Animal House-Mates

by Kimberly Loomis

Kimberly is a wife and a mother of three children and five pets with over a decade of experience working in the veterinary field. She has worked in many capacities in the veterinary office, from receptionist to veterinary assistant and everything in between. Beyond pets, she also has a passion for writing and blending the two is a natural way for her to share what she loves with her community.

So your child wants a pet...or do you want a pet for your child? Either way, here is some information to consider before you pile into the car for a trip to the pet store.

Expectations

As a parent (or guardian) you need to be clear about expectations for your child before even thinking about what kind of pet to get. If a parent wants their child to be completely in charge of the pet and its care with no adult intervention at all, they can realistically purchase a pet for their kid when they are 18.

No, I'm not kidding.

Very, very few kids have the maturity and responsible nature needed to take care of a living thing all by themselves. If you want no part of the pet, then don't get one, because even a responsible nine-year-old can't drive to the vet or pay for a pet's care.

Limitations

If you understand the above-mentioned expectation issue and you're ready to help your child with a pet, the next step is to admit what you can or can't handle. If you're not an active family then don't get a dog labeled as "energetic." It's great to have goals, but be honest with yourself. If it's your goal to encourage your kid to be more active but it's not really his, you're taking a big chance getting a puppy or dog who needs daily walks.

I know a lady who can't be around anything smaller than a cat because of a fear of tiny creatures crawling into her clothes. If you or anyone else in the house is terrified of any kind of animal, it is really in everyone's best interest to keep those pets out of the house. Ideally, everyone in the home can be comfortable handling the pet you choose if necessary.

Frustrations

If you have issues with intermittent noise, birds are not going to be for you. Many will chirp or tweet or say "Bad boy" or whatever, over and over and over and over, in exactly the same rhythm pattern for minutes or even hours. If you can't tune that kind of thing out, nix the bird from your list.

I took in a cockatiel that would wake up at 6 a.m. every morning, tweeting the same note repetitively for hours. I am definitely an animal lover, but I honestly wanted to kill that bird some mornings, especially when I had been up all night with my baby and was just getting to sleep.

Again, don't worry about what would be cool, worry about what is. Is it possible for you to deal with lots of shedding? Is it fair to get a cat when your husband hates them? And I don't necessarily mean fair to your spouse. That brings me to my next point.

Stipulations

I don't know if that title works, but it's what I've got. The idea here is that you need to think about what the pet would ask of you, if it could talk. What would be a deal-breaker for the animal to want to come home with you?

Before you accuse me of being some driveling animal advocacy nut who projects human emotions onto animals, hear me out. If you want a situation with a pet to work out as well as possible, thinking this way--momentarily--will allow you to make a better decision for your family.

Would a cat want to live with someone who loathed it? While I have one who takes great pleasure in bothering whichever guest likes cats the least, I don't think she'd like living with someone who kicked her or threw shoes at her.

What it comes down to, in reality, is not going out and making an impulse buy on the whims of a child, teenager or immature adult. Even bringing a fish into the home has potential problems.

In our current culture of entitlement, you must fight the knee jerk reaction to go get a gold retriever because your family loves the "Air Buddy" movies. Think through your decision, call a veterinary office and ask questions, read lots of books and ask friends and family you trust as well.

The decision you make will affect your whole family as well as the pet you choose.