Being a pet parent is more than just coming home to your adorable furry friend waiting for you by the door, being smothered by furry cuddles and kisses and playing exciting games with it.
As heartwarming and rewarding as that it is, there’s a great degree of responsibility that comes with it, too.
Having a pet in your home means being responsible for your furry buddy’s daily, year-round care and commitment. From regular grooming sessions to feeding them when they are hungry to having a respectful attitude towards your pet, there’s so much to be done in terms of looking after a pet animal. To emphasize and highlight the importance of our responsibility as pet parents towards our pets, Defense of Animals (IDA) has declared the month of May as ‘Responsible Animal Guardian Month.’
What Is A Responsible Animal Guardian?
Pet parents are more like guardians, a term that IDA has been trying to normalize in place of the term ‘owner.’
The idea here is to create a degree of equality and respect by giving people with pets the title of a guardian.
As stated by Dr. Elliot Katz, Founder of IDA, “The use of the term “guardian” will ultimately end so much cruelty and abuse, and save so very many lives.”
The use of the word ‘owner’ suggests that pet animals are our property, whereas ‘guardian’ goes to show that we are responsible for all our pets’ well-being, health and happiness for a lifetime.
So, what makes a responsible animal guardian?
A responsible animal guardian is someone who:
- Invests a good amount of time in training their pets
- Feeds their pet nutritious and healthy foods and limits providing them with treats
- Makes use of positive reinforcement rather than punishment when training and teaching their pet
- Ensures that their pet gets plenty of opportunities for socialization, outdoor activities and Tends to all their pet’s emotional, physical and physiological needs making new friends
- Spend one-on-one time with their pet every single day and gives them quality time
- Schedules regular wellness exams and visits to the pet and keeps track of their new or worsening symptoms in case of illness
- Ensures regular grooming sessions to keep their pet’s skin and coat healthy
- Trains their pet to have a happy life without incurring any behavioral issues
- Makes exercise an essential part of their pet’s daily routine Reports suspected abuse on animals like a responsible and caring guardian
- Ensures microchipping of their pet
- Adopts pets only through responsible rescues, shelters and ethical breeders
- Always treats their pet with love, care, affection and compassion
The Purpose of Responsible Animal Guardian Month
Defense of Animals (IDA) declared May to be ‘Responsible Animal Guardian Month’ majorly to accomplish two very important goals. These are:
- To discourage and prevent people from purchasing an animal from pet breeders and pet stores.
- To encourage and inculcate a more caring, responsible and loving behavior among all those people who already have pets and identify as pet guardians. This further includes proving pets with full-time commitment and caring for their emotional, physical and social needs, thereby being able to form a solid, deep bond or connection with the pet.
How to Observe Responsible Animal Guardian Month
If you are a guardian to an adorable little furry friend, it is best to observe Responsible Animal Guardian Month and analyze your pet-parenting practices.
Some basic but important things you can do in this regard include:
- Buying pet insuranceso that you are able to cover unexpected vet exams, visits or check-ups that might be required to care for your furry family member and keep their health in perfect condition.
- Taking your pet out for socializing and making new friends so that it is comfortable and confident in a number of different situations.
- Going for an annual wellness exam to help your pet’sveterinarian find possible health issues so that he or she can fix and address them before the issue worsens and becomes chronic.
- Ensuring that your pet is in good physical shape by making exercise a definite part of their daily routine because, like human beings, animals also need a daily dose of physical activity and exercise to stay fit and healthy.
- Taking old or senior animals for wellness exams to keep their physical health in proper check.
What You Can Do If You Are Bringing a Pet Home
If you are planning to add a furry member to your family and are in the middle of becoming a pet guardian this month, here are a few essential things you can do to understand the importance of Responsible Animal Guardian Month.
- Before your new furry friend comes home, make sure that you have a well-defined plan in terms of who is going to look after it. The pet is going to need grooming sessions, proper baths, walking sessions in the morning, playtime, and so much more. Whether you are planning to do it all on your own or divide responsibilities between different family members, it is ideal if you know who’s going to do what in advance.
- If you happen to be bringing home a rescue animal, make sure that you have the time and are fully prepared to tend to its emotional needs. Many rescue animals come with difficult past experiences involving abuse and neglect, so as a pet guardian, it is your duty to look after it with extra love, attention, care and patience.
- If your new furry friend isn’t spayed or neutered, make sure to get it done because, as a pet parent, it’s a very responsible thing to do on your part to help control the animal population. After all, there’s absolutely no reason or use in bringing more cats and dogs into the world unless there’s a guarantee that each of them will be taken into a loving, caring home for a lifetime.
Key Takeaway
Pet animals are truly adorable creatures, but they also need a great amount of care and attention. Responsible Animal Guardian Month is all about being a good pet parent, catering to the pet’s needs and doing your best to provide your furry friend with the best home possible.
