If there is one thing I’ve learned while taking care of animals, it's that people have a large misconception on what it means to be a social animal. I often hear phrases like, “humans are social creatures,” or, “nobody is an island.” Both of these statements are true for humans, but they are also true for our animal companions. Most animals require others to exist and find happiness and we as pet owners should be willing to take that into consideration when we decide to take on the responsibility of raising animals.
During lockdowns a large portion of the population decided it was time to adopt a companion animal. This makes sense as they help with anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Now though with everything opening back up you need to consider a few things for that animal. Who is going to take care of them while you’re not home? Do they like other people/animals? Can these animals interact with others in a safe and healthy way?
Animals just like us can’t survive on their own, so it's important we take steps now, while we can get our animals socialized appropriately. If you want to take a vacation and your animals aren’t capable of trusting other humans to check up on them then it significantly hinders your ability to travel. As a home pet care specialist I need to be able to enter your home, feed your animals, and in some cases give them medicine they can’t live without. A properly socialized animal might be hesitant around me at first but if I can’t get close enough to safely give them what they need then I can’t provide the service you need.
You also need to take into account what happens if you can no longer raise your animal. It's not uncommon that we suddenly have to move homes or cities and can’t take our animals with us. It's also not unheard of for us to no longer be healthy enough to raise our animals. Your animals need to be socialized enough to be rehomed in these instances because unpleasant it is to think about its a possibility that we can’t ignore.
A social animal doesn’t have to be universally friendly and it's also unreasonable to expect from them. However, it is important that they can learn to make new friends and trust people they are introduced to in a safe environment. So, take your dog to dog parks and have guests over to meet your cats. Take the time to make sure your animal’s social circle is large enough that you have a support structure in case you ever need others to help in their care.
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