February, 2001

For those of you who are considering adopting a pet or recently have adopted, I would like to speak a little bit about what to expect.

First and foremost take the time and research to find the proper pet that is will fit into your lifestyle. When adopting there are lots of decisions to make with age and sex being the most important. Everyone wants a puppy because they are so cute and you feel it would be easier to train them from scratch. But, puppies are a lot of work. They have to be housetrained and a commitment must be made in obedience training. If you have children puppies will jump on them, nip them with sharp puppy teeth, steal and eat toys, diapers, etc.

It can become very stressful and might be much more than you bargained for. Adult companions still need obedience instruction and maybe some housebreaking, but the basics are already there and they tend to adapt quickly into family life.

Remember, no matter what animal you choose, there may still be problems to work out. There is not a pet that you will adopt that will not have some issues that will need attention. Some issues may take longer than others to resolve. You made the choice to adopt, along with this choice comes the commitment that this animal will need from you for the rest of its life. There may be times when you will want to give up, but stick with it, you will be happy that you did.