If you’re an animal lover, it’s natural to want to have a pet in your home. Your furry friend offers unconditional love, and you’ll have someone to spend a lot of time with. It’s easy to see why adopting a dog is so popular. That doesn’t mean it’s the easiest thing to do, however.
Instead, you could be a little confused by it. You’ll have multiple hoops to jump through, such as the breeder or shelter making sure you’ve an appropriate living environment for the dog. As complicated as this can seem, it shouldn’t have to be.
Just by following a few specific steps, you’ll make it a lot more straightforward for yourself. By going through them, you’ll get through the adoption process faster and easier than you’d expect.
Since adopting a dog can be a bit of a confusing process, you might be tempted to give it a skip. You might end up wanting to just buy a dog instead. You’ll still get a furry friend for your family, and you wouldn’t have to put up with much of the hassle because of it. It mightn’t be the best path to take, though.
Adopting a dog instead of buying one offers more than a few benefits, making it all the more tempting to do. It’s worth going through each of these, and you could end up deciding to adopt instead. Some of the more notable include:
You Save A Dog’s Life - When a dog’s been in a shelter for more than a certain amount of time, the shelter usually considers putting them down. While that seems harsh, it’s one of the harsh realities of running a shelter. By adopting them instead of buying one somewhere else, you’ll end up saving their life and making it worth living again.
You’ll Save Money - While adopting a dog isn’t free, it costs noticeably less than buying one from some breeders or other areas. If you’re worried about money, then it makes much more sense to adopt them instead of buying them. You wouldn’t have to worry about paying an arm and a leg for it. You’ll still get the furry friend you want for a more affordable price.
You’ll Encourage More People To Adopt - By adopting a pet and sharing your story with other people, you encourage them to do the same. You could save more doggie lives because of this, so you’ll end up having more and more of an impact than you thought you would. There’s no reason why this wouldn’t be a good thing, and it could even provide more than a few other benefits.
You Fight Against Puppy Mills - Puppy mills treat their dogs terribly and each of the puppies there will live in some of the worst conditions you could imagine. If more and more people adopt instead of buying, you can fight against these puppy mills and could play a role in putting them out of business. You’ll make the world a better place, especially for animals around the world. It could even help with overpopulation in the animal world if it’s done right.
It’s easy to see why adopting a dog could be the much better path to take. You shouldn’t have to struggle with the process, though. By taking the right steps, you’ll get through it faster than you’d think, and you wouldn’t have to worry about getting through everything.
You’ll have a furry loved one before you know it, with seven steps being vital to this.
One of the first decisions you’ll have to make when adopting a pet is figuring out which breed you want to get. While you might already have one in mind, you might want to put a little more effort into it. Some breeds take a lot more time and effort to look after than others, and you’ll have to be aware of that.
Factor your lifestyle into this when you’re making your decision. Though that could mean reconsidering the breed you’re already thinking of, it’ll make actually having your dog much easier once you have them.
Speaking of making a few decisions before adopting your pet, you’ll need to consider where you’ll actually get them. You’ll have quite a few options to choose from, some of which could be closer to you than others. Which breed of dog you want to adopt can affect this.
If you want a Labrador Retriever, for example, Lucky Labs could be a great place to look. Spend some time and effort researching your options, and you shouldn’t have a problem finding the right one for you.
It could even be worth comparing options before you make the plunge
You’ll be responsible for your dog’s health once you adopt them, which means spending a decent bit of time and effort on it. That goes beyond just picking them up the right food so they’re eating properly. You’ll need to take them to the vet regularly so they’re properly looked after.
As soon as you adopt them, it’s worth taking them to the vet to get a general indication of their health. After that, it’s a matter of taking them every few months for a checkup. If any issues come up in the meantime, schedule a visit for your pet as soon as possible.
You’ll need to spend a decent bit of money when you’re adopting a dog, and that goes well beyond how much you’ll spend on the adoption process itself. You’ll have to buy quite a few things on top of this, like dog food and pet insurance. Then there’s taking them to the vet and other factors to worry about.
While these seem minor at first, it adds up more than you’ll think. You’ll have to make sure you can actually afford to own a dog, which means factoring them into your monthly budget. Take the time to figure this out before adopting them.
Speaking of being able to afford owning a dog, you’ll already know you’ll need to buy them quite a few belongings. A doggie bed and similar things will be pretty obvious, but you’ll also need to worry about toys and quite a few other things. Buy these as soon as you can, preferably before you bring them home.
It’ll give them something to do when you’re not paying attention to them while keeping them mentally active. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t pick up a few things before you get your dog. They’ll be all the happier because of it.
Looking after the food your new dog eats is one of the most important areas you’ll have to focus on. You’ll already know you’ll have to pick up some high-quality food for them before they get home and you’ll have to keep getting this for them in the future. Sometimes, you could be tempted to give them other food, though.
That doesn’t mean giving them whatever you feel like giving them. Not only do you have to worry about making sure it’s nutritious enough for your pet, but also make sure it’s not poisonous for them. Some foods that are fine for humans could be poisonous for your dog. Know what these are and avoid giving them to your furry friend.
Once you’ve finally gotten your new dog, you might need to do a little training with them. They’ll have to obey your commands and be housetrained, after all. While some of these could’ve been trained to some degree before, it still doesn’t mean they’ll follow your orders as much as you want them to.
They’ll also need to adjust to your rules and boundaries, so you’ll have to put these in place as soon as you get them. You could train them yourself if you know what you’re doing, but you might need to hire a professional to help you with it. While this takes a bit of time, it’ll be more than worth putting the effort into. It’ll avoid quite a few messes in the future.
Adopting a dog is one of the best decisions you can make, and it offers more than a few benefits. It’s not something you should take up lightly, though, and there are more than a few steps you’ll need to get through. It’s easy to see why this could be a complicated process, but you shouldn’t have to settle for that.
It’s just a matter of following the right steps, and you shouldn’t have much to worry about. It’ll take you a little time and effort, but you’ll have a furry loved one before you know it. With the love and support you’ll get from them, there’s no reason not to consider adopting them.
