"Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best."Theodore Isaac Rubin
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Companion Animals and Their Unique Place in Society--Part 4
The Bible and The Chronicles of Narnia talk about companion animals What the Bible says about the role of animals in our lives In Genesis chapter 1, God made man in His own image, and then gave man dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, ...
Dog training - reward training basics
Training with treats and other food based rewards is a great way to motivate your dog and speed the training process along. Most dogs are highly motivated by food rewards, and treat training using this kind of positive reinforcement is used to train all ...
RecoveryPets.Com Helps Recover Lost Pets
Making our lives better includes protecting our families, and also included in this category is the family pet. This once wild animal has become an integral part of the modern family, and there are many laws devoted to stopping abuses to pets. What is ...
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Deciding to own a pet, in particular a dog is a serious matter, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
A well considered, objective decision can lead to much pleasure and happiness. Conversly a hasty, unwisa choice may result in frustration and uhhppiness.
Rember, as barbara woodhouse, a world faamous dog trainer said "There are no bad dogs, only inexperienced owners."
Unfortunatly many people do not take into consideration all the factors involved when they decide to buy or adopt a pet.
Many times children have a great influence in these matters. Often with unhappy results and sometimes with tragic consequences.
I live in an area where many people have seasonal homes. More times than you can imagine parents buy their offspring puppies when they come here for the summer and abandon them when they leave in the fall.
Part of this problem is that we are a very rich society as some of these abandoned waifs are purebred dogs. I can attest to this because we have a six-year-old purebred Shi-Tzu that we adopted five years ago. And we have adopted neglected dogs before. We have also purchased AKC registered dogs so we aren't against that practice. Whatever suits you and yur pocket book is fine.
When rescued she was emaciated and the skin was torn off her back. The SPCA nursed her back to health and when we got her she still only weighed seven pounds. In less than six months she doubled her weight. She's a wonderful dog but still terrified of people, particularly men.
This is one example of the many incidences. This one has a happy ending. Many don't they're put to death, because of the overload Facilities and help.
But let's get back to some of the basic sources of this dilemma. A lot of the problem is due to the fact that often people don't take he time to consider all the factors involved before they procure a dog. Then you end up with either unhappy people or miserable pets. Not every one abandons or abuses them, but many live to regret their choices.
Here are some factors that warrant consideration.
Resposibility:
You are taking on the responsibility of a helpless creature that is entirely dependent on you. It cannot feed or shelter itself. If injured it can't take care of itself. Dogs need grooming bathing and above all attention and love; they can't do for themselves.
Expense:
Today it's expensive to keep a pet. Many need expensive grooming. Dog food is not cheap. There are mandatory medical bills and license fees. Even adopting a dog is fairly expensive and usually you're obligated to pay to neuter them.
Environment:
This is very important and frequently the root of serious problems. Large dogs need large facilities for living and exercise. Yet people who, live in small apartments often buy monsters.
Older people buy big dogs then they are unable to walk well enough to exercise them.
Allergy Problems:
Some owners have respiritory problems. Some types of dogs are a greater problem than others. Some dogs like Shi-Tzus and some others are practically allergenic. Before you buy check it out, there's plenty of information on the Internet.
Shedding:
Dogs have basically three types of coats.
Short hair no undercaot. They shed but not too bad and are easy to maintain. Examples: fox terriers, bull dogs.Beagles, whippets.
Medium long with undercoat: They shed a lot and need a lot of brushing, but not expensive grooming, Examples: Germann Shepherds, reteivers, Collies.
Hair: They don't shed at all and have very little odor. Often do not present an allergy problem
Require a lot of brushing and expensive frequent grooming.
Examples:
Poodles, Shi-Tzus, Lhasa-apsos.
If you or your spouse is fussy about your home, clothing and furniture this can be a big issue.
Children:
Create mny problems, Little children should not have dogs. The best natured animal if provoked by an innocent but rowdy kid can get bitten. A dog is still a dog. The older ones want the pet and promise to care for it. You know what happpens. Mom or Pop end up taking care of the dog.
The Time Factor:
Today with most parents working it's difficult to care for a dog. Then need care and affection. They're part of the family. They need attention, they need brushing, bathing, feeding and exercising. If you don't have the time to devote, don't own one.
Temperment:
Dogs like people are individuals and have temperments. Sometimes you can get a pet that you're incompatible with. This is one reason I advocate adopting dogs that are a little more mature. This is important if you are considering a mixed puppy. They're all cute when they're babies, but you never know what they'll look like when full grown. Mixed breeds however are worth considering. Often they have better temperments than finely bred species. Also, some of the most gorgeous dogs I have ever seen were cross bred. As for intelligence, just look at the movie dogs; almost all of them are mutts.
Consider all these factors and others that are relevant, and if you're as we are, you'll find it worthwhile to have a loving friend for life. Go For It. For more information regarding pets go to http://www.caveatemptorus.com/pets.html
About the Author
Written by: George W. cannata author and publisher of the web site http://www.caveatemptorus.com.html You are free to reprint this article in it's entirety without changes including hyperlinks and giving full credit to the author.
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Animal abuse often escalatesYoungstown VindicatorBy Denise Dick Not everyone in prison is an animal abuser, but prison is where animal abusers end up after their crimes escalate, the clinic director at PsyCare says. “When we're looking for antisocial behavior disorder, one of the things we look at is ...and more » |
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Find puppy love (cats too) through Meet Your MatchFox NewsPlaying Cupid with Meet Your Match helped workers at the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals increase adoptions by nearly 20 percent in just a few years. In 2008, when they launched the program, they found homes for 2891 dogs and ...and more » |
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