There I was – 3 o’clock in the morning, the house dark and quiet and everyone sleeping peacefully standing with a hamster hanging by its teeth from my finger with blood squirting everywhere. What had gone wrong with the deal that I normally struck with my daughters over pets? The one that demands that they take full responsibility and charge of all their animals.
Worse was the fact that I had spent most of the previous evening lying flat on my belly in front of the wardrobe trying to coax this hamster out from behind with a series of tasty treats. This was after discovering that it had already worked its way through a whole drawer full of jumpers; not one left without a myriad of holes and loose threads. How can something so small create so much destruction?
To be fair to the hamster; a large giant lunging at you in the dark is pretty frightening and would cause most animals, and probably me too, to attack. Of course the best attack from a hamsters point of view are those prominent sharp front teeth – and sinking them into the fleshy part of the finger can be every bit as dramatic as a vampire going for the jugular!
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against my daughters having pets, and in fact I positively encourage it, but associated responsibility and care for the pets must go with it – and that was part of my “deal”. In this case my youngest daughter had been careless and not shut the cage properly. She happily went to stay with a friend for the night, leaving Mum to find and catch the missing pet. It was also Mum who had to break the news to her sisters that their favourite jumpers were no longer recognisable as anything other than nesting material.
Why do we do it? We do it because we love them, occasionally love their pets, and want the best for both. But this book will concentrate on the best pet for the circumstances you find yourself in and the best way to ensure that your child gets the maximum benefit from pet ownership. Taking charge of the pet and taking responsibility for its well being is a huge part of that benefit.
Naturally, as a Vet, I am committed to the welfare of pets and recent surveys demonstrate that as a nation we love our pets, which is no surprise. But the main finding from the most recent report is that we are not sufficiently educated in the correct management of our pets and are causing more welfare problems than we realise and this is surprising. We need to be able to understand the environment, feeding and management requirements that are essential for the wellbeing of our pets before we can supply these needs. This book will provide the information that you need to help you to supply a safe, secure and welfare friendly home for your pets – remembering that the best pet for your child is one that is happy and healthy.