Adding a pet to your family is an exciting and life-changing experience. However, whether it’s your first pet, your fourth, or your tenth pet, it’s a decision that cannot be taken lightly. This new pet will spend their whole life with you, so it’s important to look at the world through their eyes. What do they need from their first year to their last? Will you be able to meet their physical, mental and emotional needs? What do you need to make this new furry relationship enjoyable, sustainable, affordable and beneficial for you, your family, and your pets?
In this article, we’ll explore the practical, emotional and financial considerations to think about before bringing home a new pet.
Step 1: Understanding the impact of a new pet
It’s all too easy to be swayed by the emotional plea on a Facebook post, a pet rescue visit, or an advert for puppies and kittens. Before you get caught up in the moment, it’s important to put some intellectual distance between those adorable eyes in the present, and what the future looks like. Adopting a pet into your family is a major step that will change your life for the next 10 to 15 years. Therefore, it’s important to go into this decision with the right expectations.
Research the breed
Whether adopting a dog or a cat (or small pet, reptile, bird, etc.), each breed type will have different requirements – no matter what the animal. Some cat breeds prefer to lounge around indoors, while others are consummate outdoor creatures. Some are very needy for human attention (and good with kids), while others prefer to be admired from a distance.
Some dog breeds are more suited to the couch life with a burst of exercise twice a day (think greyhounds). Some dogs were bred as working animals and have unlimited energy (think border collies and Belgian Malinois). Some dogs prefer bonding with one owner (cocker spaniel), while others are social butterflies (Labrador). If you’re a marathon runner, a Siberian husky – who needs at least 10km of running per day – would be better suited to your lifestyle than a Dachshund. If you’re active on some days and not-so-active on others, the adaptable Boston terrier is a good match. If you do not meet the energy, activity and problem-solving needs of the pet you choose, they may find ways of entertaining themselves, which are not conducive to a harmonious household (i.e. they may become very destructive out of boredom).
Looks alone will not be a great way to determine whether a pet is the right fit for your family, so please thoroughly research the pet and breed characteristics.
Draw up a budget for your new pet
The financial implications of a new pet are very often overlooked. If you are adopting from a shelter, pet adoption fees can range from R800 – R1500, which include vaccinations, deworming, microchipping and sterilisation. However, pet food, tick and flea treatments, grooming products, pet beds, toys and other accessories are some of the very real ‘pet start-up’ costs that need to be taken into account. If you are acquiring a new pet privately, you will need to budget for the pet itself, as well as for vaccinations, microchipping, sterilisation and regularly deworming and antiparasitic treatments.
Work out how much your new pet will cost you on the month-to-month expenses like food and treats. Factor in puppy school and training, annual vet check-ups and possible dental cleaning, and quarterly tick and flea treatments. Can you afford any veterinary emergencies? If you opt for pet insurance, can you afford the monthly premiums?
Take a realistic look at what the cost of a new pet really is and make sure you budget for this new addition to your household.
Choose your new pet wisely
Do not look for a pet on Google. Potential pet owners may have the best intentions for a new pet, but puppy scams are rife on the internet (read more about how to avoid puppy scams). If a legitimate-looking website offers a wide range of puppies that are immediately available, this is a huge red flag. Registered breeders have very few litters a year and even fewer available puppies and kittens. Registered breeders do not emotionally manipulate or create a sense of urgency to sell their litters. They have waiting lists of potential homes, so if you are serious about a particular breed, you will need to wait. If you want a new pet sooner than a waiting list will allow, rather visit the pet shelters in your area, in person. Very often they have pure breed pets needing forever homes, so perhaps adoption is the best route for acquiring your new pet.
Do not buy a new pet on a whim. For the sake of your satisfaction and your new pet’s long-term comfort, health and wellbeing, first do your research, prepare yourself financially, mentally and emotionally for your new pet, and then prepare to bring your new pet home.
Step 2: Preparing for your new pet
Is your home suitable for introducing a new pet? You may need to cordon off an area of your home for your new pet, especially if you have a double storey with a staircase (which is dangerous to new baby pets), or if your yard is not properly fenced off.
