Let’s face it, there is nothing as cute as a new puppy or a kitten, and it’s easy to give in and buy one, often on impulse, without truly thinking things through.
The harsh reality is that animal shelters are overflowing with unwanted and abandoned animals, and many of them simply cannot keep up. These shelters rely on donations and often struggle to make ends meet. The overpopulated shelters often have no choice other than to euthanise animals they are unable to rehome. This is incredibly sad. Often people abandon a pet because the pet is simply no longer cute, they cannot afford to care of it or they move into a smaller place or immigrate.
Evaluate your lifestyle
While life can be unpredictable, the importance of evaluating your lifestyle before you add a fur baby to your family cannot be stressed enough. It is easy to forget that you are making a commitment for anything around 10 years, depending on the breed you choose. You truly need to ask yourself, is your life stable enough to make that kind of decision? Should your circumstances change, will you still be able to incorporate your pet into your lifestyle?
When Vinkel and Koljander joined my family, I knew it would be a long-term commitment. There have been times that we’ve had to move into different homes, sometimes with much smaller gardens than we originally had. Finding pet-friendly accommodation is often much harder and more expensive than other kinds of accommodation, especially if you have a large breed or more than one pet.
When finding myself in smaller complexes or properties with smaller gardens, I’ve had to make a distinct commitment to take them for regular exercise at a safe and pet-friendly park.
Don’t make a flippant decision
I’ve seen neighbours and friends simply abandon a pet at a shelter when the pet is no longer a convenience to the family. Many South Africans immigrate and abandon their pets at shelters, making it easier for them to get rid of the problem rather than ensuring the pet is safely rehomed.
This is such a sad reality in our country and many pets suffer in townships where owners are simply incapable of affording to look after them. Another big problem is that these pets are often unsterilised, meaning that over time there are only more and more stray cats and dogs.
When acquiring a new pet, it is well worth and definitely the right thing to do to adopt rather than shop. There are plenty of animal shelters with loving pets in desperate need of a home. And these pets have a lot of love to give. It also cannot be understated what it feels like to rescue a pet from a shelter, rather than buying from a pet shop or a breeder.
This truly is a massive problem in South Africa and one that is easily overlooked. Shelters are in desperate need of donations, support and adoptions. A simple Google search will bring up a long list of animal shelters. There are many ways to help, like donating or spending time with pets.
Most importantly, before you let those darling puppy eyes seduce you, make sure you can give it a forever home.
That’s it for this week, from me, Vinkel and Koljander.
Paw five! Woof!
