Meet Molly Kirby, a new member of my family. I call her my first "grandpuppy". Choosing a new family member can be tough. The first item to be considered is the most important, especially from the pet's point of view. Can you afford the cost of an additional family member? A family member who may not need shoes and clothes, but who will need food, accessories, vet appointments, shots, and the occasional treat. Nothing could be harder on everyone involved than giving up a much loved member of the family because you can't afford to keep a pet.

If you decide that your budget can support the cost of a pet, there are more choices to be made. First-time pet parents need to decide what type of pet would be a good fit for their family. How much care and maintenance is involved in your choice? How much time will family members be able to spend with the pet each day? Having made those decisions, there are still more things to consider. Will the pet be a pure-bred or a combination of breeds? Will the pet be from a breeder or from a shelter? How can you be sure that the pet you have chosen has no underlying health problems? What type of behaviors can you expect from this type of pet?

With all of this information to locate and ponder, you may need advice! You can call your local animal shelter or a veterinarian for help. You can also visit the library. Nashua Public Library has a large collection of books to help you choose a pet. I've listed some of them here.

Your pet bird: a buyer's guide
The hamster: an owner's guide to a happy,healthy pet
The ferret handbook
House rabbit handbook: how to live with an urban rabbit
The perfect kitten: how to raise a problem-free cat
The kitten owner's manual
Cats for dummies
The perfect puppy
Before you buy that puppy
Saved! A guide to success with your shelter dog
Successful dog adoption

After you choose your pet, you need to learn how to care for it, how to safeguard its health, how to train it and of course, how to teach it tricks. We have books to help with those things too!