Pets play an integral role in family life. Children learn a lot and greatly benefit from having pets, and there comes a stage in most families when putting off getting a pet is no longer feasible and the decision on which pet to have needs to be made

There are a number of questions that you should ask yourself before you decide:

Are your children old enough to understand the responsibilities involved in looking after a pet?
How much time and space do you have? This is particularly important if you're getting a dog
Do you live in a flat or a house? If it's a house, do you have a garden? What size is it?
Who will look after the pet if you go away on holidays? Can you take it with you or will your neighbours care for it? Will it need to go into kennels?
Do you have a budget put aside for a pet? Of course this depends on the size of the pet. For example, a St Bernard will have expensive dietary needs, as well as initial purchasing costs, and more expensive veterinary bills than a smaller pooch! A hamster is considerably less expensive, doesn't cost very much to feed and isn't as demanding on your time

Now you've answered these questions, you'll have a much better idea of what you and your children want.

For more information, please visit www.BabyandKids.co.uk

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Beginner's guide to becoming a pet owner