Finding The Perfect Pet

I never cease to be amazed at how attached we can get to our pets. Of course, it's mutual. Our pets bond with us and the bond is definitely mutually beneficial. In this article I want to talk about pets and how to choose the "perfect pet." We are all different and have different family units so there is no one pet that's good for everyone. The perfect pet for a single adult may not be the best pet for a large family with kids at different ages. The perfect pet must fit into the family.

All images in this article are mine.

Who-Chose-Who?

This is a story about a dog that chose her master. Normally we think a person picks a pet but sometimes it's the other way around. The dog in the 1915 Dodge in this picture is almost as old as the car in dog years. Her name was Elizabeth and she is looking longingly in the direction she last saw her master who had just come to check on her. Elizabeth had cancer and died not long after I took the picture.

Elizabeth belonged to Barry but originally belonged to another person, a friend of Barry. When that friend came visiting with his dog, Barry and Elizabeth became acquainted and a mutual friendship began to develop. Eventually the bond between Barry and Elizabeth became very strong and Barry offered his friend a large sum of money to buy Elizabeth. The friend declined, indicating he didn't want to sell his dog.

As time went on, when his friend visited, the bond between Barry and Elizabeth grew even stronger. At the same time, the relationship between Elizabeth and her master began to be strained at her master's home. Elizabeth wasn't the happy, friendly dog she was before. Finally, Barry received a phone call from his friend who said, "Barry, you can have Elizabeth, she's obviously your dog." The owner then turned to Elizabeth and said, "Go to Barry" and Elizabeth ran all the way to Barry's house and the two were inseparable until she died.

I learned the story of Elizabeth from Barry about a year after I took the picture. I let Barry choose one of the pictures I took of Elizabeth and he chose the one you see here.

You can find a great pet in a number of ways. My wife and I got a wonderful dog by paying it's bail at the SPCA. We were looking at a cage full of puppies and "Tilly" interacted with us and we were hooked. Did we choose her or did she choose us?

We also received a great pet cat from our daughter who moved into an apartment that didn't allow pets. "Taz" bonded with my wife and tolerated me. When Taz snuck out of the house and was hit by a car we paid a $500 medical bill. Prior to that I couldn't imagine paying that much money for a pet! These critters can grown on you can't they!

Pets are often given away or offered for sale at pet stores, kennels or by organizations like the SPCA. However you come to find your pet, try to match the animal's personality or temperament to your family. Take the time to meet and interact with the pet, how does it respond to children if you have children in your family?

Owning a pet comes with the responsibility to care for it. Take the time to learn how to properly feed and care for your pet. Don't take on more pets than you can properly care for. Keep in mind that you will need to provide food and water and may have to deal with vet fees from time to time. Pets can be expensive so count the cost and make sure you are prepared to give your pet a good home.

If you travel a lot, how will you be able to care for your pet while away? You can place your pet in a kennel but that can be disturbing for your pet, expensive and even unhealthy if the kennel isn't run properly. Sometimes a neighbor can look after your pet when you are gone but did you know there are professionally trained people who can care for your pet in your home when you are gone? I didn't know such people existed until my daughter, a pet lover of long standing, became a professional pet sitter. She works in the Modesto, CA area and keeps quite busy. Here's her website but you may be able to find a pet sit pro in your community by going to the Pet Sitters International website here.

I mentioned above that your pet should match your family. Through the years my wife and I have had many pets, dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, ducks, snakes, rats, etc. Many of these pets were for our daughter who continues to love animals as do her children. However, when it comes to pets, we've been there and done that so I've included a picture of our "perfect pet." It requires little care apart from occasional dusting, it's very obedient. When we first got it I said "sit stay" and it hasn't moved since. When we travel we make no extra preparations for her, she might not be your perfect pet but she is certainly our perfect pet.

And, you can add department store and art gallery as good places to find a pet.