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The real costs of a 'free' pet can add up in a hurry

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It seems like everywhere you look nowadays there are advertisements for animals that are "free to a good home." Websites like Craigslist and Facebook make it easier than ever for people to rehome pets. If getting a free pet sounds too good to be true, that's because it is - there's no such thing as a free pet. While you may not exchange money with the previous owner, free pets still come with a plethora of additional costs.

A major cost associated with owning a pet is spaying and neutering. While there's no rule saying you must get your pet fixed, spaying and neutering is incredibly important for a number of reasons. Beyond unwanted litters, unfixed pets display more behavior problems - such as aggression and marking. Pets that aren't fixed are also at an increased risk of health problems, like cancer. Many people claim they haven't gotten their pets fixed because of the cost, but the cost of the problems associated with not having your pet fixed are far greater than a spay or neuter surgery. Additionally, if you cannot afford one pet, how will you afford an entire litter?

Beyond spaying and neutering, your pet will require vaccines and routine preventative care. Again, the costs associated with this care are far less than the cost to treat your pet should they get ill, so putting this care off because of the initial cost is not advised. This type of care includes flea/tick treatment and heartworm preventative. In order to get heartworm preventative, though, your pet must receive an exam from a veterinarian, which comes with its own set of costs.

Beyond healthcare for your new pet, training may also be required. If someone is giving away their pet for free, you should be asking about the reason. Is it because the pet had behavior issues? Are you prepared to take on those behavior issues yourself? At the shelter, all dogs are required to go through a temperament evaluation prior to adoption. This evaluation helps determine the best type of home for each dog (no pets, good with all ages, etc.) and is available for potential adopters to review. This sort of information, however, is not available to people who get their pets through individuals advertising online. Instead, you would need to rely on information given to you from the previous owner which, unfortunately, may not be accurate - especially if you are dealing with a person who is simply looking to get rid of their pet as soon as possible.

Another thing you are not receiving when you deal directly with an individual pet owner is a guarantee of the pet's health. When animals are adopted from the shelter, they are given an outgoing exam by the veterinary technicians. If the vet techs determine the animal has any sort of health problem, the animal must stay at the shelter until it is medically cleared to go home with its new family. On top of that, there are many local vets who will provide newly adopted pets with free first exams. In this way, the shelter is able to ensure not only the adopted animal's health, but also help prevent the spread of any illnesses to other animals that may already be in the home.

By skipping this important step with individuals looking to rehome their pets, you are taking a huge risk. Should the animal have a communicable disease, your own pets are immediately at risk of developing the illness, as well. Remember that an animal doesn't have to look sick to have an illness. Internal parasites, for example, can easily pass from dog to dog, but on the outside your dog could still look perfectly healthy. Suddenly, your free pet could end up costing you hundreds or, if there's a severe medical issues, thousands of dollars in medical bills.

As any pet owner will tell you, owning a pet is expensive. While a pet may be free initially, the costs associated with having a pet will start adding up quickly. If you're looking for a bargain, you shouldn't be looking for a pet. Just like a child, a pet will rely on you for everything, so you need to be prepared for the cost. Unfortunately, many animals acquired through online advertisements end up in shelters, either because the new owners could not afford to care for them or because the animal had behavior problems they could not handle.

If you're eager for a pet but financially unable to care for one, consider fostering animals for your local shelter instead of trying to acquire a free pet. Shelters cover the food and medical costs associated with foster animals while you provide the love and care. So you'll be getting the experience of owning a pet without the associated costs and with the bonus of knowing you are making a difference in the lives of animals in need.

Alaina Goodnough is the Promotions Coordinator at Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH. She lives in Sanford, ME with two parrots, a cockatoo, a cat, and two dachshunds. She can be reached at CVHS at devassist@cvhsonline.org. To learn more about Cocheco Valley Humane Society, go to www.cvhsonline.org or call 603-749-5322.

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