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Furry and finicky Fido III may be your favorite pet right now, but wait until you go to your local animal shelter and bring home a new animal addition to your family. Fido might show you another side to his personality, and you would be wise to be prepared for bringing home your new addition.
If you want to truly help the animal kingdom, you will choose to find your new pet at an animal shelter rather than a pet store. Animal shelters are bursting at the seams these days, and many, many animals are euthanized simply because shelters are so full. Breeders are another option, but why pay hundreds of dollars when you can save an animal life by visiting your nearest shelter?
Hopefully, the staff at your local shelter will be knowledgeable about adding a new member to your family. Even if the staff is not helpful with this matter, you can be prepared in advance.
You will want to make sure that your current pet is okay with other pets. You can do this by asking a friend to bring over his dog or cat and to see how your pet does. If you have a dog and plan to get a cat, make certain you have tried out your dog around cats. You can bring your dog to a petstore and try him out near the cats. Is he aggressive in any way? Is he scared? Does he not care? Pay close attention to the way your dog reacts.
It will probably be helpful to try your dog in several situations involving cats. Conversely, if you have a cat and plan to get a dog, try the same exercises. It is crucial that you check this out ahead of time to make sure it will work without any disasters.
Be sure to ask the staff at the shelter if the animal you like has shown any aggression to other animals. Even dogs can be aggressive toward dogs. Even friendly dogs sometimes prefer to be on their own. A dog that looks and acts perfectly nice might simply not be meant to have a dog sibling.
Shelter employees might know this information because they have worked around these animals for a while. When you visit the shelter, you can ask them to place the dog you like around the cats to test the dog. You can also ask the staff to put the dog with other dogs to check out that scenario.
It is always wise to be cautious. If you have children, it is highly important to check out how your children are with this new animal before you bring it home. Also pay attention to how the animal reacts around children.
Ask the staff if the animal has any history of aggression, particularly in certain situations. Certain breeds are good around children; others are less so. You can do research at your local bookstore or library to check this out.
No matter how much research you do in advance, there is no total guarantee that following these suggestions will avert any future problems. Only time will truly tell how the new addition to your family will work out.
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