|
I’ve Got a New Pet Now
What?
Most of us are often so
excited about adding a new addition to our
family we forget to look at what basic needs
an animal may require to live a long and
healthy life. We are asking animals to live
with us and accept our ways of doing things,
sometimes with very little direction from
us. These apply to all animals we share our
homes with, birds, cats, lizards and dogs to
name a few. Whether you have had an animal
before or are new to caretaking these
amazing beings we all can use additional
information to make everyone’s life just a
little easier.
Below are some of the things we as
caretakers might want to consider getting
more information on before having your new
pet come home with you. When I talk about a
new pet, this can be a puppy, kitten, bunny,
horse, iguana or any aged animal. We have to
think of the pet as a complete being like
ourselves and deal with the mind, body and
spirit of the animal.
Do some upfront research on the specific
breed or kind of animal you are bringing
home. The internet has some wonderful
websites to help you become more informed on
your pet’s specific traits. With dogs or
cats specifically, they can be a mixed breed
but generally there is one breed trait that
might be more dominant than another. Think
of them as coming from another culture and
your job is to understand the culture they
come from so you can help them translate
what they need to know about ours. If you
take the time upfront with them you will be
rewarded with many years of good, positive
behavior. There are many very good resource
magazines out there now that can assist you
in your quest for knowledge about your pet.
Let’s talk about the body first. As we know,
just like us, nutrition plays a large part
in our lives. Our animals are no different.
They need a good and healthy diet to keep
them from visiting the doctor all the time.
The lower brand foods, like the ones you buy
at the supermarket or super pet stores often
do not contain the food that will support
our animal’s physical body. These foods may
be less expensive but they often are loaded
with sugar and fillers. They are the
McDonald’s of the pet food industry. We know
how kids who live on McDonald’s everyday do;
they often have behavior issues and poor
health. I would rather pay a little more for
the food then have to spend it later on
running to the vet’s office because they are
sick. Whether they are new born babies or
older pets get them switched to a good diet
as soon as you can. As with the case for
birds, iguanas or other exotics be sure to
research what their optimum diet needs are.
Vaccines are becoming more and more a topic
of conversation among caretakers. As always
it is a personal decision you yourself must
make for you and your pet. Just be sure to
do your research so you are an informed
caretaker. Frequently there are groups that
can provide education and support about
these specific subjects.
Now let’s talk about the mind. These are
thinking beings that are living with us and
they have their own thoughts on how things
should be, whether you agree with them or
not. Again our job is to help keep their
minds stimulated to encourage growth and
good behavior. Now I know they all don’t
come to us in one piece. Often times they
come to us where there has been abuse or
neglect. Understanding things from their
point of view many times can make the
transition to a new home environment a lot
easier. It is my belief that they too need
to have purpose in their lives, especially
dogs. But we can include horses, birds, cats
and many other animals as needing jobs
around the house. Write down a list of
things that might be a good job for your pet
and see which one fits him or her best.
Intuitively you will know which job belongs
to which animal. If the job doesn’t fit you
can be sure your animal will let you know
one way or another.
Lastly let’s talk about the spiritual side
of the wonderful beings. Yes, animals are
spiritual beings just like us. It is my
belief that they come to us on many
different levels. Some are here just to be
in the physical and have a good time. There
are others however that have that “Buddha”
energy with them. Their light is so bright
people just can’t help but be drawn to them.
There are no accidents as to why we end up
with who we end up with. So take time to
really get to know who this being is that
you have brought into your life. These can
even be fosters you have living with you.
So, as you prepare for the new animal coming
to share their life with you be sure you are
ready for the commitment of having them with
you. Too often folks leap before they look
at the totality of time, costs and energy
that is needed to have a fun, loving and
well adjusted special creature live with
them. The old saying knowledge is power is
very true in this case! |
