Consider whether you have time for a pet. They look to you for their food, water, veterinary treatments and love. If your children cannot or will not care for the pet, do you have time to do it. Did you know that in over half of households
the female spouse or family member ends up taking care of the family dog
or pet.

Now this is pretty much common sense but you should think about whether you are allowed to have a pet where you currently reside. Check the regulations if your are a tenant. If pets are allowed are you prepared for the extra amount of deposit money that will be required. Are you prepared for the carpet cleaning necessary when you move? These an other questions should be considered if you are a renter.

How many years are you willing to commit to this new pet? A pet can be a lifelong commitment depending on how old you are when you choose a puppy or other young pet. Personally I had a Dachshund that was with us for 17 years. Cats can live from 10 to 20 years subject to certain medical issues. Other pets like horses, turtles, parrots and other types of birds can live quite a bit longer even 30 to 40 years.

None of us have a crystal ball so we do not really know when we will get married, get divorced, relocate sometimes to another country, have children or maybe have grandma move in with us, you know, the one that hates animals. Do your best to look into the future to where a pet will fit in. Once adopted your pet becomes part of the family or to him, the pack. Later separation is hard on everyone.

If you should decide to choose a puppy or any type of young pet please know that younger animals require a lot more time to learn the ropes than adult dogs do. Plus, younger animals, especially dogs, do not appreciate being left alone. This is one way separation anxiety develops.

Younger animals need to be taught how to behave in the family or the pack. This cannot completely be done if the house is empty all day. Just as with children, traits developed at the younger ages are traits that stay with them most if not all of their lives. Proper training and interaction at the younger age will pay great dividends immediately and in later years.

Believe it or not there are many more considerations when choosing a pet. Those I will touch on in a different article. For now let me leave you by strongly suggesting that you make the decision about choosing a new pet a family decision.
source: here