Is This The Best Time To Adopt A Pet?
Pets add fun, companionship and love to
our lives, but they’re also a big responsibility. Choosing to add a pet to your
family is a very important decision. Sometimes, adopting a pet may be too much
added responsibility if you’re experiencing other life-changes at the same
time. Take this quiz to assess what's happening in your life now, and in the near
future, to help you decide if this is the best time to adopt a pet.
Check the following events that have
either occurred in your life in the past six months, or that you think may
occur in the coming six months:
Divorce
or end of a relationship
Marriage
Change in living arrangements (new
roommates or moving in with significant other)
Move to a new residence
Pregnancy or new baby
Longer hours or increased
responsibility at work
Financial concerns
Children leaving home or moving
back home
Care-taking responsibilities for
elderly or ill family member
Significant changes in family
routine
Death of a family member
Death or disappearance of a family
pet
Relinquishment of a pet (given away
or brought to an animal shelter)
Significant health problems of a
family member
Change in working status of a
family member (begins work, changes jobs or retires)
Frequent travel, either for
business or pleasure
Limited leisure or free time
Graduation from high school or
college
Disagreement among family members
about adopting a pet
Add one point for every pet you
currently have (one aquarium counts as one pet).
Scoring
0-3: Your life seems fairly stable. Now is
probably a reasonable time to acquire a pet.
4-6: You have a lot of responsibilities right
now. Although adopting a pet may still work for you, a small mammal, an adult
cat, or well-trained, adult dog would probably be more appropriate than a
kitten, a puppy or an active breed of dog.
7-10:
Let's think twice about
this. With all the changes and responsibilities in your life right now, you may
not have time to care for a new pet. It would probably be better for both you
and the pet if you wait until your life settles down a bit.
10+: STOP! DON’T PASS GO! Acquiring a pet now is not a wise decision. Why not consider a pet rock
or a "computer-pet" instead?
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