Adopting a dog is one of the best choices you may make in your life, providing a much-needed loving home for a dog that has been abandoned or whose previous owner has died or can no longer care for them.
However, adopting a dog is not a process that you should rush into and you must consider lots of different factors before going ahead with an adoption. Not all adoptions work out the way people hope, so make sure that you consider all the possibilities before you make up your mind. You should factor the following into your decision:
How much time you have
Bringing a new dog into the house takes a lot of commitment and many rescue dogs will need some extra attention and time to adjust to their new home. Depending on the background of the dog, they may have problems that make it more difficult to adjust to living with you.
Your dog will need to have regular exercise and the amount of walking required will depend on their breed and age. If you adopt a breed that requires a lot of exercise, you will need to fit this into your daily schedule.
You will require dog sitters
It is not fair to leave dogs alone in your house for long periods, so if you are going to work or going out for an evening, you will need to arrange for someone to look after your dog. Spontaneous social arrangements will be a thing of the past and you will have to make plans for your dog if you want to go on holiday.
Vet bills will be expensive
Regardless of what age of dog you adopt, you will face some big vet bills at some point. Even healthy dogs can cost a lot in vet bills over their lifetime, but you can take out pet insurance to cover certain medical costs.
These are some of the main considerations to ensure that you are ready and prepared to properly look after an adopted dog. However, there are so many benefits of adopting a dog such as saving them from a worse fate and gaining a best friend. If you have kids, a dog can help children to learn valuable lessons such as how to care for them and have responsibilities.
There are many dogs waiting to be re-homed in the UK and since the pandemic when many people brought a dog into their home without fully considering how it would fit into their normal life, even more dogs need to be re-homed. This is why it is so important to make sure you are in a position to be able to provide an adopted dog with everything they need to thrive. The Dogs Trust and similar charities are the best places to adopt from.
As well as covering the cost of vet fees, you will need to be able to afford to feed your dog and you may need to buy accessories such as beds, toys, leads, food bowls and much more. If you want to travel with your pet, you must ensure that they are suitably restrained with a cage, transit box or other suitable product.
For all your future pet transit needs, visit Mad About Pets to help provide your adopted dog with the best quality of life possible.
