Adopting a Pet is an exciting and emotional experience.

But, before rushing out to choose your animal companion at the local shelter, there are some important things to consider—make sure you’re fully prepared for this new and rewarding journey.

Learn from my mistakes

When my son was nine, our next door neighbors took him Christmas shopping at the mall to buy gifts for family and friends. But when he returned that evening, he had an adorable tabby kitten he’d purchased at a pet store. He expected us to be as overjoyed as he was, and had spent all of his allotted money on this one wonderful Christmas gift for our family.

Unfortunately, our next door neighbor and the mother of his best friend, failed to check with my husband and me, and did not know the cat we already had was terrified of other cats and we were not prepared to make a commitment to a new kitten and deal with the complications of bringing a new animal into the fold. I was upset with my friend and neighbor for not realizing the mistake she had made by allowing my son to purchase the cat, and saddened we had to break our son’s heart by finding another home for the kitten. Our friend never grasped what I tried to communicate to her—purchasing a pet is a lifetime commitment and not to be decided on a whim by a child or an adult. And, giving pets as gifts can lead to problems. The lesson here is, before adopting or bringing home an animal, be certain you are ready to commit, and don't adopt on a whim.

I confess, I did not always practice what I now preach. Many years ago, I made another unfortunate mistake. I was visiting a friend whose Maltese had recently had puppies, and they were, of course, adorable, and of course, I couldn’t resist it when she told me I could simply take one home. She gave me this adorable puppy right on the spot and I took it home with no kennel, dog food, or knowledge of house breaking, training, grooming, and all the hard core issues of pet ownership. The puppy was a few months old, and of course, not house broken. When I returned home with the puppy, my son, who was nine at the time, was over the moon, and fell head over heels in love with Pups, as he quickly named him. Pups followed my young boy throughout the house and around the yard, and my son felt needed and instantly important. However, much to my dismay, Pups was constantly soiling in the house, required basic grooming that I was not prepared for, and was guilty of being an overall normal puppy.

Now, I’m deeply ashamed to this day of what I am about to tell you, but, about one week later, I gave Pups away to a to an acquaintance. She had fallen in love with Pups and was prepared to take him. And to make matters worse, that day, my son had begged me not to give Pups away before he left for school! But, being a clean freak and clueless about dog ownership and all that entails, I caved and took what I though was the easy way out—Pups was now living with a new family.

When my son came home from school that day, and asked about Pups, I told him I’d found him another family. It still upsets me to think about this! My son was devastated, and when I realized his pain, I tried to get Pups back, but the lady would not return him. This was truly heartbreaking for my son and for me. I wanted to correct the mistake I’d made, but it was too late, and because I had no real experience with the connection a child could feel with an animal in just a few days, I felt pangs of guilt and pain, as my son called me sick from school and asked to come home because he was so deeply upset. I was guild ridden because I realized I had created this heartbreak by bringing an animal home on a whim, with no preparation, and no education on the subject dogs and puppies. I simply did not do the homework and was not prepared to step up to the plate of pet ownership!

So, know when you adopt or purchase an animal, you are committing to the animal for its lifetime, and that means you feel prepared to feed, exercise, provide medical care, and of course, offer love and companionship to a living being that will be totally dependent on you for its very existence. You are committed in both sickness and in health. You want to make sure you are fully aware of all of the demands on your time and resources that pet ownership involves, and are not making a decision to adopt on a whim. Once again, I learned the hard way, do not take in an animal on a whim!