There will be laws and ordinances where you reside restricting the ownership of certain pets. Laws can change and evolve over time and can vary from locale to locale. A responsible owner must keep abreast on new laws and amendments to existing laws with the ownership of pets.

The concept of paying taxes has most humans upset nor does it sit well with dogs. Licenses are basically taxes on dogs. The purpose of licensing dogs is a valid and important one. They serve as a positive means for identification of your dog if lost or stolen. By obtaining a license for your pet, it shows you care enough to identify him or her. It’s better to be safe than sorry even if your dog is one who is constantly leashed or is a house dog; accidents and mishaps happen to the best of us. The threat of having your pet impounded together with the method they use for apprehension should persuade you to apply for that annual license and attach it to their collar. Make sure that the collar is a permanent fixture of his lifestyle. The cost of the license varies from state to state and whether your pet has been spayed or neutered and if you are a senior citizen receiving a discount. A secondary defense of identification with your pet is to have a chip injected directly under the animals skin by your vet; pet
ownership can be verified with specialized equipment recognizing the chips registered number

Depending on where you live, the vaccination for rabies may or may not be mandatory. Today an incident of rabies is rare. Unfortunately if your pet bites a neighbor or a friend and your pet is not vaccinated, your county may require the quarantine of your dog. The initial vaccination for rabies should be administered at six months of age and updated as required. Contact your vet for updates.

Be aware of the leash laws in your area. As a responsible dog owner I marvel with dismay over the dogs which run our neighborhood without a collar or supervision of their owner. Dogs that have the freedom to wander are given the right to be impounded or even injured. Fines can be issued for those owners who do not abide by the leash laws in your area. I am grateful for the leash laws. If a wandering dog came on my property and attacked one of my dogs, I would instantly contact the local police and press charges against the owner.

The phrase “Curb your Dog” is enforced in most areas. Make sure you have a scooper or plastic bag with you while walking your leashed dog to avoid any unpleasant dilemmas. Take into consideration the person behind you who is taking their nightly stroll. It’s only common sense with a responsible pet owner.

Laws dealing with potential abuse and active cruelty to an animal are enforced. Any type of suspected cruelty to another pet should evoke rage and fury with any dependable pet owner. I would never hesitate to report any potential or actual abuse to authorities. A beloved pet’s main purpose is to give love but why do some owners neglect to give it back.

Also be aware of the local ordinances with the number of pets you can have in your residence. For the sake of your friends and the general health of your family, it is well-advised to take these restrictions to heart. No matter how intense your love of animals is, it is not humane to your pets involved to subject them to over crowding resulting in minimal attention to each pet. Do not overextend yourself with too many pets. Your financial situation should be taken into consideration. You are responsible for the health, safety and welfare of each and every cherished pet.

A dog is the personal property of its owners. For dog owners, the dog’s legal property status can be considered a mixed blessing. A pets legal status guarantees the owner certain rights under the law and it can also identify substantial responsibility on the shoulders of the owner. You are legally accountable for the actions of your dog just as you are responsible for your children till they are 18 years of age or just as you are legally liable for an injury that took place on your property. You are legally responsible for all damages and personal injuries that result from your dog. A dog can not be considered a person under the law. Some devoted owners will state provisions in his or her will for his pet’s care after death.

For all intent and purpose, the dog owner should raise, train and maintain the safety of his dog under the assumption that he or she is legally responsible for every action and for the absolute well-being of his dog. Ranging from obeying the curb your dog laws to anti-cruelty laws to dog bite ordinances. Be the most responsible owner possible. Keep updated and informed of your local regulations to keep your pet and your family safe and secure.

For further information on pet care visit me at cherishmypet.com CherishMyPet

We here at Cherish My Pet only offer quality products for the health, welfare and safety of your pet. We have dedicated our lives to animals. We cater to dogs, cats, ferrets and small animals. We emphasize the importance of pet safety, health, training, sanitation, accommodations, nutriion, treats, toys, pet first aide and even fun gifts for the pet owners…Come visit and have fun! Visit me at cherishmypet.com cherishmypet.com

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Tags: welfare

Dog adoption is made easy through the countless animal welfare organizations and animal shelters existing in every city across the United States. With literally thousands of adoptable dogs listed, a prospective dog owner can select to adopt a dog that needs a wonderful family to go to and be loved. In fact, when you search through these shelters and find a puppy, you are doing a great service to the community and to the local dog rescue or animal shelter that you went for your dog, cat, kitten, or puppy adoption. Thus, you should not hesitate! You should go today to your local area’s shelter facilities and practically support dog and puppy adoption. But before you exit such a life-saving premise, you should first consider some important factors that will shape your decision.

