Why You Should Adopt Pets Instead of Buying Them

Unfortunately, breeding pets for business purposes is not illegal in all places yet, but you can make a better personal choice by choosing to adopt instead of buying. In case you are wondering what’s the difference or can’t think of enough reasons as to why one is better than the other, go through the following points.

Our adopted dog, Bolt

You are Supporting Horrifying Puppy Mills

Whenever you buy from a professional breeder, you are giving money to a business that makes a profession out of forcibly exploiting breeder dogs and puppies. In case you are not yet aware of the hell that a puppy mill is, click here to check out the reality.

It’s a Lot Cheaper

Puppy adoption is not only the better way to welcome a furry friend into your family, but it’s also more economical. Adoption charges are nominal as compared to buying a pedigree puppy and it often includes the costs of neutering, microchipping, and vaccinating. In other words, you get a healthy, spayed and vaccinated puppy at a lower cost.

They Need Your Help

Tens of millions of cats, dogs, and other pets are put into shelters every year, and unless you give them a home, they are living on borrowed time. They really need people to give them a loving home and each time someone buys a pet from a breeder or a pet shop, a pet loses its chance at survival.

Adoption is Rewarding

To know that you saved a life that was headed for euthanization is rewarding in itself. Chances are that the dog will show you enough gratitude to make sure that you will love yourself for that decision as well. It is to be noted that shelters have all kinds of dogs and some of them will have an abusive and sad history, which may lead them to be less charming. If you decide to adopt such a puppy, ensure that you understand what that means because the last thing an abused or abandoned dog needs is to be left alone once again.

Shelter Dogs may already have Training

This isn’t guaranteed, but most shelter dogs usually have at least some basic training from their earlier owners or from the adoption center itself. This means that you won’t have to worry about toilet training too much when you adopt.

Adoption Solves Pet Overpopulation Problem

A breeder may sell you a dog or any other pet without neutering it first, while all adoption centers must make sure that the puppy you are taking home won’t be able to add to the population. To some, it may sound cruel, but given the reality of the situation, it’s a necessary step. Millions of animals are put down every year because of overpopulation and at this moment, there aren’t enough homes to accommodate them all.

By now, it should be clear why animal lovers all over the world suggest that we adopt. Nevertheless, whether you adopt or buy, please make sure that your puppy doesn’t end up at the shelter one day.

Pets are Wonderful

When I first came here, I have no friends and did not know anyone.  My in-laws are all welcoming and made me feel at home but I   still felt lost and different.  I think it is just normal  when you are so far away from your family and  trying to learn the  way of  life here which is totally different from what I  grew up in.   Being pregnant then did not help with my homesickness, I was always wanting to burst out in tears.  But it got better as time goes on.  My father-in-law was a huge help to me especially when I gave birth to our  first born.  He was always  there  for us.  

I told my husband that it would be nice if we can have pets. He told me that we will get one when our daughter is a little older and whenever we already have our own home.  The longing for the pet   died down  because  we have our daughter and she  kept us  occupied all the time. It is only when we came back  from from overseas  that we got one.  We initially wanted a  german shepherd husky mix but found this cute Jack Russell Terrier pup instead and my husband knew  he was the one.  We named him Champ, he is an energetic, super  hyper fur baby.  

Having pets is like having kids. You have to take care of them, bathe them, feed them, and teach them things. Just like us, their health is an important aspect of their well being because just like children, they also bring joy to the family.  This little guy right here  is now 8 years old.  

Pets are wonderful to have.  We can learn so much from our pets if we pay close attention to them. Finding the right  veterinary clinic like the   pest control prince frederick md  is important.  It is a must that their vaccination is up to date to avoid  sickness.  Just like  people, dogs or any other kind of pets get prone to sickness when they get older especially when they don't get a lot of exercise and  doesn't have a good diet. 

As our family grows, the number of pets we have also grows.  We adopted a toy fox terrier and his name  was Max.  We ended up  giving it to a loving family that also wanted  a pet.  The decision was for his own safety, our big dog was not very gentle to him.  He once broke  his leg because Bolt got rough on him so after that incident, we decided to  have him adopted.

Then my sister-in-law found a Pomeranian on the road sometime in the winter season and she gave her to us.  We named her Chelsea.  She was a runaway dog and  she keep running away from home so we gave her for adoption to one of our friends.  We had her for about a year.

