Best Time to Adopt a Companion?

Animals add joy, companionship, and love to our lives, as well as a big responsibility. Choosing to add an animal companion to your family is a very important decision. Sometimes, adopting an animal may be too much added responsibility if you’re also experiencing other life changes. Take this quiz to assess what’s happening in your life now, and in the near future, to help you decide if this is the best time to adopt a companion.

Check the following events that have either occurred in your life in the past six months, or that you think may occur in the coming six months:

• Divorce or end of a relationship.
• Marriage.
• Change in living arrangements (new roommates or moving in with significant other).
• Move to a new residence.
• Pregnancy or new baby.
• Longer hours or increased responsibility at work.
• Financial concerns.
• Children leaving home or moving back home.
• Care-taking responsibilities for an elderly or ill family member.
• Significant changes in family routine.
• Death of a family member.
• Death or disappearance of a family cat or dog.
• Relinquishment of a cat or dog (given away or brought to an animal shelter). 
• Significant health problems of a family member.
• Change in working status of a family member (begins work, changes jobs or retires).
• Frequent travel, either for business or pleasure.
• Limited leisure or free time.
• Graduation from high school or college.
• Disagreement among family members about adopting a pet.

Add one point for every animal you currently have (one aquarium counts as one animal).

 

Scoring

0-3: Your life seems fairly stable. Now is probably a reasonable time to consider a new animal companion.

4-6: You have a lot of responsibilities right now. Although adopting an animal may still work for you, a small mammal, an adult cat, or well-trained, adult dog would probably be more appropriate than a kitten, a puppy or an active breed of dog.

7-10: Let’s think twice about this. With all the changes and responsibilities in your life right now, you may not have time to care for a new animal companion. It would probably be better for both you and the pet if you wait until your life settles down a bit.

10+: Bringing a new animal into your life right now is not a wise decision.

 

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