In fact, you are interested in getting a dog from a shelter you can increase your chances of completing a successful adoption if you make some observations and you are not afraid to ask the shelter’s personnel some necessary questions. Begin by visiting the shelter several times and watch the interaction of the staff members with the animals. Pay attention to how they treat, clean and behave to them and if possible keep notes of their attitude towards the dogs in general and the one you are considering of adopting in specific.

A buyer who chooses to adopt a shelter animal instead of buying a puppy should be just as careful in his choice and as selective of a place to adopt as the puppy buyer should be in his choice of a breed and a puppy. This is mainly due to diseases and lack of proper care. Although dogs are vaccinated against common canine diseases when they enter a shelter, they do not always receive immediately the appropriate vaccinations, especially if they have been already exposed to a disease while roaming the streets. In addition, if the shelter keeps each dog in different compartments, but a chain type of fence separates them from each other-meaning that their nose can be in direct contact-then illness are possible to be transferred from one dog to another. Furthermore, if their feces are not picked up regularly and their cells are not cleaned properly, worms and other feces-spread diseases are possible. Thus, ask the shelter’s veterinarian to perform a thorough background physical check on the dog you have set your eyes on and take proof of their vaccination before exiting the shelter or clinic.

Finally, you should be aware that owning a dog is a big responsibility. Apart from their need to be fed regularly depending on their size and breed, dogs have to be taken outdoors, and they often require medical care. Although it is a disaster that many people fail to recognize these and other issues beforehand, you should not decide to adopt a dog based on an impulse. It has to be a well-thought decision that takes under consideration how much time you have available everyday, what is your current lifestyle, and which are your living accommodations. Thinking beforehand where the dog shall live once it enters your house premises is as important as teaching your kids not to be afraid of the hairy new family addition-some children might even get jealous or afraid of a new dog. Plan ahead, research extensively and be well-prepared in order to enjoy for many years to come the amazing company and unique companionship a dog can offer to everyone in your family.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including
etotallypets.com/ Pets, 4homelife.net/ Home, and
itsfamilytime.net/ Family

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Tags: kitten, welfare

As families decrease in size and we become increasingly urbanised the need to keep pets at home becomes more important for children’s healthy development.

Most kids at stage will ask – no, nag – for a pet of some type. Gold fish, guinea pigs, pet mice and rabbits are generally on city-dwelling children’s want lists for pets at some stage. The more conventional cats and dogs compete with more exotic species such as tortoises, snakes and parrots for kid’s attention in the large animal stakes.

The lure of pets for kids was demonstrated some years ago at the height of the electronic pet phase. Kids across the world were glued to their handheld monitors feeding, walking and caring for their electronic pets.

As it turned out electronic pets were no substitute for the real things and the phase thankfully has passed.

Pets contribute in four ways to children’s healthy development:

1. They teach children to take responsibility for something other themselves. Some pets are easier to care for than others but most have
to be cared for, protected and fed on a regular basis. It is the
regularity of caring for pets that is the greatest lesson for kids.
Parents may give children chores and it may not matter much to children
if they are not done. But the consequences of not caring for a pet are
generally very real for children. Fail to feed a small animal and it may
die. Forget to close the cage on the chicken pen and the dog may have an
unexpected feast. These are real responsibilities that teach real life
lessons to kids.

2. It is inevitable that at some stage pets will die. It is tough but
that is life. Animals teach kids about the cycle of life. Dogs moult,
lizards shed their skins and the call of the wild is just too great for
some species in spring. The nature’s cycles become real when you have
pets

3. Pets teach kids to be empathetic. When children care for their pets
they become protective and look out for their welfare. They empathise
with their pets if they are cold, hungry or it is stormy outside. Kids
will often want the dog to sleep inside when it is cold or the cat to
come in from the rain. They often blur the line between animal and human
but at least they are emphasising with their pets – and putting
themselves in their situation. My point – empathy is a brilliant life
skill. Empathetic kids never bully and empathetic adults are brilliant
to be around. They make great partners, workmates and bosses. These
characteristics need to be nurtured in childhood and owning pets can
allow for this.

4. Youngest and only child are usually surrounded in their families by
people who are bigger and more capable than them. The opportunity to
care for a pet puts them in control and allows them to care for
something just as their parents have cared for them.

The type of pets that kids have will depend on their age, your
circumstances and their wants. From my own experience it is necessary to
instil in kids the responsibility that comes with pet ownership. Kids
will often see an animal in a pet store or at a friend’s house and
immediately want it. It’s a parent’s job to remind children that pets
are for LIFE (of the animal) and that the fun of having a pet is
balanced by the responsibility of looking after it.

Pet ownership is a two –edged sword. But so is life. That’s why kids
should keep pets.