 Champ is the pioneer of our fur babies' dominion.  He is  a loyal companion.  He hangs out with me  when I am doing laundry or in the garden.     Rain or shine, he doesn't leave me.

When we adopted Bolt, Champ made sure to let him know that he was the leader.  He immediately  showed  Bolt his dominance.

Having pets involves expenses but it's worth it.  When we moved out to our old house, we thought of  putting our dogs for adoption but our son fought very hard  not to.  I am glad that we didn't  pursue it, I would have missed these little guys so much.  We have other pets  like guinea pigs and bunnies but they can't measure up to the joy that our dogs gives us.  They are definitely the best!

Preparing Your Children for a New Dog

If you’ve finally caved in and agreed to get a new dog for your family, then you might’ve just made the best or worst decision of your life. Most parents are responsible for the family pet even though the kids promise to take care of it. They don’t quite understand the pressure or responsibility required to take care of a living animal, but here are a couple of tips to help you ease them into the role of a responsible dog owner.

Maximus and EJ

With Max

Relax your child around your pets

One of the biggest concerns that you’ll face when introducing your child to a pet is that your child is going to be frightened, reckless and sometimes even aggressive towards your pet. These sudden jerky movements can often frighten animals that are new to your household, so ensure that you relax your child and teach them to be comfortable with your new pet. Teach them not to be too firm with your dog and take it slow when trying to build a bond.

With Champ

Teach them chores to look after your pet

There are some basic chores that your child can learn when getting them comfortable with your pet. Firstly, teach them to put away pet dishes and refill the food. This is a good place to teach your child how to properly manage feeding because overfeeding can make your pet overweight and underfeeding will leave them malnourished. Teach them how much food to pour, when, and how to properly clean the feeding dishes. It’s also recommended to teach your child how to deal with dog poop and urine. It’s probably one of the smellier and messier parts of dog care, but it’s something that your children need to learn if they want to grow up with their dog and learn to care for them properly.

Cleaning and grooming your dog

Children should be actively involved in the cleaning and grooming of your pet. The first thing you should consider is getting a guide and learn how to groom your dog. If you personally don’t know how to groom your dog, then you need to learn first, practice and then pass the information onto your children. For instance, if it’s a furry dog then make sure the coat is brushed on a regular basis. Clipping toenails is also beneficial to the pet and also your children, and even their teeth need a good clean now and then. Bathing your dog can also be quite a challenge, but it’s important that your children learn how to do it as well.

Don’t just leave it up to your children

Finally, we need to talk about commitment and responsibility. One of the worst things you can do is get a dog then leave it up to your children. As mentioned before, you’re going to be responsible for the dog as the parent and you need to slowly introduce your children to the tasks and responsibilities of a dog owner. This is why you personally need to also show some compassion and care when taking care of your dog. If you aren’t remotely interested in getting a dog, then tell your children you simply don’t have time for it.

The Best Pets For Young Children

If you have children, then you know just how difficult it can be to constantly be hearing “can we have a pet?” To be fair, the appeal is completely understandable. If you were young and you saw an animal, wouldn’t you want one too? Didn’t you want one, when you were their age? Now, there are ways to settle your kids down and the questions will stop (eventually!), but take a step back: why don’t you want to get a pet? They’re often more manageable than you’d think, and can bring a ton of benefits to the family household. And there are also plenty of animals to choose from, as our examples below show…

Small and Fuzzy

The biggest arguments against getting a pet are that you might not have enough time to take care of it properly, you don’t know what they’ll get up to when you’re away from home, and that your children will get bored of them and you’ll be stuck with a pet you didn’t even really want in the first place! Enter: small rodents! These cute little creatures are small enough that they won’t cause you any worries; stay almost exclusively in their cage and couldn’t destroy your home even if they wanted to; and, besides from offering hours and hours of entertainment (what will they do next?), don’t live all that long. Of course that last point is a bit sad, but they are nature’s rules - not ours! Rodents came in general just one shape and size, but they do vary - you can get a hamster or gerbil (similar but not quite the same), a mouse, or a rat (eek! No need to be alarmed; they’re cool).

