What to Expect when you are Expecting - The Pet Edition

Bringing a new fur companion home is the most important decision you will ever make in their life! I agree, it shouldn't be taken lightly, a pet is for life (their life) and it can change humans lives (for the better), or worse if you haven't thought it out carefully.

We are lucky that we have time to get it right during our lifespan, but for that one, two, or third pet that we decide to bring into our lives, we have to do our best to get it right during their short but important time here with us!

I can talk till i'm blue in the face about how wonderful having a pet is and that "a home is not a home without a pet" but it's not for everyone! It's a real commitment. There are many factors to consider, some of which i will mention below, this is a simple checklist before you consider:

• Do i have the funds to care for my new family member- their daily wellness & nutrition needs. Let's not be those family's that just buy a bag of dry food off the shelf and don't bother looking into what is actually good and harmful, the list of much longer than you think, a good reference point would be https://foreverdoglife.com/. I'm not saying that you need to have millions in the bank but you need to be willing to spend, having a pet is not cheap, they need their annual heart worm, vaccinations, desexing, rabies license (renewed every 3 years), flea & tick treatments, grooming etc etc ..

• Do i have time to care for another being? Can i make the time?

  
  

• Is my building or housing pet friendly? You will need to check the building's Deed of Mutual Covenant before you move in, otherwise this could cause unnecessary stress after signing a lease and realising the building doesn't allow pets. Ask your agent or landlord to double check and to get it in writing.

  
  

• What measures will i take to ensure that my pet is not left alone all day, this goes for pets too! i'm still appalled when i hear that people leave their cats with an automatic feeder at weekends and they go away. I find this to be totally not what a caring responsible pet parent would do. We are fortunate in Asia to be able to employ Dog walkers or Foreign Domestic Helpers at an affordable rate. It would not be the same rate if you move countries, or would you have the convenience, so that's something to consider, especially when moving away from Asia.

• I am willing to look into insurance for my pet? I read lots of feedback about how expensive insurance is, but at the end of the day when you don't have it and you need it, that HKD 300- HKD400 plan a month would have been a cost saver if you had it. You also should think about third party liability, particularly if you have a reactive dog. Feel free to use my referral code should you be interested in signing up:

One Degree Referral Code

• Will having a pet impact my future life plans (getting married, getting divorced, having babies, leaving the country). If you think it will, make sure you have considered the repercussions and how to manage?

• Will I ensure that my pet gets the medical or necessary rehab care, should they get sick! You would be amazed at how many families think their dogs don't need to go to the vet and leave ailments untreated for longer than they should when it could have easily been resolved with a trip to the vet!

• Will i make sure that my dog license has been transferred over to me and that my new puppy has had the rabies vaccination and microchip within 5 months of age (that is currently the HK Law). I know it sounds basic, but i have come across someone who didn't check to ensure their license was transferred to them when they adopted and they were leaving the country They ended up not being able to take their pet with them in the end as they hadn't checked! Go to the AFCD directly and check, it's a simple process!

  
  

Above all, having pet family is the most rewarding and heart warming soulful experience and if none of the above has put you off in any way then it's something that i would do over and over again (and clearly I have). Most importantly when you do decide to take the plunge, be sure to contact your local animal rescue organisation because "rescued" is the only way to go!