BE THOUGHTFUL KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO Take the time to consider all the aspects of pet ownership before you adopt. Along with the unconditional love and fun a pet brings, comes responsibility. Food and water are not enough. Only people who really are going to dedicate themselves to raising, caring for and loving these companions should become owners. Acquiring a pet isn't like buying a new pair of shoes. It's closer to having a child- a child that doesn't speak English and requires a lot of maintenance. Millions of companion animals die every year because their masters didn't realize how much work caring for a pet really is. Our pets depend on us completely to meet all their needs. Dogs and cats especially are social animals and want the company of humans. They deserve to live indoors as part of our families. They need our time and attention everyday for feeding, walking, playing, training and cleaning up after. They also need yearly wellness visits to the veterinarian and sometimes additional office visits when problems arise. Are you ready to commit to an animal for 10-15 years? Do you have time everyday to provide companionship, exercise and training? If your pet is alone all day and you're concerned about his getting bored or lonely, you may want to consider getting a second animal. Do you have patience and tolerance? Can you and your family members tolerate occasional messes and pet hair? If your pet develops a problem behavior, like digging in the yard or clawing furniture, will you be willing to seek out advice? There are many resources available including websites, books, obedience classes and veterinary practices specializing in problem behaviors. You will be responsible for being knowledgeable about your pet and training him. Don't let him wind up in a shelter because you didn't realize what you were getting into. Does your budget allow for the expense of pet ownership? Costs include food, annual checkups, flea and heartworm preventative, spay/neutering, grooming, collars, leashes, toys, litter, bowls, crates, carriers and boarding. If you would have to move on short notice, are you willing to make an effort to find a place that accepts pets? Is everyone in your family free of allergies? If you answered yes to all these questions and you think you are ready to make the necessary commitment, please consider adopting a homeless pet. There are so many animals out there that will never make it to a loving home. As Pamela Buitrago puts it in her article, Why Adopt a Shelter Pet? (www.petshelter.net), most shelter animals are healthy, affectionate animals that have ended up in shelters "because of circumstances beyond their control. They're abandoned because of a death, illness, divorce or move that did not include them. Some are there because their owner did not know how to train them. When you adopt a homeless animal, you become part of the solution of the pet overpopulation problem." You also get the satisfaction of knowing you saved the life of a deserving, beautiful and loving companion animal that really needs you.