Adopting A Pet

Before you spend money on buying a pet, why not consider Adoption?

Dogs are put up for adoption for all sorts of reasons. Many are strays - turned in by someone who was
concerned for the dog’s safety, but most of the time, by owners who think their dog is no longer useful,
cute, able or simply these owners are unwilling to care for them anymore.

Adoption dogs comes in many background, they may be old, young or in-between. They may have
lived in busy household with kids, or other canines, or may have spent quiet years with a senior citizen.
These dogs may have been loved and cherished (rarely), or mistreated and painfully abused. One more
thing, they may have gone through a tough and wandering life for a long time before found. Dogs
do not have ego involvement but humans have.


Why Adopt?

- Adopting is cheaper than buying
- You do not need to deal with puppyhood
- There are too many homeless and strays in the world, so why encourage breeding?
- Adopted dogs will return you in kind as they knows you have adopted them from the streets or pound

Having said all the above, we still need a reality checks before considering adoption.

What should we look for?


Health Considerations
Are you able and willing to care for an adopted dog with known health problems? Even the problems
may be minor such as inflamed ears, waxy ears which requires daily cleaning, ingrown toenails that
requires frequent trimming? What about canine diabetes that requires daily insulin injections? Any
other health problems which only render the dog’s life to be one year? Of course, there may be the
“fixable” cases (such as parasite infestation, mange, tooth or gum diseases, infected wounds etc)
where a one-time veterinary care will resolve the issue. Whether it’s a one-time “fixable” case or
permanent maintenance of the dog, you must sort through your feelings and capabilities on this subject.
If you are not willing or financial strapped, do not act on your emotion.


Physical Imperfections
Even though this dog is healthy, it has physical disabilities which may be cases of a missing eye, an
amputated leg, distorted facial features etc. Again if you do not feel good about the imperfections
on this dog, then don’t adopt it. The problem lies in your ego and not the dog as they do not have ego
involvement in them.


Age
A younger dog which may need training and a longer commitment from you whereas an older one which
may not adapt to training anymore but have developed a calmness and disposition over the years. Where
age is concerns, the profile of you and your family matters a lot to the type of strays you adopt. Generally,
older dogs are easy to live with. Whichever age you choose, that period of companionship and bliss
will never be a mistake.