Can’t Touch, Won’t Touch

If you’re concerned about how your children will interact with your new pet, then you could consider getting a creature that they either can’t touch, or a creature that they won’t touch, but which they’ll also be entertained by and learn good life skills from. Specifically, for the ‘can’t touch’ angle, we’re thinking fish - visit this website to see the weird and colourful creatures that are available. On the ‘won’t touch’ front, we’re thinking along the lines of reptiles (endlessly fascinating!) and creatures from around the world. Great African snails, for instance, are a complete curiosity - they’re different to what you might think of when you think of a pet, but they’re great to watch and can broaden your child's horizons.

Source: Pexels.com

The Dog Question

Yeah, you knew this was coming - your children don’t just want a pet, they have their heart set on a dog. In those cases, all you can really do is: get one, or don’t. Obviously, getting a dog is a much greater investment than getting a hamster or a gerbil, and you’ll have to personally want one yourself. A dog that is only acquired for the children will end up being more hassle than it’s worth - and ultimately that won’t be fair on the dog or anybody else. Remember - a dog is for life!

Man's Bestfriend: Champ and Bolt are Our Family's Bestfriends

Pets are a big part of the family so when you make big changes in your life, decisions involve them too.  We contemplated on  giving our fur babies for adoption  since the new home that we bought does not have a fence but we decided to keep them.  We couldn't bear the thought of waking  up without their tails wagging and always  readyto greet us.  The solution would be is to put  up a fence to the new home.

Our pets are the reason why we put  fences around our  current house.  So even though it would cost us money to put fence again on the new home, we will do it for them.  Our dogs are not trained to  just sit  without  running away so we have to use chain  to keep them but since we don't want to do that, a fence is needed so they can run around  in our backyard freely.  

 Our dog Bolt is such a character.  When I ask my kids to pose for me, Bolt is there posing with them.  He loves to be in front of the camera.

 These photos are just some of the many instances where they love to be around when I want to take pictures of the kids.

 They are always my daughter's photo buddies.

 Bolt is big  but he loves to cuddle.  When we are all sitting in the  ccouch, he would always  come and  sit by us.  

 Our lives would not be the same without them.

 So even though they  are sometimes an inconvenience especially wqhen we travel, it's worth all the hassle we go through because they bring us  smiles.

 They are the moist loyal individuals, mostly loyal than  many people I now.

 So Bolt and Champ, you are staying with us, no matter what.  I apologize that we even thought of putting you guys  for adoption but glad we didn't.

 So enjoy your stay and I hope that we could be  together for a very long time.

 Champ, I know that you don't like  Veterinary visit but  it is that time again, Friday will be you and your brother's  annual vaccination. 

 Champ is my gardening buddy when the kids are in school.  He keep me company when I am gardeing, trying to  give his ball for me to fetch.  He love to play.

 Bolt is a big fan of his sister.

 Funny when she is in school, BOlt  stays in her bedroom.

 So for these two, we have so many memories to make ahead on our new home.

Champ and Bolt are Our Family's Bestfriends.

To Keep or Not to Keep our Fur Babies

We are torn on whether  to put our  fur babies for adoption or to keep  them.  We love our dogs and I can't imagine moving to our new home  without them.  The dilemma we are having is that,  the new house does not have a fence and we just refinished  the  wood flooring.  I told my husband that we can keep one but he said that if we are getting rid of one, we are getting rid of  both of them, wahhh.  So we haven't decided what to do yet although our Jack Russell has a taker already.  

I think we are going to end up keeping them.  The solution would be to put up a fence  in the back yard so  they won't run away.  

Christmas Gift for our Jack Russel Terrier

Remember that Kong Holiday JUmbler that I reviewed few weeks back? We wrapped it for Champ even thoough h really wanted it the moment it arrived. We want him to open a gift too during Christmas and that's what we did.

Champ being a JRT is fearless unlike our  other dogBolt who is afraid of his own shadow.  With Champ, he loves  things that makes noises so the jumbler was a perfect toy for him.

I should have took a video of him when he was opening the box because he was really into it.

He eventually had it open which is really good because the  she box where we put it was hard.

He did it eventually and he couldn't be more excited when he saw what's inside.

This is his  new favorite toy to play with now.

We also got them a new bed padding for their crate and  they both love it since it's a bit thicker than the  former one that they have.

These  two has been  a great pets for us since we back from  my husband's last tour in Asia.  They are the biggest part of my husband's life after the Navy.

Dogs are like kids, they are a source of joy to any home.