Dog Supplies: What’s Needed Versus What Might Be Fun to HaveWritten by Allen Shaw
Buying a new dog is more than simply finding cutest puppy in store and buying a bag of dog food. Acquiring a new canine is nearly as important as adopting a child. They need constant attention and love and buying proper supplies can be as confusing as deciding what kind of dog to get in first place. So I’m here to help you.When you first walk into a pet store you will be bombarded by everything from designer clothes to dog food, and salesmen are rarely any help. They’re goal is to sell you everything you lay your eyes on. But in reality there are really only a few basic things you need to make your new family member comfortable and you a happy dog owner. First and foremost, buy a book about your breed. All breeds are very different and have different needs and personality quirks. But at same time, don’t think of book as end all and be all of how your dog is supposed to behave. Like people, dogs each have their own personalities. The book is there simply to give you guidance. Second, get a good collar. Make sure you can stick at least two fingers between dog’s skin and collar. Also make sure you get a collar that allows plenty of room for growth. Some breeds grow very fast and you don’t want to be replacing collar every two weeks during your puppy’s first year. Also, get a good training collar. These come in many, many sizes and types. The two most popular types are called choke chain and German pinch collar. But don’t let names scare you. These two training collars are best for teaching your dog to heal and to walk on end of a leash without jerking your arm out of socket. Both collars have their pros and cons. The choke chain is easy to use and doesn’t “look” cruel. But you have to replace it as dog gets bigger and depending on breed, this can get very expensive. The German choke chain “looks” evil but as dog grows bigger you can simply add additional links. But biggest thing to remember with both collars is to “never” use collar as your dog’s everyday collar. Dog owner’s can grow very lazy when using these collars and forget to check them. It’s not uncommon for an owner to forget to check collar and end up having to cut collar off because dog grew so big collar would no longer fit over its head. Choke chains and German pinch collars are to be used for training purposes only.
| | Protect your pets from the poundWritten by Donald Lee
Pets are people, too. At least, that’s way they should be treated by their owners. The sad reality, though, is that a lot people own pets when they’re really not ready to care properly for their little furry friends. Or they just don’t know how to love, clean, and treat a cat, dog, or other animal right and humane way. What happens to these poor animals? Many end up in shelters, lost and unwanted—to tune of 6 to 8 million every year according to Humane Society. At least half of those end up being “put to sleep,” to put it nicely.When they first start out looking to buy a pet, everyone says that they aren’t like that, that they won’t have their pet end up caged in a pound somewhere. If you want to be one of people who says this and means it, read on. Your commitment shows you are ready to learn how to own a pet. Once you are trained in following pet ownership basics, then you can take next step and find perfect pet for you. But before you meet this furry companion, take these following tips to heart: Go down list of required health-care needs. This is especially important for puppies and kittens, who need an arsenal of vaccinations when they’re little. But even older pets require regular checkups and occasional medication (such as for heartworms for dogs). Before you get a pet, locate a trusted veterinarian in your neighborhood and go over all of your soon-to-be pet’s health needs. Neuter, neuter, neuter. Point blank, this is one of most crucial things you can do to protect your pet’s health. Remember that number above from Humane Society (6 to 8 million pets in cages)? Now consider that as many as 100 million other animals, mostly cats, live on streets. Why? Their mommies and daddies weren’t neutered. Look into insurance. Believe it or not, pet health insurance is all craze in employer benefits packages. That’s because it comes in very handy nowadays, considering importance of pet health and how pet pills and operations seem to be getting just as pricy as people medicine. Even if you don’t get pet insurance through work, look into a package on your own. While you’re at it, consider third-party liability insurance, too, especially for instances such as dog bites. Tabulate grocery tab. Perhaps number one thing people don’t realize when getting a pet is how expensive their food can be. Figure out just how much your pet will eat before you get it, planning always to provide your critter more than enough in proper and balanced meals. Ask yourself, “Can I afford this?”
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