7. Are you prepared for costs of dog ownership? The bare minimum estimate for dog ownership is $1 a day.

8. Can you acquire pet insurance? Many companies offer group rates to their employees and retirees.

9. Would being a "foster" owner satisfy your need for canine companionship? Even if you don't want to take a dog into your home, shelters always need people who can walk and play with dogs or provide temporary housing.

10. Finally, have you considered what happens to your dog if you can't care for him? Toy breeds often live 15-years or longer. Be sure to include instructions in your will on how your pet should be placed.

With a little forethought and planning, you can select right breed of dog for your lifestyle and enjoy many happy years together.

Turquoise can come in a variety of grades. The high end is harder and not very porous, and also more expensive. The lower end is soft and fairly, if not almost totally porous. This can cause stone, over time to absorb oils and grease, mainly from human touch. The more porous stones are normally apt to changing color with skin oils and actually make turquoise change to a beautiful conglomeration of colors. However, some like to prevent this so a treatment called stabilizing is performed. It’s actually quite simple because stone is merely soaked in or sprayed with a liquid plastic-polymer material and then allowed to dry. This plastic when hardened seals pores and prevents oils and grease from affecting stone. Stabilizing also deepens color making low-end turquoise look high-end. In actuality, all natural stones (untreated or unstabilized) are porous to some degree and are apt to change colors due to human handling and normal wear. As with what is known as “natural” turquoise, no coating or alteration is added to stone. Each stone is cut or faceted and then polished for use or sale, as with any “natural” stone. And so, turquoise as we all know it is still very much alive and being used in many original and imaginative ways. It’s best and often seen in jewelry pieces pared with sterling silver. Ah, what a classy yet laid-back look!

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