The Prague Post
July 7th, 2008
Endowment Fund     Book of Lists ONLINE      Reservations      Classifieds    Subscriptions
Hotel Prague Centre

Home » Archives » Tempo

Child's Play

Animal magnetism

April 9th, 2008 issue

By Cecilia Sanchez Beltran

Dog shelter


Útulek pro opuštěná zvířata v Troji
V Zámcích 56, Prague 8
233 554 242

Cat shelter


Útulek pro opuštěná zvířata v Dolních Měcholupech
Dolnoměcholupská 57/27, Prague 10
272 701 819

Animal Protection Trust


Pacovská 31, Prague 4
222 135 460

Czech Breeders Directory


www.svetzvirat.cz

For the Post

Your child gets a chance to pet a neighbor’s dog on a street. Then you hear it — that tiny voice saying, “Can I have one, Mom?”

Before you give in, first consider where you live and your child’s age. Do you have time to take over the cleaning and the feeding when your child gets bored with it? If you travel a lot, are you willing to pay sitters? Remember, taking pets out of the Czech Republic requires papers — a kind of pet passport.
If, after considering these questions, you still want to give your child a pet, here are the best choices.
Rodents
Small, furry pets like laboratory mice, hamsters and guinea pigs happily exist in cages as long as you get them in pairs of the same sex (unless you want to wake up one day with six more). They’re ideal for young children who live in small apartments.
Laboratory mice and hamsters are great for children 3–5, because they don’t mind being handled and fit perfectly into little hands. Children of this age usually tire of pets after some time, so the age spans are good as well: 1.5–3 years. That also makes them great starter pets.
If your child asks for a dog and you live in a small apartment, the best alternative would be a guinea pig, which makes a kind of bark to get your attention. They’re perfect for children 5–7, and can live up to seven years. A guinea pig is also a better choice than a rabbit, which costs more and requires as much care and space as a dog. Rabbits do not like frequent handling, and can chew up the electrical wiring in your house.
You can find a comfortable cage for your pet rodent for prices ranging from 700 to 4,000 Kč ($44–251). The pets themselves cost far less: around 18 Kč for a lab mouse, usually less than 200 Kč for a hamster, and between 300–600 Kč for a guinea pig.
Dogs and cats
A 12-year-old child should be able to independently care for a dog. If you have a baby in the house, studies show that two dogs are better than one. Growing up with a pair builds your baby’s immunity against allergies from dog saliva and hair.
A champion dog from a breeder costs around 18,000 Kč. The low-cost alternative is going to an animal shelter, where you can get a dog for as little as 330 Kč. The Czech Republic has more than 90 shelters, including one in Prague 8–Troja. You have to be a local resident to adopt a dog, so bring proof that you live here.
Call the Animal Protection Trust for information about other shelters in the Czech Republic. If you don’t speak Czech, ask for the president, Marcela Lund.
Cats are by far the best pets for children of any age. A house with a garden is the perfect home for a cat, though they can be happy in a midsize apartment as long as they have a window to gaze out of. They are independent but affectionate, and can live up to 15 years.
Never declaw a cat! The cruelty is similar to cutting a person’s fingers up to the knuckles. Get a pair of cat clippers or a scratching post instead.
Buying a pedigreed kitten in Prague costs 6,000–30,000 Kč. As with dogs, it’s far cheaper to get one from a shelter, where prices run around 230 Kč for an adult cat, and 190 Kč for a kitten.
You will also need to bring proof of residency when visiting the city cat shelter in Prague 10. On April 20, another cat shelter is holding an exhibition of cats for adoption at the Chvalská tvrz hotel in Prague 9. More details on that in next week’s Tempo.
Cecilia Sanchez Beltran can be reached at features@praguepost.com


Other articles in Tempo (9/04/2008):

Browse the Current Issue

If you enjoyed this article, why don't you subscribe to the print version!
We accept secure online transactions provided by PayPal and Moneybookers

Be the first to add a comment!


Full Name: *
City: *
E-mail: **
This comment can be published in the print version of The Prague Post
Enter the text on the right:
 visual captcha
Comment: *
* Required field. In order to be approved for display, comments must have a first and last name and a city.
** E-mails are required and will only be used for internal purposes.

Most visited in Book of Lists

Hotel booking
The Prague Post Online contains a selection of articles that have been printed in
The Prague Post, a weekly newspaper published in the Czech Republic.
To subscribe to the print paper, click here.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.