Policies

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Adopting a Pet

• Are you prepared to take the animal with you if you move? To spend the time and effort necessary to find a place to live that will accept pets?

• If you live in an apartment, are you sure that your lease allows you to keep a pet?

• Are you able and willing to make the financial commitment to provide your new pet with the food and routine medical care it needs every year? If necessary, are you able and willing to provide emergency medical care if the situation ever occurs?

• Have you considered that this cute, playful puppy or kitten, with the childlike features and antics, will soon turn into an adult animal with its own personality? And that it could very likely be with you for the next 10 to 20 years?

• Are you able and willing to spend time playing with, exercising, and loving you new family member on a daily basis?

• Do you have the time and are you willing to spend the time it takes to house train your new pet?

• Are you aware that this new pet may chew or scratch furniture or other items in your home? Are you willing to work with it to teach it not to do these things?

• Are you prepared for hair on the sofa and carpet, scratch marks on floors or furniture, and for the fact that your house can be no longer kept faultlessly clean?

• Are you prepared to clean up fecal matter or urine, or vomited hair balls, without getting angry at the animal?

• Are you aware of the playful and inquisitive nature of pets, specially kittens and puppies, and are you willing to accept this playfulness in your household?

• Can you ensure that your new pet will not be left alone at home for more than 8 hours a day? Have the other people in your household consented to the addition of a new pet?

• After you’ve brought the pet home, are you willing to skip a few weekend trips initially to help your new pet familiarize it with you and your household?

• Do you have relatives, friends, neighbors, who will take care of your pet while you are on vacation? If not, are you prepared to make suitable boarding/pet-sitting arrangements?

If you have children, can they understand that a pet requires time and attention every day? Is the child willing to sacrifice some of his or her playtime to take care of the pet?  Are you willing to remind your child of these duties?  If the children get bored with the pet, are YOU willing to give it the attention and care it needs?

If you can gladly answer YES to each of these questions, you will be rewarded with many years of loving companionship from your new pet!