Pet-proofing your home can entail:
- locking away cleaning supplies and medications
- putting food and snacks out of reach
- tying up loose cables
- installing baby gates and window screens
- erecting fencing, especially for new puppies that will grow into energetic dogs
- stocking up a pet first-aid kit
- confirming that you have no poisonous plants that could harm pets
Puppies (and to a certain extent kittens too) will find anything and everything to chew. Part of pet-proofing your home should be to ensure your new pets have plenty of toys to distract them and give them something positive to chew on.
You will need the following supplies before you bring your new pet home (use this as a checklist):
- Food and water bowls (make sure each pet has their own food bowl, to avoid creating a competitive environment that can lead to aggressive behaviour)
- Pet food
- Pet supplements (on the vet’s recommendation)
- Pet treats
- Pet bed and blankets
- Pet toys (lots of them)
- Scratching post for cats
- Collar and leash for dogs
- Grooming tools (brush, nail clippers, toothbrush)
Step 3: New pet meets vet
It’s important for your new pet to meet their vet for an initial consultation and health check-up. This will give the vet the opportunity to create a health baseline for your pet and to be able to monitor them at each subsequent check-up. If not yet performed, the vet will encourage you to microchip, vaccinate and sterilise your new pet. They will set up your pet’s vaccination schedule and, depending on your pet’s age and location, recommend the core and (if relevant) non-core vaccines for your pet, and when they should receive them.
Ask the vet to recommend the right pet food to meet your pet’s nutritional needs, and follow their feeding advice. Do not overfeed or over-treat your new pet – the vet will know if you do when they weigh your pet at the next check-up!
Step 4: Bringing your new pet home
The exciting step of bringing your new pet home should be done with the wellbeing of your new pet, as well as any existing pets (and humans), in mind. How will your existing furry family members feel? Will your new pet acclimate easily? What can you do to make this as smooth a transition to a new family as possible?
- Keep all pets’ beds, food bowls and toys separate. This will ensure your new pet has a safe place to retreat to, and your existing pets don’t feel their space is being invaded. Reward each pet with a treat on their own beds, to reinforce that this is the desirable behaviour you want from them.
- Allow your pets to meet on neutral territory so that your current pets don’t see the new pet as an intruder or a threat.
- If introducing your new pet to your children, first set some boundaries and teach your children to handle the new pet with care. Absolutely no picking the pet up by the scruff of the neck, the legs or the tail. All pet interaction must be supervised.
- Establish a daily routine – feeding, sleeping, playtime, walking and grooming at more or less the same time every day. Having a daily routine in place ensures that your pets know exactly what’s expected of them, and when, throughout the day. This increases their self-confidence, reduces anxiety, and reduces the risk of conditions like separation anxiety or aggression, which stem from a fear of the unknown and a lack of confidence. The more your pets can anticipate (and enjoy) a desired activity, the less likely they are to display destructive and unwanted behaviours. Also remember that a tired pet is a good pet – so make sure you meet your pet’s requirements for energy expenditure.
- Socialisation with other pets and humans is critical for your new pet, so that they can learn some social manners. Arrange to met other pet parents at the park or another neutral situation, where your pets can get to know one another. Socialisation classes, puppy school and a weekly dog training session are great for this. Don’t simply walk your dog up to a stranger’s dog and call it ‘socialising’ – neither of them may appreciate it!
Obedience training is an essential part of pet ownership. Whether you attend a class with your new pet or get one-on-one training with a behaviourist, this is vital to teach you how to communicate with your pet and to learn how they are communicating with you. Both dogs and cats need obedience training, which can be cemented in place with positive reinforcement – the use of rewarding the behaviour you want from them.
Step 5: Adjusting to your new pet
It’s essential to look at the world through your new pet’s eyes and understand what they are going through. They may need some time to adjust and feel at home in this new environment, while you (and your existing pets and children) need time to adjust to a new pet. If you are adopting a pet with a traumatic or unknown history, they will need extra care and compassion when settling into your home. They will have come from a shelter environment, which can be very stressful, and will need time to decompress and learn that they are safe in your home, and can make it their home. Some adopted pets can take up to three months to learn that they are safe and secure, so give them a chance and a positive, caring and gentle experience in your home.
If you have any concerns or questions about adopting a new pet, ask the vet for advice on how best to make your new pet feel right at home.