Why you should get a pet for your family – Pros and Cons of a Fur Baby!

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Whether I should adopt a fur baby was something that kept me confused till I made this life changing decision. This is not my first pet. I have most part of my life had a pet around, all dogs.

My dad was a dog lover and as a child we had a pet at home. Then during my growing years my mom in between refused to take on the responsibility. And believe me it is ultimately the responsibility of the mom, especially if she isn’t working. When we (me and my sister) were older and promised to take on complete responsibility to take care of the pet, we finally had another one.

After marriage my husbands job kept him away for prolonged periods. So to keep my company I got home my first fur baby. We called him Simba and he was the most beutiful Golden Labrador ever. (to each mom their baby is the most beautiful ever.)

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He was the perfect companion. Sadly he lived all of 10 months. 10 beautiful months that he filled my life with love and laughter. He was a joy to everyone who met him and so many years later he still holds a special place in our heart.

The only cure to heartbreak of loosing a pet is to get another one. (heard this somewhere). So a month later, I adopted a beautiful black Dachshund, Tipsy. She was the joy of my life. My husband is another dog crazy and everywhere we went she came along. We had never leave her behind when going to our hometown. She traveled long distances with us in the car.

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Tipsy lived for 9 beautiful years. Her last 3 years of life were very painful. she suffered from diabetes and we had to give her insulin twice a day. We could not give her too many unnecessary treats. Due to poor medical care for dogs in India, it took us a while to even identify the illness.

Due to her illness she also started loosing her eyesight. But she was a fighter through and through. She had many other major related problems during this period. Myra was very young at this point of time. I was alone in taking care of both of them. It was emotionally draining.

In 2018 August, she passed away. It was sad but now somehow I had learnt the lesson that dogs are in our life for a short period of time. In her case her condition was not good, so it was an escape for her. Nevertheless we missed her terribly. I had for once decided that this was it. I did not want to go through the pain of loving and loosing anymore. I was sure that I would not have another pet at home.

And then….. Myra grew up. She grew up with the genes of her mom and dad and was doubly crazy for dogs in specific and all forms of animals generally. She would pet any and every dog she passed paths with – be it pet or stray. She would keep asking us to get one and in doing so… she rekindled my love and desire for having a fur baby.

But this time I did not adopt a dog as an impulsive decision taking in a flow of emotions. I thought it out for a while before we got Cookie home.

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I am here sharing with you the pros and cons of getting a fur baby. Just in case you are thinking of getting one home it is really important you know what it entails.

To start with the Cons….

1. A dog is a child for life. They are always dependent on you. They may toilet train fast and learn some basic stuff. But they will always need you a lot. The need you emotionally and for their daily needs. You need to dedicate time and energy to bring them up and nurture them.
2. Dogs have a very short life and the pain of loosing them is well almost unbearable.
3. Every dog falls sick in its lifetime, just the way we do. With us humans at least we can express how we feel. But with your little fur baby it is very sad to see them lie without energy and enthusiasm and you really cannot do much.
4. You cannot move around as easily. Especially if you end up having a super clingy pet he would be distressed if you leave him and go out for too long.
5. Do check if anyone in the house has an allergy to pets. I have known people who have severe allergies and cannot be in the same room where a dog has been earlier.

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So now for the reasons why you must must have a fur baby at home:

1. For me there is nothing that completes the family like a dog does. The idea of a perfect family always included a dog in my vision.
2. They are therapeutic. In the modern times with so much stress we all need something to feel joyful. These fur babies are the ultimate stress buster. They give you so much love and affection in return for really nothing.
3. In a single child house like mine, they are the ultimate companion for your child. Also a child learns so much from them. The most important lesson they learn is to love unconditionally.
4. Having a dog at home keeps you more active. There has been research to prove this. Also pet at home improves the immunity too. Again backed by recent research.
5. Dogs make you wake up early and enjoy the serenity. I have become more disciplined with Cookie around. I sleep in time because I know he would wake me up early. But this shouldn’t worry you if you are the kinds who prefers to sleep late. Dogs are very adaptable. I always wanted to wake up early so I do. But if I were to change his routine around mine he would very easily adjust.
6. They bring in so much love joy and happiness in your life. There is never a dull moment if you have a dog around you.
7. Dogs at home help children learn to take on responsibility. They also learn to be empathetic with a fur friend around.

But what finally made me decide was just one reason. The unconditional love that would flow into my house and our hearts. The perfect companion and love that this little angel shall shower on my daughter. So basically it was “Love” that made me decide on getting a pet. The Love that he brought into our life is worth every other hurdle we had to cross or we may have to cross.

Having said that I would one last time like to warn you that this love comes with a great responsibility. It is very unfair to bring a pet home and not give them love and respect they deserve as living beings. So do not be impulsive. Please be sure you are ready to take on the responsibility and you are ready to care for them. And for the little that you do what you get back in return is going to be priceless.

Especially if you are a single(forced in my case) parent like me and getting a pet home for your child’s happiness. Ensure that you also have enough love and attachment to the cause. Eventually everything falls on the parent. And with already so much it is an add on responsibility. Like in this lockdown in addition to all the house work, his responsibilities are an add on. But for me I am such a passionate dog lover I rejoice in doing it for him and I love to have him around me in this time of isolation. For me it is theraupetic.

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