Quick Tips on Choosing your next Pet!

Questions first:
*Do you work full time and will be leaving this pet indoors all alone throughout the day?

*Do you rent? Thus do you know what kind of pet the lease allows?

*Have you ever owned a pet before? Do you know what the pet you are looking for needs, in way of
food, maintenance, exercise?

*Do you have small children?

*Are any in your household allergic to pet dander?

*Do you know your self? What you do the most, your own temperament, are you quiet, or loud, do you have lots of people over a lot?

*Be sure and find out, write down the costs of having a pet. Food. Vet care. Supplies for the pet. Licensing.

I have found that it is only through the questions that we can truly come to a correct answer to our problems and needs!

***********
Be sure and check out Bell Studios Velvet cats at Etsy. I have included a link in my Link section to her store. Sometimes choosing a pet means not choosing a living pet for now.

Over the years, I have always owned at least one pet, and most the time two or three if you don't count fish. I have owned dogs, cats, horses, pigs, sheep, goats, birds,guinea pig, turtle, and birds. Oh, of course fish too.

I have trained horses, dogs, and been a 4H teacher in dog training.
The first thing I noticed in my 4H class was that most of these kids where given a dog with no for-thought into what that child could handle. One of the smallest girls came with a huge, breed that she could not handle . The dad wanted that breed, not the little girl. She was in tears most the time.

Some came with aggressive behavior dogs in need of training and a more powerful owner than a child. I say this to again reinforce the NEED to do your research before picking a pet.

Basically this is the run down on type first:

If you live in a apt.....

and work all day long with no one at home stick to these,
birds, fish, turtles, and or cat. Usually birds and cats are not a good pick together, but depends on owners and the cat. ;-)

If you are a SINGLE person,

close to work and rent a apt where you can have pets, and you can come home for lunch:
Any of the above plus you could have a dog if it is the right breed and type. Come home at lunch to walk and check on your dog, walk the dog. The dog should not be one of the working class types. Any book on dogs will explain the different types of dogs. There are working, herding, toy etc.
Most working types are large, NEED to do a lot of exercise and space. German Shepards, Dobermans etc. The toy breeds are a good bet for you. Small and able to go with you to work sometimes if your employer would agree.

NOTE:
NEVER take your dogs in your car and leave them in the car while you work. Too hot or too cold and you will not only stand to get a ticket, but you could find a dead pet upon your return!

I know a single man who owns a cat.
He is very pleased to come home to his little friend. The cats are pretty clean. Requires only a cat potty box which is cleaned out everyday. A bowl of water, eats very little in cat kibble, and some canned food. Some have long hair, some short. Long hair requires more brushing. At least once a week, more if it is a Persian. Persian requires lots of grooming as the hair is fine and MATs will become huge to the point of making large sores on the cat if not groomed. They also need hair ball remedy from licking that hair which gets in their digestive track and must come back up.
Cats need a few small toys to chase around with. Fake mice are good. A fuzzy thing on a wire is good. Do NOT leave a toy tied on a string as i have seen cats get these all wrapped around their necks and choke! They can play with these only when you are there!
Remember this about cats. They do not stay on the floor! They will be up on the computer, the desks, and anything they can climb. They will eat plants, so make sure you have no poison plants around. They will love to sleep with you, will play and entertain you, but they are cats. With Cat needs.

FOR FAMILIES :
Any Pet can be chosen. As long as someone is mostly home, esp if you have a well fenced yard. Still , the kind of dog or cat is important. If you are a soft and quiet family do not choose a dog that is going to require tons of training, and still overpowers you all.

You see, some dogs are just naturally what we call "alpha" types. Without strong dominate owners they will rule over YOU! then you will have the problem pets that are always needing to hire a specialized pet trainer to come rescue them.

_______________________________________________________________
For most beginners who want a dog, these are my recommendations:
_______________________________________________________________
Shetland Sheepdogs. Gentle and small in size. Does need a daily brush, and remember most shelties while quiet in the house can become big barkers outside.
Shelties are for gentle people though. They are not for rough housers, or houses that yell a lot.

Boston Terriers is another Breed I love for beginners. They are short haired, and small. Smart, and easy to travel with.

But again, these are just two of my favorite breeds, there is so much more into every character of each breed. And if you get a rescue dog (one who has no home, grew up in a bad home or in some way had to be rescued and is in a dog shelter) you will most likely have more than one breed in that dog. These require some study by good dog care takers to determine what kind of home they will be good in.

I believe all pets should be licensed and receive their yearly vaccinations.

I believe problem dogs are not the problem, it is the owners who are the problem. Owners who have not learned how to understand the animal. Or irresponsible owners who do not care.

I believe all dogs should be on leashes when walked, for their safety and the safety of other people and pets.

I believe all pets should have the right to be treated kindly and responsibly.

