How to Find the Perfect Pet?

A pet becomes a best friend if you can find the perfect match for yourself. Although there are many options available that may seem perfect, most of them aren’t. More than the pet itself, you need to evaluate yourself before buying or adopting one. 

This article will guide you to find the perfect pet for yourself.

Understand Your Commitment

When choosing a pet, the first thing you need to do is calculate your commitment to caring for it. If you are considering having a pet without thinking about the consequences and the literal work it demands, you are taking it the wrong way. Whatever pet you choose, you are expected to feed, bathe, vaccinate, and groom them.

Buying or adopting a pet is a full-time job that you can’t outsource. If your lifestyle is demanding and you are required to dedicate your whole day to it, a low-maintenance pet like hamsters and reptiles are the solution. Not a high functioning large breed of dog. 

Not only your lifestyle but your intent should also be accounted for too. Many easter bunnies are abandoned after two or three weeks of their adaptation due to the sheer fact that the owners were not ready. 

If you’ve decided to have a pet, try narrowing down the reasons why you want one. Fixate upon the online pet supplies you would need, like toys, collars, gravels, and more. And moreover, take time to think if you would be able to take care of something that’s alive and is very much dependent on you. 

Being a traveler, your choices are narrowed even more for the good. As you are required to arrange accommodation, commute, and food for your pet while traveling, choosing an animal that fits a small crib and can be carried around is best—as a small dog. 

Consider Personal Experience

Personal experience with animals should be the motivating element when looking for a pet. If you have no experience with training or taking care of pets in the past, it’s for the best that you choose a pet that requires little to no training. Like a bunny or lizard. 

Children—regardless of their age—they can be quite rude to pets. They may not harm the animals intentionally or vice versa, but pet abuse and child injury are quite common in households with pets. Your child’s relationship with other animals should also be considered while finding the best pet.

Personal experience may also include personal finances. If you aren’t as well off from getting exotic pets, you might also not be able to not think about finances while getting a dog or something similar. Your pet requires periodic vet visits, vaccinations, medications, foods, and occasional grooming, The costs can add up pretty quickly. 

Let me give you a personal example, I used to keep African cichlids. 

At first, I didn’t have experience with anything tangentially related to fish. They were literally tortured and, unsurprisingly, dead. I had no idea that they needed hard alkaline water, so I used to keep them in purified water. I used to overfeed and overpopulate the space, which stressed them to death. Although I learned and still keep cichlids, the lives that were already lost for the cause were gone. 

If your personal experience isn’t extensive enough. Don’t go for pets that require sensitive care. 

How Much Space You Have

Depending on the animal and breed, your pet will need a varying amount of space to move around the house or play in the backyard. While it’s for the best to give your pet as much space as possible, it often proves to be not enough for dogs and birds. 

Before jumping into adopting a large hound, consider the space around your house. If you don’t have a backyard where your pet can play fetch or chase squirrels, it’s wise to not go for large breeds. Cats don’t need much exercise and can live in cramped spaces quite comfortably. For those having a space constraint but wanting something rather intelligent than a hamster, cats are the best alternative. 

It also is your responsibility to consider the personal space that your family members have. A pet that roams around the house, like a cat or dog can become a nuisance for other members of the family. If everyone in your proximity is okay with you having a pet, that’s fine. But if they don’t, you need to respect it and take appropriate measures in the aspect of choosing the pet. 

How Much Time You Can Spare

Pets require your undivided attention. Some pets require more, while others less. But you can’t just ignore them the whole day and leave them with food and water. Their excrements need to be taken out, their coats need to be combed, and they need a lot of attention and petting. 

Consider how much time you can spare each day on them and choose the animal accordingly. Intelligent animals like dogs, cats, and mice understand love and can become agitated if neglected.

Research Your Choice

After you’ve narrowed down your choice of pet. You need to do a lot of research before bringing them home. Just like a kid, different pets have different needs. You’ll need to look for an Animals Guide to help educate yourself about the diet your pet needs, the vaccination requirements, the symptoms of common diseases, and the kind of care they demand. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than losing a pet. 

You also need to research their natural behavior. If your pet is loud, you might need to reconsider if you live with others. Their exercise pattern is equally important. Choose a pet that doesn’t need much exercise if you aren’t as active as they need you to be. 

Where to Find a Healthy Pet

Breeders and animal shelters are the two most legitimate sources of pets. While in the case of breeders, you’d find anything that you want. Animal shelters often lack the options. But when you are adopting from an animal shelter—especially “kill” shelters—you are saving and promising a happier life for the animal. 

Animal shelters often provide vet care after the animal has been rescued. Thus, the chances of getting a pet that’s ill are minimized. 

If you are buying from a breeder, consider asking questions about the parentage of the animal to understand its temperament. Ask about the facilities that they have been living in. Some unethical breeding mills abuse the animals with reproductive medications and cramped living conditions to increase their profitability. 

The Bottom Line

To find a perfect pet, you need to understand your commitment to the animal. Make sure that you’d not abandoning them after a while due to personal or financial reasons. Your personal experiences, the space you have, and availability of time also play major roles in finding the best pet for yourself.