By: Dr. Fiona Caldwell
Idaho Veterinary Hospital
For Pets Best Insurance
October is adopt a dog month! Dogs have been proven to help keep us happier and healthier by reducing stress, providing companionship and giving unconditional love. Honoring this bond with a month devoted to adoption also helps keep homeless dogs out of shelters and can help raise awareness about pet over-population. Adopt a dog month is sponsored by the American Humane Association and encourages people to consider shelters and rescue organizations when choosing their next four-legged family member. But before you adopt a furry canine friend, there are a few things you will need to consider? like what will be the best pet insurance, how you will train your new pet, and if the new dog will be a good fit for your family dynamic.
Shelter animals occasionally get a bad rap as abused, disobedient, unwanted and incapable of being trained. This is untrue! It is true, however, that some of the dogs brought into shelters have trust issues and often are under socialized. These dogs require much more time and devotion to training than you might be able to provide. It is important to recognize how much time and emotional energy you have to offer. Taking on a ?project,? while it may make you feel good to be helping a dog in need, will fail if you don?t truly have the resources to provide for the dog. There are plenty of dogs that don?t have behavioral issues and are given up for other reasons.
Before choosing a dog, take a look at your lifestyle. Do you live in an apartment? Do you work 10 hours a day and travel a lot? Do you have children? These are all very important factors to consider prior to picking out a dog. It is unreasonable to expect a high energy breed, like a border collie to sit quietly alone at home for hours at a time. On the other hand, an older poodle might be perfectly content to watch cars go by out the window while you are at work. Consider getting an older dog if you don?t have the time to train a puppy. It is untrue that older dogs are incapable of learning new ?tricks,? like basic obedience.
Be sure that you are financially prepared to care for a dog. Consider pet health insurance, as this can be invaluable in times of medical need. Veterinary care is expensive, and also important. Remember the cost of food, toys, bedding, leashes, kenneling when you are on vacation? This adds up. It is estimated that as a country Amercians spend $41 billion a year on their pets! According to the Animal Pet Products Association 2011-2012 survey, the average dog costs over $1,500 a year. Because healthcare can be one of the most costly parts of dog ownership, you will want to look into dog insurance early on.
After you have examined all these fundamental aspects and made the decision to open your home to a dog, consider rescue organizations and humane societies. Even if you have a specific breed in mind, there are many rescue organizations that cater to one breed. Some shelter will allow you to be notified if a dog meeting your breed standards turns up for adoption. By considering organizations whose mission it is to help animals in need, you can become part of the solution to pet overpopulation. Every year, about 8 million unwanted and stray animals are taken in by shelters across the country. Tragically, about 3.7 million, almost half, are euthanized because good homes cannot be found for them.
Let?s take time this October to honor these wonderful pets and the joy and smiles they can bring! And for more information about pet health insurance and other pet tips, visit Pets Best Insurance.
Tags: adopting a dog, best pet insurance, dog insurance, Pet Health Insurance, pet insurance
Source: http://www.petsbest.com/blog/october-is-adopt-a-dog-month/
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