If you are an animal lover but have never had the time to look
after a pet properly, retirement provides the ideal opportunity
to do so.
Of course, looking after an animal is a time-consuming
commitment so, before you undertake the commitment, think about
the pattern that your later years might take. If you intend to
be out all the time – travelling, doing voluntary work or
whatever – think carefully before committing to a pet. Apart
from having a cat or dog (dog walking is excellent for keeping
fit) think about the following activities with animals:
 Aquariums.
They say that looking at fish is very restful and calming. So if
you feel you need calm, perhaps keeping fish is your perfect
hobby; certainly, many people are consumed by it.
A good pet shop will be able to give you advice and there is
also The Federation of British Aquatic Societies (www.fbas.co.uk)
to help you out.
Dog Walking. If you own a dog you will get great
pleasure from walking it. You can also walk other people’s dogs,
if they are out all day or away, so you could even get paid for
your hobby!
 However, have you ever thought about walking dogs as a training
for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association? You can
walk the puppies or do any number of other volunteering roles
for them. Look at their website at
www.guidedogs.org.uk
Breeding. Committed dog lovers often start breeding
dogs when they have more time in retirement. Very often people
have a favourite breed and think it would be good to breed them.
It can be very satisfying as well as potentially rewarding
(there’s no harm in making a bit of money from your hobby!) but
it does require a lot of commitment.
 If
you think you might be interested, take a look at
www.thedogscene.co.uk to get a good start. There are also books
recommended on the site that you might like to buy. Or you can,
of course, look at Amazon
for books.
Similarly, many people like to breed cats. There is the
wonderfully named Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (
www.gccf.org ) from which you can get help and advice. There is
also a helpful associated website
www.palantir.co.uk ) which is
worth a look at.
Other activities with animals, that might set you thinking on
things to do in this area, include:
- Horse riding
- Horse grooming
- Cage birds
- Bird spotting
If you have a particular Hobby or Interest and would like to
research and write about it on the web, take a look at our
Associate scheme.
Now, take a look through the other pages and see if anything
takes your fancy – or something might trigger another
inspiration. If you don’t find what you want, however, take a
look at the
Sports and Activities
section, or go to
Amazon where you will be
certain to find a book on the hobby or interest of your choice
This month why not visit our
New Retirement Courses site
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