I just wanted to give you my story, maybe it will help give you hope. =)
I am nineteen and my boyfriend is twenty. We have been together for over three years and lived together for quite some time now. We have a kitten who is six months old now but I have always wanted a yorkie and he decided to get me one for my birthday/anniversary. We are both in college at the university and live eight hours from where we grew up so we are taking care of ourselves. Denali came into our lives at fifteen weeks old but we got him in the middle of the summer so we have had a lot of time to spend bonding with him. He is still really young and still needs a lot of training but i only go to school two days a week for about 5 hours each day and then have two online classes(which can be worked on while he is playing with the kitten or sleeping). My boyfriend and i are both involved in sorority/fraternity so that takes up some time too. He is with me practically all the time though, we take him to a doggy beach/park and pet stores all the time, he even comes to a lot of the events that our sorority/fraternity hold so he is never by himself too much.
Both our kitten and puppy are utd on their shots and are scheduled to be spayed and neutered come the right age. Denali is on heartworm prevention monthly. We switched both to blue buffalo cat and puppy food(which is not cheap food) because after some research i decided i wanted them on something better than they were eating. They both have a ton of toys, treats, and everything else they could want or need(such as Denali has a winter jacket because the winters here are pretty cold and we wanted to be prepared for when it gets to that point and he also has a life jacket because he loves to swim but is so little that he gets tired quick). We also have pet insurance in case an emergency ever happens and Denali is in puppy classes to help with training.
We pay for everything ourselves- school, books, groceries, rent and bills, everything our animals need. We give them all of the love and attention they deserve(they are actually kind of spoiled
). Our pets are like our children and they come first. I would buy them food before i would buy it for myself if need be.
I know that there will be a lot of changes that occur throughout my lifetime such as getting married and having children, but my babies will be right there with me the whole way, no matter what happens. I feel like getting a pet is a very huge commitment and shouldn't be taken lightly. It is very time consuming and you can't be selfish when it comes to caring for an animal. I have friends who have pets and i tell myself i wish they wouldn't have gotten one because they are simply so wrapped up in "college life" whereas i know my personality and i knew i was ready for a pet(actually two now) =).
Good luck figuring out if you are ready for a new baby. Only you can know whether or not you are mature enough to take responsibility of an animal because it will be there for the next fifteen years of your life. I knew i was ready and if you know that you are ready then your baby will come to you eventually.
