A big con for having a pet is figuring out what to do with them if you go on an extended vacation.
I'm trying to fly my boyfriend into Orlando next month but we're still figuring out what to do with his dog. It's stressful because his dog gets really upset when we put it in a kennel. He doesn't eat and whimpers the whole time because he fears we've abandoned him. We brought him to a kennel at our vet's office one time and when we went to pick him up, the vet assistant came out to us and said, "Errr...can you guys go back there and get him out of the cage? I don't think he likes me, he keeps growling at me." Our dog had never done that to us before so we're guessing he was just scared. Of course, when we went back there to get him, he got all excited and started licking us.
We thought about putting the dog on the plane but I feel like it's almost abuse to stick them in a cargo carrier like that even if you give them a sedative. My boyfriend could ask a friend to watch the dog while he's gone but he feels like he'd be inconveniencing his friend.
It can be a real hassle but, in the end, it's worth it. I love my boyfriend's dog and I wouldn't give him up just because of the little bit of stress he causes when planning a vacation.