Before You Decide to Adopt A Pet

Midnight (age 19 cat) and Bandit (age 11 dog)

Before you decide to get your little girl or boy a pet please consider how long they live.

Getting a pet is a life long commitment and pets can live a long time.

Yes puppies, kittens and other animals are adorable when they are babies, but what about when they are 7 years old or 20 years old. Yep, some pets live that long and longer.

And just like people, they can develop medical problems such as heart problems, arthritis, cancer, kidney disease, and more.

What you need to think about is how your life my look in 10 or 20 or even 50+ years from now.  Are you planning a move? Going to college? If so, can you take pet with you on campus or into a rental property?  If you can't take the pet with you -- what will you do? 

Do you go on vacation often? Who will feed and take care of the animal while you are away? Can you afford to keep their shots up to date? What if a medical emergency happens to you or your pet?  These are things you really should think about PRIOR to getting the pet.

Cats live on average around 15 years but can live as long as 30 years.

Dogs' life expectancy is 10 to 15 years. That varies between the breed of dogs Click here to see a list.

Birds can live upwards of 80 years. Click here for specific birds and their normal life expectancy.

Gerbil - depending on the type you choose they can live up to 8 years.

Hamsters live around 3 years.

Fish can live up to 30 years. The longest living fresh water fish are goldfish. Consider that the next time your child wants to win a fish at the carnival. Other live much shorter, for example, beta fish live 3 to 5 years and neon tetras live around 10 years. (Our carnival fish lived 3 years).

Bunnies can live 8 to 12 years old if kept inside and are spayed or neutered.

Please consider all the facts before adopting an animal because their life depends on it and lastly Adopt Don't Shop.