February is Responsible Pet Owners Month

Animal lovers who are also pet owners know the joy that pets add to families. But pets also require care and commitment. Like the human members of a family, animals are in for life, but they can't grow up, move out and care for themselves.

February is Responsible Pet Owners Month, and Khris Erickson, lead educator at the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) in Waukesha has some tips for what makes an animal lover a responsible pet owner:

• Do research about the type of animal and its needs like the kind of housing (a cage, tank, house or pen) it will require; the types of food (fresh vegetables, bagged kibble, raw insects or rodents) specific to the species; how much time it will take to care for it (scooping the litter box daily; walks two times a day; cleaning the cage once or twice a week) and really think about how those requirements fit.
• Pets require routine veterinary care and vaccines specific to the age and species of the animal. 
• Make sure the new pet will get the appropriate amount of exercise for the type of animal (a wheel for hamsters, tossing a ball in the yard for a dog, providing a pool for animals that need to swim).
• Feeding the right kind of food in the proper amount is key to a pet's long life and long-term health. Not making sure the diet is for the species of the pet can be a fatal mistake for the animal.
• Keeping the pet's environment clean is also imperative to the animal's long-term health and happiness, whether that means scooping the backyard for a dog or emptying the soiled newspaper out of the bottom of a bird's cage.
• Training animals for which that is appropriate is good for the animals so they know what their people expect and makes life all around better for everyone.
• Understanding how to behave around animals and recognizing their signals is also a solid step in being a responsible pet owner. Just like people, animals have unique personalities and it's important to learn their body language since they can't speak.
• Helping to educate other people about your pet and how to behave around your animal is also important for the health and safety of the people and animals involved.
• Spaying and neutering a pet depends on the species. Certainly when it comes to cats and dogs, getting them fixed helps keep the unwanted pet population down and fewer animals needing the help of area shelters.

Lynn Olenik, executive director of HAWS, sums it up nicely.

"Being a responsible pet owner means looking at the animal and committing yourself to providing what the pet needs every day for a good quality of life," she said.