Happy April, my fellow Masoneers! Did you look into adopting a rescued guinea pig during Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig month? I did, but they did a
thorough background check and found out that I was a cat and therefore ineligible. When I meowed that I felt I was being discriminated against, they asked if I had a steady income that would allow me to provide food, shelter and medical care and I had to be honest and say no. They also asked if I rented or owned my residence and how much I pay per month; well, I actually cost my roommate’s money to keep me but they do because they love me. J We all came to a mutual agreement that owning a pet was not going to be in the pet’s best interest.
Here’s another newsflash: a lot of us love to be groomed. It also keeps some of the fur under control and not all over the rest of the house. It’s good for bonding too. Believe it or not, we have our Hallmark moments too!
Speaking of which, did anyone else look up information on guinea pigs after reading about it? Although it was focused on guinea pigs, the message is VERY important to anyone looking to have any kind of pet: what kind of pet is right, is it even the right time or place to have a pet right now? That has to be the #1 reason for pets ending up in shelters and/or neglected. The owner never did or no longer has the time or means to care for them and unfortunately, many don’t care enough to rectify the situation. Please, please make sure that before you take on the responsibilities of having a pet, that you have the ability to meet that pet’s needs. If you think that an adoption fee is expensive, that may be a good indication that adopting a pet is probably is not the right thing to do right now. Food, medical care, pet rent (where applicable) and supplies are all expenses that will be in addition to your current cost of living. When making this decision, ask yourself how long the pet would be alone during the day, how much space you have to accommodate them, type of environment, and if living with others, is everyone on board? Let’s help shelters and animals by educating people about pet ownership so that we can reduce the number of homeless pets!
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| Kindal and Mason |
Another very popular reason for pets being surrendered to shelters are allergies. Dog and cat dander (really pet dander in general) are top reasons that many people do not own animals and why so many pet owners are on lifetime allergy medication. Having a pet means that you are most likely having to clean more often and, depending on what you have, how much extra cleaning you need to do. Even if you think your dog or cat doesn’t shed, think again. Humans shed. Sorry, the truth hurts. How much they shed varies so if that’s an issue for you, do your research before you bring a pet home.
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| Kindal playing is up for the camera |
If you have the financial means, many people find that having hardwood floors (or something other than carpet such as tile, laminate, etc) helps tremendously for people with allergies and can also be much easier to clean. Speaking of, is it possible to keep a clean house while being a pet owner? The answer is a most definite yes, though a lot of that depends on the upkeep. VeterinaryPartner.com has some good ideas; for areas that are harder to keep clean, try and cover with something that can be fairly easily washed like a small rug or furniture throw. It also helps tremendously when you can clean up before dirt or mess spread throughout the house. I know those dogs can be awfully messy, mud and dirt everywhere and who knows what else. OK, I’ll admit it cats sometimes get litter in their paws and walk around the house too but we at least have a “grace” about it. You can use baby wipes or a warm washcloth to periodically wipe our paws if you feel so inclined. We may act like we hate it but secretly we enjoy the cleanliness!
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| BTW Kindal is looking for a home! |
So is there a stain on the carpet that we may or may have not contributed to somewhere? It would probably be advisable to try again and see if maybe another method or product can take it out. Word around the campfire is that pets have a habit of returning to the scene of previous crimes; other’s or our own, we’re not prejudiced.
Here’s another newsflash: a lot of us love to be groomed. It also keeps some of the fur under control and not all over the rest of the house. It’s good for bonding too. Believe it or not, we have our Hallmark moments too!
For more information on keeping it tidy, visit:
Speaking of cleaning, I’m going to go try and get out of the way of my staff cleaning. I sometimes feel kind of bad that they have to do it around me.
Til next meow,
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| Mason |
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