Pets Information

can't find what you are looking for? search the site for articles here!
Google
 
Web www.cuddlycats.net

Responsible Dog Ownership


With all the companionship and love that our dogs give so freely, it's hard to imagine that some owners just don't take responsibility for their dogs. But it's true. Millions of dogs-healthy dogs-are euthanized every year. Whether through owner neglect or owner ignorance, millions of healthy dogs will endure the same fate this year. So what's a responsible dog owner to do? The best thing you can do, as a dog owner, is to ensure that your dog doesn't become a statistic, and you do that through responsible pet ownership.

Welcoming a new dog into your house means taking on additional long-term responsibility. Many new dog owners find something cute or romantic about bringing that puppy in the window home until they realize that there's a modicum of work involved in caring for that cute, adorable little face, and a price to pay for those wet, slobbering kisses. You wouldn't expect to return a baby. Its' no less wrong to return a dog when the novelty wears off, and it ought to be criminal to leave a dog somewhere on its own. In many ways, dogs are as vulnerable as newborn infants are, but dogs are dependent upon their owners for their entire lives.

Listed below you'll find basic steps to responsible dog ownership, and many of them are just common-sense rules of the road.

1. Selecting Your Dog - Turn to a local animal shelter or rescue operation to select a puppy or dog. Remember that older dogs need loving owners too. Refuse to purchase a puppy or dog that started life in a puppy mill.

2. Test Your Dog - Contact a veterinarian and ask him to run the usual series of tests on your new companion.

3. Spay or Neuter Your Dog - Responsible pet owners always spay and neuter their dogs and cats. There are far more dogs waiting for adoption than there are owners to adopt them.

4. Provide Medical Care - Aside from the annual physical examination and vaccinations, protect your dog from heartworm, ticks and fleas. Talk with your vet about the many options available today. Contact your vet at the first sign that something is wrong with your dog.

5. Provide Adequate Food and Water - Provide food suited to your dog's age, size and condition.

6. Walk Your Dog - Your dog will let you know when it needs to be walked.

7. Provide Exercise and Recreation - Provide ample space, dog toys and opportunity for your pet to exercise. If you haven't thrown a Frisbee in twenty years, you'll be surprised at how much fun it is to try to outsmart your dog-unlikely!

8. Protect Your Dog from Abuse - Animal cruelty is serious business, and in some states, it's a felony. Even the FBI acknowledged that animal cruelty is a known marker (future indicator) of violence against humans. If anyone in your house intentionally mistreats your dog, seek help immediately. You could thwart the next school shooting.

9. Discourage Aggressive Behavior - You'll know the difference between hearty play and aggressive behavior. Contact your vet at the first sign of aggressive behavior to discuss your options.

10. Coping with Serious Illness and Geriatric Dogs -Geriatric dogs are prone to many of the same illnesses that plague geriatric humans. You'll want to do everything in your power to keep your dog comfortable at the end, but at some point, it may become necessary to end the suffering. If you've been a responsible dog owner throughout the dog's life, you'll want to end that life just as responsibly as you cared for it.

M J Plaster is a successful author who provides information on shopping online for dog food and more dog products. M J Plaster has been a commercial freelance writer for almost two decades, most recently specializing in home and garden, the low-carb lifestyle, investing, and anything that defines la dolce vita.


MORE RESOURCES:

WNCT

Store Accused Of Selling 'Puppy Mill' Pets
WYFF, SC - 13 hours ago
GREENVILLE, SC -- A national pet store chain is under fire tonight accused of selling puppies that come from "puppy mills." The Humane Society of the United ...
Video: AP Top Stories AssociatedPress
Investigation ties pet chain to 'puppy mills' MSNBC
Petland Linked to Puppy Mills Action 3 News
Brownsville Herald - WIFR
all 180 news articles


PetProductNews.com

Pet Sitter Association Poised for New Leadership
PetProductNews.com, CA - 14 hours ago
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS), a non-profit trade association based in Mount Laurel, NJ, will be under new leadership in 2009 ...


Freezing temperatures a danger to outdoor pets
Kingsport Times News, TN - 9 hours ago
As temperatures this week dip below freezing at night, animal shelter folks are urging pet owners to make sure their dogs and cats have proper protection ...
At the shelter State Gazette
all 2 news articles


CNN

Pets deserve pats for household health
Anchorage Daily News, AK - 2 hours ago
While many industries are feeling the pain of the current economic crisis, the pet industry is booming. Americans spent $41 billion dollars on their pets ...
In the lap of luxury, dog's paradise International Herald Tribune
States hound dogged drivers Tampa Bay's 10
Long-distance puppy love CNN
all 4 news articles


San Francisco Chronicle

Would you chose your pet over your partner?
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 15 hours ago
In a study of 900 pet parents by BizRate Research, women said they had a deeper emotional connection with their pets than men did. ...


Fire destroys Lee Street home; family of three, pets escape unharmed
Salisbury Post, NC - 4 hours ago
By Shavonne Potts Thursday morning started out like any other for Marilyn Adrian and her two children, who were at their North Lee Street home watching ...
Salisbury Family Loses Everything In Fire WSOCtv.com
all 2 news articles


Three people, 19 pets evacuated in Northeast fire
KVIA, TX - 14 hours ago
EL PASO, Texas -- Two adults, one child and nearly 20 pets, including ferrets, dogs and mice, were evacuated during a Thursday morning fire that nearly ...
Ferrets Revived With Oxygen Masks KTSM-TV
6 fire units respond to Northeast house fire El Paso Times
all 5 news articles


PRAIRIE COUNTRY: Pampered pets
Grand Forks Herald, ND - 28 minutes ago
That’s not surprising since their owner Chris Farber runs a Web-based clothing business from her Gilby home that sells pet clothes. ...


Donation baskets brighten the holidays for pets of the homeless
The California Aggie Online, CA - 4 hours ago
The Mercer Veterinary Clinic will continue its 13-year long tradition of making holiday gift baskets for pets of the homeless this December. ...


City seeks to get more pets licensed
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA - 21 hours ago
In efforts to get more pets in the City of Storm Lake properly licensed so they comply with City Code, the City Council is looking at passing an ordinance ...
Dog tags might help get strays home, veterinarian says Le Mars Daily Sentinel
all 2 news articles

Pets - Google News

home | site map
© 2006