteristics

It is impossible to predict what kind of character your animal will have, but still, different breeds have their own characteristics - both psychological and physiological - and they should be taken into account in advance. Some, for example, better tolerate the abundant attention of young children, while others, by nature, are lonely and cannot stand when they are squeezed all the time; someone will have a genetic propensity for certain diseases, and someone will need a mandatory strict diet.

Say, if you want to ski with a dog in winter, then you definitely should not get a pug or an English bulldog: although pugs love to run around, they hardly manage to march through the snow. And if you lead a Shar-Pei, then be prepared to wash his skin between the folds after washing. And it is better not to buy a Siamese cat, if you like silence - this is a very "talkative" breed. Details of this sense should be clarified in advance in order to be ready for anything.

Incorrect training can harm

The psyche of animals is complicated, so if you take the upbringing of a pet seriously enough, you can ruin the life for yourself and for him. There are a lot of subtleties in humane training and training of dogs and cats, so you have to educate yourself, and even better, go to special courses.

For example, many owners unknowingly begin to calm and stroke an animal that was frightened by something, thereby only fixing the attitude that it is necessary to be afraid of what happened. Another example - people around the world are touched by a video about "guilty" dogs. In fact, scolding animals for what they have done some time ago is pointless: educational (not equally cruel) measures work only if you caught the "culprit" at the crime scene. Even small parrots have a thin internal organization: for example, it is not recommended to plant them in a round cage, so as not to deprive the sense of security, and also to buy mirrors for them.

You will have to make a plan for the next twenty years.

If you want to have a dog, add to your current age of fifteen years, if the cat is twenty. At best, you will be so much when your pet grows happy and calm and leaves this world. Do you know what you will do all these years? Do you plan to move in with a partner? What if he's allergic? Do you think about the child? Can I call you to work abroad? If you now live with a partner, who will get the animal in case of separation? All these questions will have to be answered right now.

Often, people donate animals to a shelter or attach them to good hands, because they have not previously considered the most frequent scenarios. A common story is when a child is born in a family, and there is no time or energy left for the pet. Sometimes it happens that the dog begins to show aggression towards the child, and the owners are not ready to solve problems in the behavior of the animal and prefer to find a new home for him - all this can turn into a tragedy for both the pet and the owners.

Your allergies may go away - or they may remain.

Allergies can be caused not only by wool, but also by dandruff, feathers, saliva, urine and animal excrement. The reaction manifests itself in the form of a runny nose, conjunctivitis, pruritus, sometimes reaches asthma. If you do not know whether you are allergic to animals, it is better to check this in advance: for example, try to take over the pet of the desired breed. You can try to start a "hypoallergenic" dog or cat, but this will not save you 100%. For example, Yorkshire terriers are considered to be hypoallergenic, because they do not have an undercoat, they do not shed and do not spit - but the chance that the reaction will still appear, unfortunately, remains. There are cases when a host with allergies "gets used" to his animal and the symptoms disappear, but relying on risk is still risky.

PHOTO: nikolayn - stock.adobe.com, Suraphol - stock.adobe.com, Will Thomas - stock.adobe.com, inarik - stock.adobe.com