- Is anyone in your family allergic? You will find a list of dogs who are considered non-allergic on the web (these are usually dogs with “hair” – Poodles, Hungarian Pulis etc, rather than dogs with “fur”)
- Do you have young children? Find out which dogs may be uncomfortable around young children
- Do you like to keep your home pristine? Some dogs shed; some cats scratch furniture. Some pets have accidents. If you cannot live with this, you are better off not adopting an animal!
- Do you work long hours? Do you have time for an animal? We do not allow adoption when a dog or cat is crated for many hours.
- Are you trying to save money? Expect yearly costs for vet visits, vaccines, flea, tick, worm and heart-worm preventative treatments, food, toys, pet sitters, etc. Think ahead and make sure you have funds set aside for this member of your family
- Are you adopting an animal that will need grooming every month? Are you aware of the costs involved? Have you planned for them?
- Some dogs/cats need training to help them become the best they can be. Are you willing to spend the time and money if your animal needs training?
- Do you live in a small place but want a big dog? If you don’t have a large, fenced garden, you must be prepared to walk your dog several times a day and visit dog parks for exercise.
- Do you travel a lot? What will happen to your pet while you are away? Have you planned for that?
- Are you thinking about having a baby soon or are there other major changes in your life coming up? We expect your animal to be a “forever” animal. If you don’t think you can continue to make that commitment when there are changes in your lifestyle, you may want to re-consider adopting.
- Are you renting? Will your lease be up for renewal soon? Will having a pet make a difference to your landlord? Does your landlord allow pets? Does he restrict certain sizes? Certain breeds? Number of animals?
- Will you be moving? What would happen to your animal if your new community or rental doesn’t allow him?
- Does your community have any breed or number-of-animals restrictions?
- Is everyone in your household happy to have a new pet? Are they willing to participate in caring for, feeding and walking the animal?
