How many of us are absolutely in love with our pets? Most of us consider them a member of the family. We talk to them, tell them we love them and snuggle time is a must. I have had many pets in my life and each has their own personality. My current fur-baby Lobo (Norwegian Elkhound) is playful and a bit crazy whereas Candy (Maltese Mix) is shy and moody. My newest baby is Cheyenne (Shiba Inu) and she is very independent and curious. No matter their personality traits they each hold a special place in my life and in my heart. Our furry family members have the ability to bring us such peace, joy and comfort.
Now that I have written about how wonderful our pets are I want to also comment on the importance of our commitment to our pets. They have feelings and emotions, they must be taught and nurtured. When deciding to get a new pet I would encourage you to be responsible and do your research. Know the traits of the pet you are considering and be sure that it fits with your abilities and lifestyle. It should be understood that you are making a commitment to your new pet to love them and take care of them for their entire lifetime. Too often pets are abandoned within the first year of their life or when they get too old. The first year can be difficult as they are young and must be trained and when they get older they may begin to have difficult medical issues. Be sure of your commitment before making the knee-jerk reaction of getting the first cute fur-baby that grabs your attention, it is not fair to them if you made a bad decision.
When my German Shepherd was young we came home one day and the entire bottom of the recliner was chewed off and destroyed. It was the first time we had left him home alone and he quite obviously had some separation anxiety. At first I was angry and then I turned to my husband and quite simply said that we had to decide what was more important to us, the dog or the furniture. Our decision was that the chair was replaceable but the dog was not. When we had this realization and made the conscious decision to put the dog above material objects it made things easier. I am not saying that we should just allow the dog to destroy the place, but we had to take the time to train and allow the time needed to learn. We had to be aware when we left the house that we needed to be responsible and make neccesary changes to try and prevent the behavior, for us we found that putting special toys in the middle of the living room that were only used when we left the house was like magic. He would play with the toys and nothing else was destroyed. Pets are work, just like children, but if you take the time and make the commitment then you will find an unconditional love and joy with your furry family members!