Michael Grose is a popular parenting educator and parent coach. He is the director of Parent Coaching Australia, the author of six books for parents and a popular presenter who speaks to audiences in Australian Singapore and the USA. For free courses and resources to help you raise happy kids and resilient teenagers visit parentingideas.com.au parentingideas.com.au

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Tags: welfare

A dog that growls at and/or bites its owner does so for some reason, even if the behavior appears to be “unreasonable” to the owner. If your dog displays aggressive behavior towards you, for the safety and welfare of you, your family and your dog, it’s important to find out why as quickly as possible.

Call your vet right away and schedule an appointment for a complete medical examination. Talk with your vet about testing your dogs hormonal balance, neurophysiologic functions and allergies. The test results may reveal the underlying cause. This has been especially helpful in dogs that have mood swings.

When growling or biting has erupted as a consequence of scolding or punishment for behavior such as chewing, jumping, general unruliness, or overprotection of food, these problems must be dealt with swiftly and firmly to correct the aggression it is initiating.

As the dogs owner, you must understand that your dog growls or bites at you as a result of defensive feelings. Even the dog that growls when ordered off the couch is reacting defensively, as it feels its dominance status has been threatened.

If scolding and punishment provoke aggression, your dog is reacting to a perceived threat to its physical safety. In either of these situations, your own threatening behavior may be producing negative results.

If the results of a medical examination show no signs of a medical condition that would be causing this behavior, you will have to examine your own behavior closely to determine what you are doing to make your dog feel threatened.

If you can’t hire the services of a professional, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Secrets Of A Professional Dog Trainer by Adam Katz for indepth instructions on customdesigngraphics.com/dogbehaviortraining.html dog behavior training.

Heather Colman loves to spend quality time with her dog Gibson. She has worked closely with various professional dog trainers in the past 2 years to work through many of the behavior problems generated by Gibson’s previous owner. Visit Heather’s blog for more tips on dog-behavior-training.blogspot.com dog behavior training.

This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as this entire resource box is included.

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Tags: dog aggression, welfare

1. How do I stop my dog from pulling on the leash?

My name is Josh Schermer and I run Downtown Pets a New York City dog walking, dog training and pet sitting company in Lower Manhattan. Some of my clients have the greatest dogs in the world and they love them on all levels EXCEPT when it comes to taking them for a walk. This of course is a big problem because let alone how fun it is to take a walk with your dog it is also essential for their long term health and happiness.

2. Why is my dog pulling?

First of all it is inherent in most dogs to try and be the pack leader and the pack leader walks in front. But have you always allowed your dog to feel like the pack leader both on the leash and at home? Does your dog walk through doors, into elevators and on the leash in front of you? All of these things tell your dog that it is your pack leader and that must be changed.

3. Why does my dog pull away from me as I try and pull him towards me?

There is a reflex action in a dogs brain that does this. There are products like the gentle leader that trick the dog by putting pressure on all side of it’s head so it stays centered. But we only recommend gentle leaders for aggressive dogs and even then only if the dog does not try and continue to pull.

4. What type of leash should I use and how should I hold it?

We DO NOT recommend using retractable leashes but rather your typical nylon leash with a push lever. We put knots in our leashes starting a foot or so up from the clip and then every few inches afterwards. Hold your leash at the first or second lowest knot and ALWAYS hold it there. Your dog will grow to understand the boundary you have created.

5. What should I do when my dog tries to pull past me?

Start to utter sounds of disapproval like “ah, ah, ah” and stop dead in your tracks. Do that EVERY TIME your dog tries to pull past you. Between that and holding the leash at the lowest knot it should help.

6. What type of equipment do you recommend to use with the above ideas?

We recommend sensation harness’ for most dogs.

I have fallen in love with a product called the “sensation harness” and it has had instant effects on all dogs we have used it with. It’s different than your normal harness because you clip the leash on the chest. There are many benefits from the sensation harness and some of them are:

A. Dogs like the simplicity of it.

B. If on properly and your leash is held correctly, the dog can not pull past you.

C. Amazingly effective in bringing a dog back into your mentality.

D. Has not to this point been attributed with any possible health problems like all other dog training equipment have.

7. What should I use for an aggressive dog who pulls?

If you have an aggressive dog you should think about a gentle leader. If the gentle leader is on properly and you are holding the leash short and tight your dog has limited to no ability to harm anything. This is because when he tries to leap the gentle leader tightens and closes his mouth. BUT if your aggressive dog continues to try and pull the gentle leader even after many weeks it’s NOT a long-term solution for you. Gentle leaders can cause problems to the eyes and neck if not used properly.

8. How long should it take for my dog to walk better?

Every dog and owner are different but if you are consistent with the above AND give your dog enough exercise you should see improvements within the first month.

Josh Schermer is the founder and owner of Downtown Pets, a DowntownPet.com/servicesdogs.html New York City dog walking, dog training and animal welfare resource.

DowntownPet.com DowntownPet.com

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Tags: dog training, welfare