It’s not the time to get new pets is it? :(

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Our dog sadly died a few weeks before all this kicked off. I wasn’t planning to get another straight away and am now glad we didn’t as it wouldn’t have been ideal in terms of socialising them or getting them used to family life but hope to get another when it’s all over.

But the kids are missing him a lot as well as really missing their school friends and normal life as we all are.

I’d agreed to let them have guinea pigs later in the year but that’s now looking less likely-they are hardly an essential item are they?

We’ve got lots of bird feeders up and they are enjoying watching the birds but it’s not the same!

Someone posted something about adopting animals that need looking after at the moment, let me see if I can find it...

To be honest, if you can find guinea pigs and everything that goes with them I don't see why not.

I was thinking it would be unfair to keep a new puppy in but to be fair it's going to be born anyway and it's going to be shuut in wherever it is unless it's been born on a farm.
As long as you have lots of puppy pads and enough money, small garden it should be ok.

I would be wary of getting anything new at the moment from the point if view that vet treatment is sporadic due to sickness and shut downs.

Wouldn’t get a puppy anyway-would get a rescue-most of which are closed at moment.
Yes the vet closures etc are a worry as well as sourcing food, bedding etc

Maybe could locate some rescue guinea pigs? Will search out some Facebook groups .

I’m really worried about all the new puppies out there now, they’ll be missing out on the crucial socialisation process, which is a narrow window. I interacted with so many people a couple of years ago with mine

Kind of relieved we lost our elderly gentleman (cat) before christmas, he was on a special diet, and with supply chain disruptions, his food might have been difficult to get hold of. pet food is much less likely to be prioritised by government in terms of supporting supply chain continuity in the coming weeks.

I got my son a hamster last weekend

I think it's a good idea. Some rescues are advertising looking for foster homes for dogs at the moment. One I remember hearing about was for homeless people that are being separated from their dogs as the temporary accommodation being provided won't let them stay together.

You could spend a lot of time with a new pet so maybe not such a bad idea?

Would travelling to see, decide, interview for adoption, fill in paperwork etc be essential contact and travel?

No.

So, sorry, no. You'll need to wait.

Lots of the dog charities are saying that that’s not as good an idea as it seems as when it all goes back to normal the dog will have got used to having people around all the time and would struggle to be left.
Would love to foster one for a while though

You'd be surprised about rescues. Many are continuing to home as the demand for animals to coming in is increasing and, in order to be able to help, they need to get others out.

Home checks will be done by Skype/Facetime/etc and suitable animals discussed and then delivered, probably on a temporary basis to start with, then, once this is over and if it works out, adoption can be made permanent. So if you are considering adopting a dog/cat I would see what solutions your local rescues are offering.

Oh, and paperwork/payment (if necessary) can also be done by email/online banking/credit card.

One of the rescues I support are not taking in any except urgent, but are still rehoming.

I would definitely not recommend getting a puppy at this time. However many people will have committed to this already.

Vets should not be offering vaccinations al though some practices are still doing so (this may change) for puppies and kittens. This imo isn't a disaster in terms of immunity because/but it does mean a delay in socialization, however this is happening anyway due to social distancing. I think we are going to see a rise in dog on dog aggression due to missed socialization. This can be worked on but for an inexperienced owner, it's a worry.

Kittens can be kept in.

OP i would contact one of the reputable rescues and tell them your requirements. "The one" might be sat there waiting for you and you can meet him on the other side of all this.

We are about to foster 2 dogs. Between myself and the rescue centre we have had lots of text messages with photos and chats about behaviour etc

We spent over an hour on the phone last night talking and have a face time house check planned for this afternoon.

It’s not been easy though, many rescues said no, I had to go through friends of friends of friends to get to this point

My dsis got 2 new piggies just before the lockdown , she was getting supplies for her existing GP and fell in love and it’s been ideal as the new ones are getting lots of attention as people are at home all day . It is an all adult household though .

Our friends are due to get a puppy in four weeks. Will they still be able to collect it?