Reasons for Owning a Pet - What's Yours?

I was thinking pretty heavily this weekend about pets and different reasons as to why we have them. I realized each person is selecting a pet for different reasons and that your reason for getting a pet in the first place is extremely important when you are considering different breeds. Today I would like to talk to you about a few of the many reasons people get pets and what impact that has on the breed of animal you select. Also, I strongly encourage my readers to leave me a comment on why they purchased their pet. Enjoy!

The main reason people buy animals is for comfort. I know this has been said a million and one times, but it deserves to be said again. Pets give you complete and unconditional love all the time. All they ask for in return is shelter, food, water, and love. We as owners try our very best to give back to our pets in every way possible and I would like to share with you a personal story about the last dog that I owned.

There are some of you that as you are reading this will laugh at what I am about to say, but it doesn't really matter to me, I know the majority will understand and will have done something similar as well. The last dog I owned was also the best listener - she stayed around me and always seemed to know when I was feeling down and needed to be cheered up. I would have conversations with her, tell her my feelings and vent my frustrations. She helped me in ways I never even thought possible.

There were times I can clearly remember being upset and crying, and she would come up to me, put her head in my lap and lick my hand. It was the greatest feeling in the entire world - although she couldn't talk to me and cheer me up that way, she made a huge difference in her presence and her attention.

This is one of the many reasons why therapy or hospital dogs are so successful - people respond to animals. Numerous studies have shown that patients were calmer, and in a better position to fight their disease after having been visited by a therapy dog. I know someone who worked in a nursing home and they told me that their faces would light up when animals were brought in - they just loved having something to hold and cuddle with - something that loved them back and wasn't afraid to show it!

When you are purchasing a pet strictly for comfort you need to be aware of certain breeds that are easy going and enjoy a more relaxed environment. You would want to be certain to train your animal to enjoy your company, and to be relaxed around company (both humans and animals). Be sure to do plenty of research into different breeds, and don't be shy about asking questions of veterinarians, humane societies, or breed clubs.

The second reason people buy pets is for protection. This is sometimes the case with a single female living by herself. There is a lot of danger in buying and training a pet to be your protector. You are in a sense creating an animal that hates strangers and this could be especially dangerous if you are out in public with the animal.

Some people are fooled into thinking that if they get a dog that is large in size, they can scare off any attacker - this is simply not true. You could have a Great Dane (very large in size) that wouldn't hurt a fly, or you could have a Chihuahua (very small in size) who would keep coming after you. What is really essential is that you find a dog whose personality is in the exact middle of these two extremes. Pets are very loyal to their owners and most would do anything (even if it meant putting themselves in extreme danger) to keep their owners safe.

I am going to talk about just one more reason people buy animals and that reason is to give as a gift. This has got to be one of the silliest reasons to buy an animal. Not only are you purchasing it for someone else who you have no idea if they will get along with the animal, most of the time you have no idea if they even want one. Parents like to surprise their children around the holidays or on their birthdays with a new puppy or kitten, but I don't think most parents understand that within a few short weeks they will be the ones caring for the new addition.

If you are considering purchasing a pet for a loved one or family member, you should have them involved in the selection of the pet and really the whole entire process. They need to be 100% sure they want an animal - it would be horrible if you bought an animal, it didn't work out and it had to be sent to a humane society or shelter. Purchases that are a big commitment such as a pet should be carefully thought out and discussed, money needs to be talked about, if you work, what are you going to do with the animal during the day?, how will you train it?, do you have enough time for it? as you can see, the questions can be endless.

I've talked about 3 reasons to get a pet, now I want to hear what you have to say, how did you get your pets? Any interesting stories? Please leave me a comment and they will be posted to this blog as soon as they are approved.

Are you interested in purchasing a puppy or dog but don't know where to get started? Take a look at my ebook, it is affordable, easy to read, and contains valuable information on navigating through dog ownership!!