Should people be made to learn about an animal before having it.?

Question

It always amazes me when people have animals they know nothing about. Some dont even know How to Feed the poor things!

Also as Dogs can be dangerous if incorrectly treated (especially SOME breeds) is it time to introduce a basic test first! Something like the basic car or motorbike test?

The number of specific BREED rescue centres REALLY worries ME! Why pay so much then not even READ a BOOK!

Answer 1

No, people should not have to be MADE to learn about an animal before having it, ideally they should WANT to know about it on their own. What's the purpose of having one if you don't want to learn everything there is to know about it?
Like I said, that would be the ideal situation, but it's not reality, so I guess, yes, we need to make people learn about the animals they buy before they get their hands on them.
Who's going to teach them though? Lot of pet store clerks can't even tell a male from a female and I don't blame them. You cannot expect some high school kid off the street to know all there is to know about all animals in the store and pay him minimum wage. So maybe we need to start with the young ones, the kids. I'm with a group and we hold education days in pet stores and other places that will have us.
I'm currently setting up a date in an elementary school on Show-and-Tell day and one at a library for spring, so we can have it outside the library where we can bring the animals. I'm hoping that informing the young ones will some day make a difference.

Answer 2

Absolutely. If everyone knew how to take proper care of their pets and took the time to learn about all the expense and time that goes into proper care for ANY animal, not only would people think twice before running out to buy that adorable mastiff pup / Shetland pony / fill in the blank, but the overall quality of life of our animals would be much higher.

Not enough people know how to take care of their pets, and not enough people can train their pets to behave in an acceptable way. By far the majority of animals given up to shelters are there because of training and behavior managemet issues. I wish I could make participation in the AKC's Canine Good Citizen program mandatory for all dog owners. CGC is a simple obedience test that any owner and dog can take that demonstrates that the dog is has the necessary basic training to be safe and behave decently in public situations. The test also requires the owner to sign a simple pledge guaranteeing the dog the proper basic care.

Answer 3

It would certainly be a good idea to put certain people who have never had an animal before through some kind of course for them to know what they're in for. Caring for an animal is a responsability that some people forget is 24 hour a day, seven days a week if they are going to do it properly.

Even people who have grown up with animals in their home through their parents forget that when they live alone they are the responsible party for the creature's welfare.

One has to love them, feed them, know when it is necessary to take them to the vet, have trustworthy friends handy if one travels and not expect those friends to always be there for you.

Then there is the whole world of the wrong person wanting to give a home to an animal. Dangerous dogs in the hands of careless owners can mean the death of a neighbour or the owner itself.

Answer 4

I feel people should have to learn about an animal before they get it. When my kids were little and wanted a fish tank I made them learn about the different kinds of fish and ask questions at the store about the fish what ones work well together and how to set up the tank and make sure they have the right size thank. They had the best fish tank for grade schoolers and knew everything about the fish. Than we added hampsters and they had to learn about them too. Their hampsters lived for 8 years which is long for hampsters. Now we have ferrets. They had to learn about the different breeds and decide what we wanted. We had three ferrets but one passed away last year he was 6 years old and had a heart condition. But Booboo and Doc are going strong and are 6 and 5 years old. We tested the kids on what they learned before we got the pets. And we checked out the vets in our area to make sure they care for the types of pets we were getting.There should be a test though like you say. Some people should not be pet owners.

Answer 5

I use to work at an animal shelter.... I know all about that, I think the education needs to start at the pet stores! They need to take a course before you can sell animals! Just look how many pet store emploees give out bad advice and then the new owners are stuck with an animal they can't handel. Trust me I've seen it all, like a lady who bought a Jack russel terreir and brought him in to the shelter because he dug up the yard and has too much energy (the pet store staff failed to tell her they are the top breed for high energy!) Not to mention all the animals that have been sexed wrong, you think your buying 2 female rabbits and end up with 100 rabbits....

Answer 6

I wholeheartedly agree with you. When I got my tropical fish I got my information from a very reliable source, someone I knew had kept fish for many years. I got the excellent advice from my mum, and I still go to her for on going advice.

I agree that people shoud take some kind of test about the animal they are wanting to get as even different breeds of an animal have different areas of concern (ie do people know that if they get labradors they are going to chew quite a lot and that border collies need a lot of exercise (and are actually more suited to a working environment than a domestic one)).

Answer 7

Absolutely they should. Don't know how it would be enforced but I feel strongly that it should be harder to get an animal and potential owners should have to learn about it's needs. I feel too that there should be a general pet licence which should be fairly high. Payable every year unless the pet is neutered and then no fee at all. This might encourage people to neuter their pets.
The high fee would hopefully put off the less than dedicated pet owners.

Answer 8

I agree whole heartedly with dmspartan. If you own or want to own an animal ( of any kind ) you should realize it is a very big responsibility.
Most animals ( unless they are strays ) don't even know how to catch & kill thier own food, so it is up to the human to make sure it is fed properly. Not to mention grooming & vet care.
I think that if someone wants to own a pet they should at least know the basics & pay attention to the animal - most of the time it will tell you what it needs ( or wants ). Just like a kid, only in a different kind of language.

Answer 9

I totally agree. I used to manage a pet shop and before anyone would buy a pet because it was cute, I would educate them on the basic needs of the animal. I am educated in animal husbandry as well as knowledge of fish and reptiles. I would never sell an animal or any fish to anyone who did not know what they were getting into. As for dogs, I think that anyone wanting a dog should have to go through a training course on how to treat their dog and how to feed it, what to look for if the dog is ill and what they should do about taking it to the vets. It totally amazes me about the questions about whether their dog is sick. We are not vets, though many of us have had dogs in our lives and know different things to look for if the dog is ill but the end result is to take it to the vet.

Very good question.

Answer 10

I think so because A LOT of people think of hamsters and other small rodents as cheap 'first pets' for kids and they don't know anything about them. I don't agree about the fee though because being 14 I don't have extra money to pay for fees, with any extra money i would buy toys or something for my rats.But if there was a test then people would start complaining about it being their right to decide on their own if they're ready for the pet...