Being responsible starts with decision to get pet

One of the many reasons people decide to add a pet to their families is “to teach my child(ren) responsibility.”

A pet can’t teach your child responsibility; parents do. It’s something your child should learn before you bring the pet home. But first, parents must be responsible pet owners.

What’s a responsible pet owner? Here are some do’s and don’ts of the responsible pet owner. A responsible pet owner:

• Doesn’t get a pet until his or her circumstance allows the time, resources and space to care for the pet. When you chose a pet, make sure it fits into your lifestyle. Sometimes, the best pet is something as portable and easy-to-care for as a goldfish or hermit crab. If you don’t own a house, don’t know where you will be in a year, have major life changes ahead or the like, consider NOT adopting something like a cat or dog that might not fit into your changing circumstances.

Rescues get many calls from people who say the rescue needs to take their pets because their circumstances have changed. Sometimes, it is an emergency situation no one could have predicted, but more often it is a change of apartments, a long-anticipated out-of-state move, an allergic friend or something else that shows the owner has put someone else’s needs far above those of his or her “best friend,” usually the self-proclaimed pet lover’s own. People also tell us they “can’t afford” their pets, when in reality their pets have simply lost priority in the owner’s list of importance.

Responsible pet owners know they have made a lifetime commitment, and barring absolutely extraordinary circumstances, there is no excuse for reneging on that commitment.

• Adopts a pet that fits into his or her lifestyle. Different species and even different breeds can be counted on to exhibit a set of characteristics. Consider your circumstance and do your research. Is your family ready for a ferret or a foxhound, a ragdoll or a rabbit?

A kitten was returned to a rescue about two months after he was adopted. It seems he was “too big” for the apartment. A responsible owner would consider kittens don’t stay the size of an 11-week-old.

• Budgets for the animal’s expenses. This includes altering, an annual exam and vaccines, food and other supplies, and some funds for additional care.

Rescues hear many excuses for pet owners failing to get pets altered. None are valid. If you take on pet ownership, you take on that responsibility. Giving an animal food and water alone does not constitute responsible ownership. If that is your concept, get a houseplant.

• Gives the pet the respect and consideration it deserves as a living, thinking creature. Pets are not toys to be given to children, especially very young children. Pets deserve their own space and a chance to make some of their own choices.

If you are a responsible pet owner and want to share that with your child, research your options together and then contact local pet rescues and/or visit the Mat-Su Borough Animal Control and Regulation Shelter. Either option will give you and your child a chance to volunteer to help the animals and meet animals for potential adoption. When your child understands the work it takes to care for a pet, and you and the child are ready to take on that responsibility together, find your new best friend among the many homeless animals.

Vicki Naegele (Vicki@alaskacatadoptionteam.org) is a volunteer with Alaska Cat Adoption Team, a 501c3 nonprofit feline rescue. This column appears as a public service of the Frontiersman.