Pets for christmas – Think before you buy

If you have animal lovers in your family, the idea of getting a pet as a gift seems like a great idea. Who wouldn’t be excited about getting a cute puppy, kitten or even a fish for Christmas?

While a new furry family member can definitely make your family so happy, it is really important that you do your research (and budget) beforehand. If you are not 100% sure you can commit to your new pet time-wise or financially, it would be better to stick to toys or chocolate.

Pets aren’t just for Christmas – After Christmas time, animal shelters see a large increase in calls from pet owners telling them they need to give up their pets because they have realized the additional responsibility and costs involved.

If you are considering getting a pet this Christmas, there are a few things to consider.

1.       Pets are for life – Pets aren’t just Christmas gift. You will need to be aware that they will be part of the family for 15-20 years.

2.       Pets require planning – Making sure your home is appropriately fenced and secure for your new pet is really important. They need a safe and secure environment to live in. Do you go away on trips a lot? When you have a pet, you cannot just up and leave like you usually would. If you rent and your landlord is OK with pets, that is great! But your next rental and landlords might not be OK with pets. This is a very common problem in NZ. People having to re-home their pets when they have to move house.

3.       Pets cost money – Now, this is the major one and the reason we decided this would be a good blog to go on our website, After all, we are the budgeting ladies! There are so many costs involved when it comes to owning pets. The main cost is their food, but there are a whole heap of other expenses that need to be considered before you get a pet.

·         Vet bills – No matter how healthy your pet is, there will always come a time when your pet needs to visit the vet. Vaccinations for example, is something you must do as a responsible pet owner. You could also end up with the pet that has health issues and will need to be seen regularly, which would be a big expense. Pet insurance is always a good idea!

·         Going away – Going away wont be as easy as it once was. You will need to consider the costs involved when going on holiday as your pet may need to go into a kennel or cattery, which could cost as much as your summer camping site does! Vaccinations are also non-negotiable for kennels and catteries.

·         Food – Pet food has gotten more and more expensive just for the supermarket stuff! You could also end up with a pet that has allergies or an intolerance for certain things. You will then be buying special food for them.

·         Grooming – Certain breeds of animals need proper grooming for their health and wellbeing.

·         Training – For puppies, proper training is always a good idea!

There are so many things to consider when getting a new pet. As much as you might love them, please make sure you are financially, mentally and physically committed before going out and getting one this christmas. We have a massive problem with unwanted or uncared for pets in New Zealand and we can all do our part by thinking before we buy/adopt.