Responsible Pet Ownership

Love your animals and protect their species.
The dog in this photo is Helga Higgins from the WCAS (ID#86330).

What does responsible pet ownership entail? This is a question that is asked by many families and individuals around the globe. This question is extremely important to be discussed before adopting or purchasing an animal companion. When asking a WCAS volunteer and visitor this question, both responded with similar answers: responsible pet ownership requires time, energy, and money to provide the proper care for any animal. I completely agree with their beliefs on responsible pet ownership. Animals are not an accessory or object that you can just buy and be done with. Pet owners need to make sure they have time to care for their animal. Depending on what kind of animal you have, pet owners need to make sure that their animals are getting the right amount of exercise. Also, pet owners need to make sure they have the finances to provide food for their animal, vet visits, and any other necessities. These are commonly discussed topics of what responsible pet ownership entails. However, there is one EXTREMELY important topic that many pet owners overlook.

Responsible pet ownership entails the protection of your animal and its species as a whole. Neutering and spaying are necessary when it comes to owning an animal, particularly cats and dogs. As discussed in previous blog posts, overpopulation is a huge issue that is not discussed as much as it should be. In order to save dogs and cats, we need to neuter and spay our pets to keep them from having a litter, controlling the population of these animals and providing loving homes for as many animals as we can. This also ties into irresponsible breeding. Unfortunately, many pet owners use their animals as a source of income and breed them in an uneducated manner, resulting in an overwhelming amount of homeless animals. Responsible pet ownership entails the love and protection of your animal. Do not be irresponsible. Neuter and spay your animals and do NOT irresponsibly breed them.