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.

____________________

Advertisement: SitStayFetch Dog Training - Click Here!

---

Get Educated Before Buying Your Pomeranian From A Dog Breeder

Buying a purebred dog is not something that should be taken lightly and not all breeders are equal. To make sure that you get a good quality... Read More

Five Cat Food Factors That Discourage Feline UTD

One of the most common causes of Feline Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is what your cat eats. A feline diet that is too high in carbohydrates and... Read More

Does Your Bichon Frise Eat His Own Poop?

Hi,I'm Janet CombsMy mother bred and raised Bichon Frises for 23 years. I have been a Bichon Frise breeder for 13 years. Between what my mother taught... Read More

Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Many pet owners often wonder if it's worth it to purchase pet insurance. The way I see it, there are two main considerations, your opinion when it... Read More

Pet Tracking Devices

It was the Saturday morning of August 20, 2004 and my two kids saying that they couldn't find our cat Nala anywhere waked me up. I didn't... Read More

Your Dog is a Social Animal - and Needs You!

Your dog is a social being, just like you! He/she loves walking in the park with you, playing ball or chase with you, and just being with... Read More

Animals Are Forever

Throughout the course of my life, I've encountered my own share of dogs. From early childhood days, I recall having several dogs that stayed temporarily with us... Read More

Rabbit As Pet

Rabbits are one of the most popular pets, apart from dogs and cats. They look attractive, lovely, gentle, friendly and cute. They are easy to take care... Read More

BARF Diet For Dogs - Not As Gross As It Sounds!

Are you just starting to research the BARF diet for dogs ? also known as "bones and raw food" or the RAW diet? It can be confusing... Read More

How Intelligent is Your Dog

It is entirely normal to look for signs of intelligence in your dog. Even puppies that are not especially smart nonetheless display flashes of brilliance in their... Read More

Shut The Door Buddy: Simple Dog Tricks To Teach and Impress

The shutting and opening door trick can be taught to all dog breeds. The only consideration maybe would be asking small size dogs to close large or... Read More

Pets Looking for Humans, Humans Looking for Pets

Attention breeders, livestock owners and pet lovers! *Pets looking for humans, humans looking for pets!* A website has been formed to show your classified for buying or... Read More

Treating Dog Arthritis With Natural Supplements

Dog arthritis is one of the most common diseases that affect canines; especially large breed dogs (60-90 lbs) the best thing you can do is to prevent... Read More

Horse Training Gets A New Face Lift From A 108 Year Old Horse Training Manual!

If you have a passion to learn all you can about horse training, then you will want to know about a 108 year old horse training manual... Read More

Canine Arthritis Medicine

Before you decide to give your dog canine arthritis medicine you should understand what arthritis is and why medication will ease your dog's symptoms.Arthritis in dogs is... Read More

Does Your Dog Dig?

Dear Fellow Dog Lover,I assume you love your dog, or you probably wouldn't be reading this. But, looking at your "battle-field" of a yard filled with holes... Read More

Managing Horse Pasture

A major part of a horse's diet is hay or pasture. A horse weighing 1000 pounds will eat about 500 pounds each month. A horse needs roughly... Read More

The Right Way to Use Electronic Dog Training Collars

As with every training tool used to modify a behavior in your pet, electronic dog training collars need to be used correctly in order to be effective.Some... Read More

The Need for Pet First Aid Kits

Even if you have the perfect first aid kit for you and your family, it might not help when Fiddo or Fluffy gets hurt. To help pets... Read More

Essential Oils and Our Pets

Before we talk about using the essential oils, we first should define what is an essential oil in the first place.An essential oil is a bioavailable nutritive... Read More

How to Play Safely with Your Westie Puppies

Just like children, westie puppies learn through play. Playing games with your west highland white terrier pups creates an opportunity to train them to obey your commands,... Read More

Picking Up A Horses Hoof

The idea of picking up a horse's hooves can intimidate some owners since a well-placed horse kick would really hurt! Such caution is good, but in reality... Read More

Goldfish Outdoors

How do you build a goldfish pond outdoors?The tools you will need are a shovel, pond liner and underlayment, a long enough rope, coping stones and decorations,... Read More

You Can Help Reduce the Number of Unwanted Cats - Spaying and Neutering of Cats

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cats and kittens are destroyed because they are unwanted. Animal shelters that take in these animals and try to find them... Read More

Holistic Pet Care?From a Distinctly Christian Perspective

As a business, I've not been in the holistic pet care industry long. As a pet owner and pet care worker, it has been a very long... Read More

Introducing a New Kitten to Your Older Cat.

So, you read somewhere that introducing a new kitten into your home could be great for your existing cat, for companionship. And you remember how much fun... Read More