February 2009

A Pet Match St. Valentine Would Approve

When it comes to humans and choosing our companion animals, we often find a new friend by simply falling head over heels in love! And who could blame us? A cute face, a loving spirit, or a sad story—animals find many paths into our hearts.

The problem with falling in love fast is it can get us into trouble. Acting on instant attraction, desire, and even misplaced sympathy, well-meaning people bring home all sorts of animals without properly getting to know their furry “love at first sight” or fully considering the long-term commitments. Sadly, for many animals the honeymoon is quickly over when they grow up or grow out of their once beloved traits. New love becomes a burden to be fed or is divorced in a variety of sad ways.

While happy endings do happen in the face of quick decisions, such as rescuing a stray animal from the road, for the most part, choosing a new companion animal to join the family should be given serious consideration.

For starters, spend quality time interacting with the animal and getting to know his or her individual personality and history. It is essential to be honest about what personality, energy level, and basic instinctual behaviors will fit well with your family. Of course, all animals will have something about them that should be accepted within reason and may be redirected with training, such as dog chewing or cat scratching.  However, to bring home an animal whose core traits contradict what your family is willing to accept is unrealistic and unfair.

Along with getting to know the individual animal, include family introductions with children and other pets to ensure everyone gets along well. For instance, dogs in the home should always meet any new dog that is being considered for addition to the family.  Finally, give some good thought to each aspect of the new dynamic the potential friend will bring to the home.  Just a few include:

• adapting changes to the family’s routine schedule and household/property set-up
• covering the costs of daily essentials and long-term health care
• committing to the time needed for basic training and to address behavior conflicts
• providing and monitoring social interactions with family members, human and animal
• ensuring a safe and structured environment in and out of the home
• establishing pet care arrangements in the event of vacations, emergencies, and (hopefully not!) your untimely death

Falling in love is fun and exciting, so go ahead, get googly-eyed over some animal friends! But when it comes to choosing which one you’ll bring home, take your time, ask all the right questions, and make sure it’s truly a “match made in heaven” that even St. Valentine would approve.