Thoughts Of A Mom

Many people in Malaysia love animals. It is a fact! You can see from the booming pet stores all around us.

Yet there are equally many people who are not capable of looking after animals.
In my humble opinion, we should really take into consideration what a big responsibility it is in sharing our home with a pet. We may find that we are not suited to be pet owners.

I am sure there are many people who only bought a pet as a gift for their kids then later realised too late that they are not able to cope with living with a pet.

The more responsible ones would try to get another home for it and there are those who will take that pet for a one – way drive far away from their home to dump it somewhere else. Then it becomes a stray.

There are some who love their pets so much they cant bear to get it neutered. Then comes the mating season and they are unable to sleep at nights because of the havoc of noise these un-neutered pets cause so they find the most easiest solution, and let the pet out of the house to roam the streets.

These pets, if male help the to breed strays. Those pets which are females on the other hand will end up with a litter of pups unwanted by the pet owners. These pups will then be taken either to be dumped somewhere else or killed! (and I've seen with my own eyes people drowning the pups in a shallow river. I've even tried to rescue many puppies from the drains that they were unable to get out of when I was much younger). And the surviving pups will become our strays.

It would be prudent and it is our responsibility to actually go through a checklist of tough questions ourselves before we go to the pet store or consider taking in a pet.

All living things are cute when they are babies and many people forget that these cuties tend to out grow their cuteness as they grow older.

I hear many tales of people throwing away the pre-adult doggy because it tends to bite everything in sight.

So future pet owners go through this list below before you decide on taking a pet into your home.
1) Will my whole family contribute to the care of the pet?
2) Will my whole family be able to stick to the rules sets about the pet?
3) Will my whole family be alright with the noise the pet may make at night for an undetermined no of nights a few times every year?
4) Is this the only pet we want? If yes We must get the pet neutered.
5) Are we committed to looking after the pet when it is sick?
6) Are we committed to looking after the pet even though one day we may move our living arrangements to somewhere else and different?
7) Are we committed to loving the pet when it's older and when it gets too old?
8) Are we committed to taking it for walks (exercises) and giving it love through human touch / contact?
9) Do we want a security guard or a pet?
10) Are we pet people?
11) Pets are living creatures, they tend to live long lives, they may get sick, they may bite things are we commit ed to them the same way they will commit their love and their lives to us?

Honestly consider your answers before thinking about getting a pet.

A pet is a part of our family.