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If you are looking to bring a new pet into your home, have you considered looking at your local animal shelter?

There are many good reasons to adopt a pet, rather than approach a breeder or pet shop…

 6 Reasons to Adopt from a Shelter

• Rescue shelters all over the country, and indeed the world, are overcrowded with cats and dogs. Adopting a pet will give one of these unwanted animals a home, and make space for another.
• If more people adopted, it would lessen the trade of puppy farms. A despicable trade that simply breeds female dogs until they are too weak and ill. Whilst not all breeders treat their animals this way, there are too many that do.
• An older pet is probably already house trained, making life much easier for you!
• A good shelter will have neutered, micro-chipped and probably vaccinated the animal. This is included in the cost.
• The shelter can provide support before and after the adoption. This includes talking to you about your home life and experience of pets to make sure that the animal and your family are compatible. After the adoption, they should follow up to make sure your pet is settling in and if there are any teething problems.
• If you’re looking for a particular breed, don’t dismiss shelters. They make up a large number of rescue centre population.

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Questions you should ask beforehand, and why!

How does the animal interact with people? Make sure you get to meet the animal and pet him or her. It shouldn’t be a rushed process, as this dog or cat has already had a rough time and if the adoption doesn’t work he could end up back in the shelter

How is it around other animals? Although bear in mind a new pet will of course be nervous, and maybe defensive – plus if you have a pet at home they may well be suspicious of the new arrival!

It’s imperative to find out how they react to children. Especially young children, as they are more energetic around animals, which can make a new pet nervous. Bring your children with you to visit the animal before you take him home. Although remember that young children must be supervised around animals at all times, even a long term family pet.

Ask if the animal is house trained, neutered and micro chipped. If they aren’t included in the adoption fee (which they generally are), ask if it will be done before you take him home. If the shelter doesn’t offer everything, speak to your vet for more information.

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Finally…

Make sure you have everything ready for when he comes home, you’ll need a bed, food, bowls and maybe a crate if you decide to crate train. A good retailer can offer all of these essentials, plus toys and treats. Swell Pets have a comprehensive range of goods from major brands. Try to find out which food he or she has been eating. If you want to change it, do this gradually to avoid an upset stomach.

A pet brings lots of love and laughter into any family. They are great for children as owning a pet can help with social and confidence skills. The elderly too can really benefit from an older rescue pet, for companionship and to keep them active.

However, owning a pet brings with it a great deal of responsibility and dedication. Puppies and kittens especially can be very hard work as they adjust to sleep and toilet training, so before you take one on, chat to family and friends and a vet about house training a new pet and all that includes.

Hopefully it won’t be too long before you are welcoming a four legged friend in to your home!

Thank you Swell Pets for partnering with me in raising money for the SPCA in PV with Posts for Pets!    www.swellpets.co.uk