So, you have found out that keeping a pet is that one thing that’s going to change your life for good? Great! Sounds like your life is just about to change for real! But wait! Have you given a thought about the way it is going to affect and change the life of your pet? After all, you would both be connected for the rest of your lives right, spending many moments together? You will be, right?
If you found it a little tricky to reply instantly, then you must read what follows before you leap into the ocean where love abounds, but so do responsibilities. And trust us, it doesn’t matter if it is a human or an animal, they both need your time, love and caring! If you can’t give any of these, your relationship will never last.
Read along and see if you fit into any of the following descriptions.
You aren’t actually an animal lover in general
Whether you agree or agree to disagree, a person who doesn’t love animals on a whole, can find it difficult at times to love a pet animal too. Why? Well, for one, a pet is an animal too, if not a wild one but still an animal in the actual sense!
You see, love for pets is not an ability that can generate all of a sudden out of just about nothing. There has to be some amount of love for animals in a person for the love for a particular kind of animal (or pet) to stem from.
Now many would say that if that were true then non-vegetarians would have never been able to love their pets as they eat some, right? Well, we used to be confused about that too until we were enlightened by the fact that pets eat non-vegetarian food too! The point is, the food chain and what tugs along doesn’t actually define your love or hatred for animals. It is simply food, and that is how we, as humans, have been hard-wired into domesticating, conserving and eating animals since the beginning of time.
So, the fact that an animal lover might be eating non-vegetarian, though up for debate (we will be covering the topic separately) is somewhat digestible!
Here, we are talking about the mental approach towards animals and whether or not a person has any amount of love or liking for animals on a whole.
You want a pet because most of your friends have one
This is by far the worst scenario and we personally are against people who do so. So, now the younger generations wants to be seen as pet lovers and blah blah blah just because it is trendy.
Come on, these are pets and not just accessories for your social posts and stories! If your urge to buy a pet comes from seeing your friends or known ones keeping one, then you better not keep any because in no time, your infatuation (yes, just like an affair done out of peer pressure) will vanish, leaving behind a sad and depressed pet who won’t even understand what went wrong in the seemingly classy love affair.
You should not do a thing because somebody else is doing it and gaining popularity in some manner while doing so. Keeping a pet without actually wanting one most fervently, is just about the same thing. Give the poor animals a break – they feel the same like those who are dumped by such disoriented people.
Now, without getting agitated simply accept the fact that your pets are not for your social cravings!
Now, a pet lover might still post on social handles, and many do, but remember, there has to be love to begin with in the first place. You can, if you so much desire, share the goodness brought into your life by your pet with the whole world. However, never buy a pet just out of peer pressure or the urge to have a pet because you feel that another person got happier doing so.
Also read: Funny and weird things pet lovers do, especially dog lovers
You don’t interact much with both humans and animals
Well, while some pets may look as if they don’t need any kind of special attention or a two way interaction, a majority of pets need a one-on-one conversation (yes, we call that conversation where both the owner and the pet indulge in childish mumbling). Why you need that? Well, the pet needs it more.
Like every relationship, the one between an owner and a pet too has to be based on a mutual sense of longing and love to say the least. Your pet needs to be able to feel one with you and also needed in your life. Now people who interact less with humans tend to do the same with pets too. You don’t have to answer us for anything; you know it better than us.
We have seen many who don’t interact much with people but are madly in love with their pets. Those are some real examples but then, the fact remains that a majority of people tend to do so with both people and pets. For some reason, best known to them, they tend to open up to people and think that they might get some sort of true companionship with a pet. We agree that many do get such from their pets. However, if there is an underlying problem within the person for not being able to have a two way interaction at all then it doesn’t change much with their pets too. As a result, they end up neglecting their pets too for not being able to addressing the real issue in the first place.
Just to test the theory, how much do you mingle with the pets of people around you or even street dogs? Do you feel yourself change suddenly when around other’s pets, wanting more and more of them? Do you get cheerful when around street dogs too, for instance?
Well, if nothing of that sort happens then it would be best not to gamble with the notion “I might feel good if I keep a pet” because it is not just about you feeling good but also the pet, right?
You don’t enjoy going out for regular walks, or exercise
This doesn’t need explaining. In the present times, walking too has become a privilege, thanks to our busy or lazy lives or a combination of both. We hardly find time or enthusiasm to go out for a daily walk or exercise or even play. Now, this may sound like a universal predicament, but when it comes to a pet, it becomes more of an infliction.
Yes, you heard it right! You may not like to go out in the fresh air but your pet needs that on a regular basis. Why? Well, if your increasing weight and lethargy doesn’t give you a hint, look around and see the same predicament brought upon pets by their loving owners who don’t have courage enough to take their pets out for daily walks. They literally put on a lot of weight and battle with the same health problems like their human counterparts. You pet needs to go out and play often, if not regularly and if it is a pet dog, then you can’t keep it confined within the four walls of your house. They gain weight, get lethargic, get sick and even die! Yes, they do. It is a fact!
So, should you keep pets?
Well, the points mentioned above are just some of the reasons that can directly affect the life of your pet and though many would disagree with us (and they can) the fact remains that a lot has to be checked before bringing in a pet.
Anyway, if you ignore all of this and get a pet because you know that “you are not like that”, then we wish your pet good luck and pray that it changes you in a positive manner!
