don't get your kid that pet...

it has been bugging me for a while and when i say it, it sounds a bit harsh and way too pragmatic and i know my wee one would completely disagree with me but, do not buy or adopt a pet for yourself, your family or your child without first considering a few things...one, can you afford it?   no, i don't mean afford a free pet and a $5 leash and a bag of dog food I mean.... can you afford the shots, 15 + years of vet bills and food and two; can you afford the time it takes to wash it, walk it, play with it and care for it???  are you going to take it with you on vacation or are you going to skip vacations?  are you going to be eating its food when you are out of money?  i can name you a few people right now that i know that are strapped for cash and complain about the lack of money and the fact that they are going to have to get a second job to make ends meet and yet their pets have food and have to get groomed and get their teeth cleaned and they need canned food and oh, i need to get another pet so, that my first pet (who is draining my bank account) has a friend and now let me complain about the mess a puppy makes and i am so tired that i don't have the time to train the puppy and now i need a third job to afford all my bills...where does my money go???  Let me tell you...it goes to pay for those pets you don't need, you never should have gotten and you sure cannot afford.  I grew up with a pet and loved it but, i know that i love travelling and having a pet is not conducive to the travelling i do and the wandering that i do...i don't like having to be on a schedule or having to be home at a certain time when i am off work so that my pet can go outside...i don't want another thing depending upon me for survival...the wee one is enough for me.  so, if a pet is what you really want then be reasonable and get something you can afford and not another pet or don't even get me started on those multiple pet-rescuing owners...you need to get your brain checked...there are too many starving people in our own country to spend all the time and money and tears and effort and facebook posts and pet hoarding on your compulsive need to feel loved by rescuing pets...pet ownership is like home ownership...there are too many hidden costs and responsibilities associated with owning either a pet or a house that no one wants to tell you about until it's too late and you are saddled with the responsibilities and the costs...animals are not people...do the world a favor and rescue some people first and put some money in savings and leave the pets to those that can actually afford them.