Pet sharing, learn about responsible pet care as a family

The average kid will beg their parents for a pet 1,584 times before the age of 18, according to new research. How many times have your kids begged you for a pet? Before you rush out and buy that cute little furry creature, lets talk about responsible pet care. Having a pet can help teach children about responsibility, empathy and compassion. They also intuitively bring laughter and love into a family setting. However, there’s a lot that goes into creating a safe home for your new furry family member. Share My Pet wants to help kiwi families and children have the opportunity to learn about responsible pet ownership.

Share My Pet has a vision. Our aim is to create a community of pet lovers and pet owners who have each others backs. As a responsible pet owner knowing you have a community of animal lovers to reach out and connect is priceless. Need an extra hand with your pet? Time for a well deserved holiday? Share My Pet is there for you if life throws you a curve ball or you simply prefer to connect with likeminded people who love pets. Want to learn about responsible pet care? Your pet sharing community can help!

Teaching kids about animal care and responsibilty

Elizabeth, age 12 has always dreamed of having pet guinea pigs. Last Christmas she had a chance to look after three adorable guinea pigs and learn all about their needs and how to keep them safe. As a busy family , Elizabeth and her parents decided one family cat was plenty. As yet they haven’t felt the time was right to full time commit to further pets. However, just before Christmas Share My Pet reached out to the pet sharing community in Nelson looking for holiday care for 3 little Guinea pig brothers.

A perfect opportunity for Elizabeth and her family to learn about responsible pet ownership for the little guinea pigs! Max, Chocolate and Eric needed some care and love while their owners went away on a Christmas break. Elizabeth was thrilled to learn all about what the little creatures needed to stay safe and happy. Feeding, cuddles and foraging for favourite snacks was all part of the daily routine for the guinea pig boys. Furthermore she learnt about their different personality traits and how to keep them safe and happy.

The whole family has derived joy from having these little squeaking visitors. Elizabeth, with adult supervision and support has now learnt some really valuable and great new skills in animal care.

Pets are family, for life

Having a pet is a huge responsibility. Once you commit to having a pet, their health, safety and happiness lies in your hands for their whole lives. Too often the initial excitement of a baby animal looses its sparkle when the reality of pet care kicks in. Smelly cages, cleaning up bedding and poo, daily exercising or getting nipped can quickly become an unwelcome chore. Unfortunately this often results in the pet getting dumped in an animal shelter. To see the rates of pets in NZ dumped annually click here. Even worse is the pet being forgotten and suffering in a cage, neglected and alone.

Learning from each other and reciprocal pet care

Share My Pet wants to give pet owners and animal lovers another option in pet care needs. Our vision is that all manner of family pets (dogs, horses, rabbits, cats etc) can join the website and be available for pet sharing.

As a pet owner it also gives you the opportunity to find other pet owners that understand the specific needs your pet has. Hereby reciprocal holiday care can be arranged.

By learning about various animals, their needs and how to care for them we hope that people can make informed decisions about welcoming a new furry member into the family. By helping pet owners connect with animal lovers responsible pet care can be learnt in a safe environment. The aim is to ensure pets receive the life long care and love they deserve.

Responsible pet care improves the lives of pets

Through gained knowledge and shared experience Share My Pet hopes less animals end up dumped, abandoned or rehomed. Try before you buy. Give your children the opportunity to learn about all aspects of responsible pet care before you buy your own pet. This includes learning about the jobs that are often unpleasant such a s cleaning out cages, changing bedding, daily feeding etc. To read more about how caring for pets teaches children responsibility please click here.

As a nation of kiwis we can begin to make a change to how we approach animal care and husbandry. Lets be a nation of progressive thinkers who embrace sharing knowledge and offer pets the best life they can have.