It is important to realize
this beforehand. A few examples:
Responsibility
Time
Holidays
Education
Social limitations
Costs
Sorrow
Responsibility
Having a dog is a big responsibility.
With al of your daily routine you must
take the needs and existence of your pet
into account.
Time
A dog can live ten to fifteen years.
It will dictate a great deal of how your
time is filled in. Some one has to be at
home every few hours to walk the dog and
to feed him.
Walking the dog, education, play, care
and giving attention takes up a lot of
time.
Practically all dogs, be it with longhair
as shorthair, lose their hair. Hair spreads
around your house and cleaning it takes
up a lot of time. When molting you have
to vacuum clean your house daily and brush
your dog to keep things tidy.
Holidays
When you want to go on holiday alone you
have to provide for a dog shelter or ask
some one to take care of the pet.
Education
A dog can show or develop behavioral
problems. A good education is important
and how to do this is not common knowledge.
Bad education can cause the dog to demolish
your furniture or the animal can behave
aggressively towards others. Some dogs
obey no one and listen to no command.
Social limitations
Dogs are not allowed every where. Think
of public places like shops, restaurants,
public service, etc…. But also when you
visit friends taking your dog along
can be a problem. A lot op people are
annoyed by barking dogs (neighbors f.e.).
The decision to go out and get a pet goes far beyond going to the pound and picking up an animal. You will need to think about food, vaccines, pet care, and more. For instance,when the pet needs to go outside to use the bathroom, you will need to think about cat and dog doors. Otherwise, you will always need to be there to let your pets in and out of the house.
Costs
The purchase of a pet can be expensive.
A few hundred dollars is nothing for a
dog. Besides that, there are necessities
like a basket, leash etc. and of course
veterinary bills. Some municipals demand
tax to be paid.
Not all dogs remain healthy all of their
live. When you are down on your luck the
bill can rise sky-high. The extra care
can be time consuming.
Environment
The excreta of companion animals will contribute to the production of greenhouse gases, although this is relatively limited. Horse manure produces methane, ammonia and/or nitric oxide, depending on
storage conditions.
The 3.2 million cats, 1.8 million dogs and 400.000 horses in The Netherlands require an equivalent of 820.000 ha for their nutrition, which is about 40% of the total arable area in The Netherlands.
Extrapolating these data to the EU-level with an estimated 60 million cats, 56 million dogs and 5.8 million horses, 19 million ha of arable land are required.
Apart from the drawbacks for
yourself and your environment
there are other consequences.
Dogs eat meat from factory
farms
Dogs produce shit
Carnivores eat other animals
Dogs are carnivores so they
eat meat. This meat is likely
to come from factory farms. If
not, it will be much more expensive.
Apart from that you let other
animals be killed to feed your
pet.
Dog(s) shit
Dog shit on the streets means a
lot of irritation to a lot of other
people. It is scattered all over
public places, suitable or not
to dropped like pavements, playing
fields and country roads. It always
stinks, sticks to your shoes and
clothes and will cost the community
a lot of money to clean up. In
some municipals dog owners are
obliged to clean up the shit with
utensils.
Dog shit has been a national
pain in the ass for a long time.
Grief and sorrow
Most dogs die before their owner. Their
death can have a heavy impact.
Old age
Just like the situation with older people vets
can prolong animal life. How far we you go
along with the prolongation of the live of
a sick pet?
By taking the dog as an example
a lot of various factors are
mentioned that some people are
likely to ignore. Not all but
most reasons apply to other pets.
On the other hand there are unique
circumstances with particular
pets that do not apply to dogs.
There are additional consequences
for pets.
This article is part of a series on pet adoption.
Below the table of contents of this series.
Below that even more articles about pets.
Dog shit on the streets means a
lot of irritation to a lot of other
people. It is scattered all over
public places, suitable or not
to dropped like pavements, playing
fields and country roads. It always
stinks, sticks to your shoes and
clothes and will cost the community
a lot of money to clean up. In
some municipals dog owners are
obliged to clean up the shit with
utensils.
Dog shit has been a national
pain in the ass for a long time.