[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Perhaps one spring morning, standing in the drizzle with a plastic bag, waiting for your dog to poop, it may dawn on you: caring for a forever friend is not always a party.  In between tail wags, treats, and games, opening your home to an animal friend will also require time, care, attention, and clean up – whether it’s litter boxes, aquarium tanks, or pooper-scoopers.

Anyone considering adopting an animal for the first time, should prepare to provide for the well being of the new addition.  While responsibility for a particular animal may be inherited (for instance, following a death), assuming primary responsibility for a companion animal is a choice.   Such a choice inevitably requires an individual to accept responsibility for the animal’s well-being.  This commitment involves attending to all aspects of an animal’s needs- from for the unceremonious activities as well as the countless benefits of animal companionship because “animal welfare is a human responsibility.”

Though the levels of care may vary by type of animal, any animal adoption will involve adjusting one’s life to facilitate a stable routine, providing proper veterinary care, housing, nutrition, and related care.  But all that responsibility isn’t without some outstanding results.  Animals enhance human lives, but that two-way road depends on and is deepened by human commitment.  From social-emotional well being to improved physical health, adopting a companion animal offers significant benefits for the human caregivers!

If your household includes children, companion animals can play an enriching part of family life.  Caring for household animals can help cultivate compassion  and build a child’s capacity for empathy.  Empathy involves the ability to emotionally connect and deeply care about another’s experience.  Recognizing others’ needs and emotionally connecting to them, while fundamental to psychological and moral development, is also a key component to Emotional Intelligence.  

Emotional Intelligence has loads of benefits, and is associated with successful leadership across many spheres of social, business, and personal life.  But ask any animal lover and you’ll probably find out that the real benefit is companionship and unconditional love.  Caring for the family furry friend may involve a lot of responsibility, but it delivers a lot of benefits – maybe enough to help the tasks feel like a “responsible party” after all.

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