Pet restraint is important!

You will find an article at Kenai Peninsula Online, Alaska titled " Restrained pets are safe pets" subtitled Prevention is the best way to deal with animals hit by cars.

I find this to be an important article for people to puruse. I agree that dogs should be on leashes or in fenced in yards and cats should stay in the house. Putting your dog on a leash has many advantages. Not only do you keep your pet safe you also protect yourself from any incidents your pet may cause. Dogs are dogs and are not always predictable even if they are usually well behaved. It really is beneficial to you to keep your pet on leash. The days of letting our beloved pets run free have passed. There are to many hazards that can occur such as wild animals eating your pet. That may not be a pleasant thought yet it can be very real due people building homes further into the wilderness displacing wildlife. Your pet could be just another meal! The warning in this article should be taken seriously in my opinion. What do you think?

Donna

"Easy does it with pets in the summer heat."

This is the title of an article in the Monterey County Herald. The article has some very good information about heatstroke in pets. The Veterinarian that wrote this article brings up some points that I had not thought of myself and perhaps you did not think of either. You can access this article at The MontereyHerald.com


I found it interesting because I always knew that Hibbs has a hard time with the heat but did not think about his black coat attracting the sun. I watch my pets in the summer heat because I know how the heat affects me. I hope you find this information useful as I did.

Donna

Teaching kids about pets.

Children need to know certain things about pets. It is important to teach kids about how to treat their pets and other pets they may come across. This short article in the New Milford Spectrum offers some simple rules kids should be made aware of about pets. I found these tips to be significant to a childs pet education. When kids know these things it is less likely that they will get bit by a pet. Just wanted to share this quick article in hopes it is a helpful guide in teaching your kids about pets.

Donna

Pets offer emotional support.

There have been many different studies conducted that prove that pets can provide comfort to people. It has been said that people in nursing homes that had to leave a pet behind sorely miss the comfort of their pet. Many nursing homes have people who bring pets by to visit the residents and a definate improvement in the residents mood can be seen. I totally understand this because my pets often make me feel better.
Heeks is my little shadow. She follows me where ever I go around the house and she seems to always be gauging my mood. If I get upset about something she comes right over to me with her tail wagging. She will then jump up on me with a look that seems to say "Are you alright?" Most of the time just by her doing that I feel better.
It is obvious that many other people feel comfort from their pets. Just look at the pet industry in this country. People spend a lot of money providing for their pets health, pets enjoyment and quality of life. We buy toys, beds, treats, fancy collars, and sometimes even clothes and shoes. Pets become part of our family and sometimes a substitute for children if children are not an option in our lives. When my daughter got older and moved out on her own getting Hibbs eased the empty nest syndrome I was suffering from. Dogs require care and caring for Hibbs satisfied my maternal need. I have always been the "motherly type" so caring for my pets gives me joy. That is not to say that getting and caring for a pet is for everyone. It works for me. Has there been an experience in your life where a pet has made a big difference? If you would like to share leave a comment to this entry for others to enjoy!

Donna

Scotland: Pet welfare

In Scotland they are trying to protect pets from abusive situations with some new restrictions. The age to purchase pets has gone from 13 to 16 years old. Apparently like most places around the world people take in pets then abuse them cruely or abandon them without a care. I am glad to see they are trying to do something about this through the sspca in Scotland. They are also trying to get tougher restrictions placed on pet selling establishments. This news was on the Scottish television website accessable through the following link:
http://scotlandtoday.scottishtv.co.uk/content/default.asp?page=s1_1_1&newsid=7682

I admire people all other the world that stand up for the rights of innocent animals kept as pets. They cannot fend for themselves on these issues.

Go Sspca! Donna

Stray dog saves abandoned baby.

This story was reported on the news yesterday. This happened in Africa. You can read the story at MSNBC.com news. The dog apparently found the abandoned baby in the woods and brought the baby back and put it with her own litter of puppies.
It goes to show that moms are moms where ever they are. This mom knew this infant needed care and even though the baby was not of the same species. You can read more about this story at the link above and check out the other pet information on the same page!

Donna

Pets of the future!

This article is titled Pets of the future are life like, but not real. Yeck....

For some reason someone thinks this is the big trend of the future. I am sure there are people out there that would be receptive to the concept but I am not one of them. Give me a real pet anyday! To read more about this click on the link above at the Houston Chronicle website. Ooohh wee!

Donna

Pet vaccination commentary.

This was a feature story on the NBC 4 television in LA website. It is and article about vaccinating our pets. You can access this story at Vaccinating Pets Could Do More Harm Than Good I have been hearing more about this issue recently. I understand that vaccinating your pet against rabies and distemper are important. Those diseases are very serious and contracting them as well as the parvo virus can be a matter of life or death to your dog.

Just like people every pet is different. Some pets have these vaccinations with no ill effects at all while others bodies cannot tolerate the vaccination. I would be interested in knowing if there are any conclusive studies on this matter. If vaccinating your pet every couple of years is an option I would be interested in that. I can see how overloading a pets system with these vaccines could be harmful. If you know of any valid studies that show real results please make a comment so that other readers of this blog can benefit from your knowledge. Pet welfare is a top priority to most pet lovers and having more concrete information on this subject would be very helpful.

Donna

Tsunami brings better treatment to pets.

I found this article today on Reuters news service. The article is about dogs and cats in Thailand and other areas effected by the tsunami last December. You can access this article by this link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK97867.htm Perhaps this development of pets getting more humane treatment is one good thing that has come out of this tragedy. Pets were often abandoned before the tsunami and would sometimes gather in packs. There were cases of these packs attacking people. Greater awareness of pets in this region has led to pet shelters, pets being found new homes, and new laws being proposed to promote ethical and humane treatment of dogs and cats. I am always on board for good treatment of pets! This article is not to long if you want to read it. As usual I welcome comments.

Donna