I believe not all people should own a pet.
****************************************************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Xylitol

Pure xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar
although safe for humans, it is DEATH to many pets!! Do NOT keep around pets. Even a small amount in chewing gum or toothpaste has resulted in the death of some dogs!
11

NOT! This poo, was in front of Tully's coffee in Bellevue, Wash. A Good pet owner will pick up after your pet. Otherwise you may get a fine, or like one owner who did not pick up after their pet at a dog show some years back, you could find the poo on the top of your vehicle when you get back!! ;-)

We live in a time of Insaneness. At least from my point of view we do. I grew up with animals around me from the time I was born. I understand most animals far better than I understand humans. IF you are a first time pet owner, you need to know the truth on some aspects to animals.

1. A puppy mill is a place where the animal is second to the income the owners can make. These people do not care about their health, either for the present or for future generations down the road. Genetic problems are not a concern to them. Plus they usually have way more than the law allows any one breeder to have. They will also keep them in cages and never allow them to exercise.
They then find pet shops or internet sites to sell these pets around the world.
You most normally will never get a healthy pet from these dealers. Remember the main goal for these sellers is MONEY.
THIS IS ABUSE and ILLEGAL

2. NEGLECT is not to be confused with ABUSE. Neglect is where a person has some pets that due to the health or mental aspect of the person owning them, the animals are not properly cared for. The animals normally are allowed free run of the house, and there is normally too many animals in the house. They may poop all over, and the whole place is unsanitary. This person usually really loves the pets, but are not capable of caring for them or even themselves mostly. They too may breed but should not be categorized with the person who is abusive. These poor people need HELP not JAIL.

why would we condemn a person who is in bad health and poor mental state the same as one who is completely in sane mind, and good health who abuses animals?

3. ABUSIVE owners are those who Beat, Starve, Or otherwise "abuse" the pets. These people take out their anger on the animals, or simply allow them to suffer untold horrors. Like leaving a dog tied up in the back yard so long that the collar becomes in bedded in the dogs neck. Or Dog Fighting, Or beating them etc. This is abuse and the people need to seen by a doctor as to their mental state and if sane should spend time in Jail.

NOTE: I firmly believe that if any child is known to abuse animals when young, if not corrected, this child will grow up to abuse other humans. FACT.

4. GOOD BREEDERS
These are owners who breed with full genetics in each profile of the animal, and every animal is up to date on shots, belong to the AKC or other well know breeder association for that particular animal, They are more concerned with the health and well being of the animal than the money made. And let me tell you, with the cost of vets, food, and care you almost NEVER make a profit raising animals these days. Unless your animal business is raising champions a lot, you do not make money. It is a labor of love for the animals.
These breeders will have documented proof of all animals in health and their animals will have proper food, water, exercise areas, grooming.

Great site on Eukanuba has a breed selector That helps you find a breed for you. Which is fun to explore. But do not just use that. Check around, read books, and most importantly
TALK TO A BREEDER of the type you are considering.
http://www.eukanuba.com/EukGlobal/US/en/jsp/home/LocalHome.jsp

And Last, A SAD STORY:

A pr of Pit Bull dogs un-neutered (meaning male and able to breed) and no collars, came around our home one day a few months ago. They were very aggressive. (let me inject here, Not ALL pit bulls are aggressive, I have met some of the most gentle and calm pits, usually these had owners that knew how to train them)
I have a fenced yard for my two dogs, a corgi and a shelti . I heard the growls, and ran out to see the two pits on the other side of my fence. I called my two dogs inside. In seconds the police came. Apparently these two dogs had already harassed one elderly lady and a elderly man in his own garage. I noticed the one leader pit would not back down even with my training of dealing with dogs. That in turn told me, he had no fear of people and had decided he was alpha. He was expanding his territory in dog mind. Since the owner did not contain his dogs, and left them alone all day, they were on the loose and marking their territory. Dogs and cats are territorial. They will mark, or urinate on a area that is their domain. All other living things are trespassers to this area when they come into it. Or are driven out by the animals who decide it is theirs. Nothing new, this is what all animals in the wild (predators) do .

As the police came out of his car the two pits lunged at him. second lunge and the policeman fired two shots. The lead Pit bull went down. I thought at first he was dead, but he got up, bleeding a lot from the mouth. He was shocked that the man had done this, he turned and fled back to his home two block down from me. The other pit took off after the shot. It took three police cars, and four police men to catch the running one, and the hurt one was caught at his house. A young man owns these. He most likely lost his dog that was shot, as it was either put to sleep or it died. I never learned the details of the dogs. The other, I saw he was running after the other day, as it had got loose again, with a rope trailing behind.

Ponder this: IF the school bus had unloaded small children that day when the two pits were here. And those children made the mistake and RAN. They would have been mauled to death, I have no doubt. Or if a small dog was being walked by my neighbor at the time they were here, the little dog would have been killed and the lady mauled. But for the grace of God no one was hurt, but a lovely animal was shot because the owner did not know or was negligent in the care and TRAINING of that pet.