How Many Pets are Too Much?
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How many pets are too many? It all depends on how many pets you can handle. There are pet owners that own 6 pets and manage them well while there are pet owners that are even struggling with only one. The only way to tell how many pets one could handle is by taking a careful assessment of the whole picture. Questions to ask are as follows:
1) Do you have enough space to accommodate them?
2) Do your pets look happy?
3) Are your pets clean, healthy and well cared for?
4) Do you have enough time a day to train each of them properly?
5) Do your pets get along well?
6) Is your home clean, sanitary and free of odors?
7) Can you afford to pay for veterinary expenses, supplies, food, toys?
These are some very important questions. The answers can make the difference between becoming a hoarder or a responsible pet owner. If you are struggling to care for your pets or if your pets are smelly and dirty these are indicators you own too many pets. Animal Control at this point has the right to take your pets and give them a better home.
But how many are too many? Is there really a magic number? With dogs, more than two may cause some more serious fights for leadership. Ideally, male and female combos seem to work the best. Male/male and female /female may endure into serious fights at times especially if not neutered or spayed.
Cats may also not get along too well especially when there is female in heat around. Male cats can seriously bite contenders and these bites often turn into serious infections that require immediate veterinary attention. Many households do well with two cats, they keep each other company and have a play mate.
Many times pet owners have found that their pets get very well along. Their home has harmony and they have found the magic number. Then one day, they decide to add another pet. and their home is in havoc. The pet is not accepted by the others and there are fights. Many times, these are only temporary issues but there are cases, where pets may never be trusted together. Is it really worth it to disrupt the harmony?
While you may feel like your heart has unlimited space for many strays, you need to use your head to realize that you really can do so much. As with almost everything in life, excess causes more harm than good. What may seem to be a great act of compassion may end up becoming a collection of pets that are fighting, dirty or worse very sick.
Two dogs are usually enough!
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Comments
Great hub! These are questions we face daily, as farmers. Recently we had to find a new home for our 3 african geese, as the space we had for them over the winter was apparently too little. They were unhappy and attacked the passive little ducks daily... not fair to any of them. So we found a nice family who had 40 acres and needed new geese, as theirs had recently flown away with some passing Canada geese. We always watch to see both positive and negative behaviors in our critters and make sure all are happy/content. Thanks for the great info!
Great Hub...i have a turtle, a snake, and a puppy. We are looking into getting a cat and possibly another dog. All are very well cared for, and we have plenty of time for each (turtle and snake are not very time consuming)
I have a question for you...Do you think that if a dog owner cannot be with a dog almost 100% of the time that a second dog is mandatory to meet their social needs?
C Ferreira,
I personally think dogs will still do well even if the owner may not be there 100%. As long as the dog gets enough interaction with the owner and when the owner is not supervising he/she is in a safe place like a crate. What I am more concerned about is dogs left alone for 8 hours straight during the day while owners are at work. I am more concerned on the dog bonding with the owners rather than with another dog. However, another dog (male/ female combos seem to work best of course , respectively spayed and neutered) may provide hours of entertainment as they will play a lot together. But top priority is the dog/owner bond. Each dog should receive sufficient training and time alone with the owner so they both will have chances to bond with the owner rather than with each other. I got two litter mate Rottweilers a year ago and it worked fine, but I had to invest losts of time in training them separately etc so they both bloomed into their own personality (they spent 80% of the time with me respectively and then the remaining 20% with each other during their first months of life). Now they are great dogs, each with their unique personality and strongly bonded to their family.
Montana Farm Girl, sounds like you are very attentive to their needs, I am sure they are happy now in those 40 + acres!
Lady Guinevere, I think you are doing your best to care for your pets. You are very compassionate and caring. Fights eventually happen when there are more than 2-3 pets, this is sometimes inevitable but as long as the situation is under control it should be fine.
Well everyone is happy when Charlie doesn't want to play and no one else feels like playing. LOL it always happens right after my husband leaves for work at 5 in the morning. He just chases them around! He is being a boy! He is fixed but he is only 2 years old and strictly indoors along with one of the females. She's a "scardy cat".
I feel like the Pide Piper of Hamlin with the ones outside. Once I start talking to one they all seem to follow me wherever I go.
Lady Guinevere says:
8 months ago
Good questions and good article. I have often asked myself if I was a hoarder. I don't think that I am. I have gotten all but one male cat neutered that are strays and one female spayed. Her kittens have also been desexed. Yes they still pick fights, but they don't try to kill each other. I feed them and have taken care of them and even went so far as to have on of them into surgery for his claw on one of his paws that grew long enough that it wrapped around and was growing into it's paw. That was a hefty bill we were not expecting but he will life out the rest of his life on our back deck. I cannot afford to get them rabies shots every year and that comes along with not being able to get them either. I am not a bad person, just am limited to what they will allow me to do for them. I also have 5 indoor cats, Three are indoor/outdoor cats and they don't get along, but they don't try to kill each other either and they are all fixed. The only indoor male --youngest one--2 years old is the one who wrecks havok on the females. They are all taken care of.