Every year, animal advocates worry when a new pet themed children's movie is released. Why? Because suddenly parents will indulge their children with their very own dalmation or Jack Russell terrier, with little regard to how suitable that pet really is to their family.

Dalmations become popular everytime a 101 Dalmations movie is released or re-released on video or DVD. Suddenly, every child wants one, and parents are too quick to buy one, without doing the proper research on the pet, assuming it will be just as friendly as the one from the movie (yes, even the cartoon variety). And several months later, shelters become inundated with unwanted and abandoned dalmations, because many of them just are not suitable to be in a family with small children.

When you plan to buy a pet, whether it be a dog, cat, rodent or reptile, do your research. The internet is a wondeful tool to do a search on your favorite breed. Any parent who took the time to research would learn that dalmations are not suited to a family with small children.

Avoid buying a pet on a whim. It is a decision that should be thought out, and that all family members should participate in.

With the proper research, you should be able to select the appropriate pet for the entire family, and choose one that is best suited to your family dynamics.