Dr. Lucas Kandefer talks about adoption vs. purchasing a pet and getting a puppy or an older pet. He says a lot of factors have to go into choosing a pet. A lot of people got new pets during the pandemic and unfortunately some people bit off more than they can chew. Dr. Kandefer says a lot of people want a puppy, they love the idea of a puppy, but a puppy is a lot of work. There is a lot of training, a lot of time, they don’t let you sleep, they want to eat when they want, there is potty training issues and are a lot of things we have to take into account to make sure we can take care of them appropriately and that’s the right pet for you. Dr. Kandefer says depending on your exercise level and your fitness and what you are looking to do with your life, sometimes we choose a pet that is not appropriate for us because we want to hang out on the couch and there are pets that like to hang out on the couch and there are other breeds that need to run and want to run. We need to make sure what breeds we are looking for, if you are looking for a specific breed, that is going to match, that we can get exercise and get them out as they need and not end up seeing a lot of our behavior issues that are due to lack of mental stimulation and that’s really important. He says when you talk about older pets the good news a lot of pets already have been potty trained and they have already been socialized. A lot of these things we struggle with, and create problems with our puppies when we don’t just have the time. When you are looking for pet do your research, talk to your veterinarian. He says unfortunately, a lot of pets are being returned to the SPCA because people just weren’t able to manage them and take care of them. If you can, he says adoption is great. He says his dog is a rescue.
Click here to go to the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society.
