Pets are tame animals that we keep.
Pets are our friends.
Taking good care of pets is important.
A pet is a friend. Image©Getty
Pets are companion animals.
Pets keep us company.
Some people like a pet that keeps them busy, others like a pet they can relax with.
Why do people have pets?
People have pets for different reasons, and enjoy spending time with their pets in different ways. Some people like to go running or walking with a dog, some like to have a parrot they can teach to talk, some collect fish and maintain big tanks full of many colourful fish, some like an aviary of singing birds, some people like reptiles and keep snakes and lizards.
Some people just like a pet to be a quiet companion, to keep them company.
There are so many reasons why we have pets. Very importantly, pets help keep people happy. And that's good for us!
Lots of different animals make good pets. ©Getty Images
Pets keep us company. Some people like a pet that keeps them busy, others like a pet to relax with.
Caring for our pets
Some reptiles can be kept as pets, like this bearded dragon. Image©Getty
We love our pets! Our pets love us!
We play with our pets and hang out with them. We must feed them and care for them. A pet needs us to spend time with it.
Pets need good food that is correct for it to eat so that it stays healthy.
Good care includes vet check ups.
Some pets need to be brushed, or to have nails clipped. Some need to be bathed. Some need to have flea and worm treatments. Some need their home cleaned: aquarium water changed, straw in hutch changed, cage cleaned. All their needs must be taken care of, depending on what kind of animal they are.
Responsible pet ownership
Pets depend on their owners for food, protection and shelter. Before deciding to own pets think carefully about all the things you will have to do to care for your pet responsibly, including regular vet check ups, food and shelter. Work out what pet best suits your life and the amount of time and care you can give. If you know you can do all the things necessary to keep a pet healthy, well cared for and happy, then go ahead with your plans.
Prepare all the things your pet will need before you get it.
Sometimes people decide to get a pet or buy a one for someone else on the spur of the moment, without thinking ahead, and then find it is not fun, or too much work. The pet gets ignored or is uncared for, and sometimes ends up in an animal shelter, or even more sadly, gets dumped somewhere. That is not responsible pet ownership and is harsh and unfair on a living creature.
Not all animals can be kept as pets
We can't take animals from the wild and keep them as pets. In Australia there are some animals, such as koalas, that you can't have as pets and some animals, such as some kinds of lizard or snake, that you need to get a permit to keep. You cannot collect frogs, tadpoles or turtles from creeks and keep them as pets.
We get pets from animal shelters, or breeders that are registered. Before you get a pet, consider what sort of care it needs. Consider what size it will grow to and think about whether or not that will suit you.
Read about caring for pets: click on each fact sheet in the list on the left to find about caring for different pet animals
https://petsdomain.com.au/pages/pet-care
