by M. J. Joachim

Created on: July 22, 2009

Ways to Keep Your Pet

What an awful thing to be faced with! The idea of giving up your pet is almost too sad to even think about. Life happens, and circumstances change, but when you brought home that funny little companion, you were in it for the long haul, and never dreamed of one day struggling to take care of it. Now you are in quite a predicament, and you need some alternatives fast! It's time to find out how you can keep your pet without surrendering it because you can't afford to care for it anymore.

Know Your Pet

If you haven't already, you need to know everything there is to know about your pet. Even if you think you know enough, it's well advised to do some extra research. Go to the library and check out every book you can on your pet and its needs. Check out movies too. Then go online and research further. The more you know about your pet, the better!

Trim Your Budget

The first thing you can do is trim your budget. There are several ways to do this, and you can get very creative with ways to minimize your expenses when it comes to your pet. Since you know everything there is to know about your animal, based on your own personal research, you can use that knowledge to create a pet budget that will limit the costs associated with ownership.

The first thing you need to do is calculate your current expenses. Write down everything you spend on a spread sheet. Categorize it by need versus want. Prioritize it according to importance. Add up your columns and determine how much you might save if you didn't purchase any of the wants you like to give your pet.

What are some of the wants that might take a heavy toll on your wallet? One of the biggest is grooming expenses. Now that you know all about your pet, you can easily take the time to groom it yourself. Another big expense is toys and accessories. If your pet likes tennis balls, go to the local tennis court and pick up a few lost in the bushes. If your pet needs a chew toy, give it a stick from the back yard.

The needs are a little trickier. Obviously your pet needs food, but does it require top of the line expensive food? How can you minimize the expense of food, and cut cost while still keeping your pet healthy and happy? Veterinary costs are another must have. There are discount vets who charge minimal prices to care for your animal. There are also vaccine clinics, and pet food banks who can help you limit costs of caring for your pet.

Fundraising

If you need extra money to prevent surrendering your pet, you can host a garage sale to raise the funds. You can also offer to care for other pets in your own neighborhood, and charge a fee for doing so. There are pet charities that you can join, and in doing so, raise awareness for your own needs. When you do, people will offer helpful advice, and maybe even some products and services that will enable you to keep caring for your pet.

Ask Family and Friends for Help

Life has a way of changing, and while today seems very uncertain, tomorrow may not be so financially stressful. If you need some time to think about your situation, ask a family member or friend to give it to you. Let them know that you need to reevaluate things fully, so that you can make the best decisions for the future. This is important because while today you may feel overwhelmed and think surrendering your pet is the best alternative, tomorrow you might realize you didn't need to do anything quite so drastic. Let your family and friends support you in this important decision, so that you don't regret making a choice that you might not have needed to in the first place.

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