Dog breeders get a lot of flak from animal welfare societies and animal rights activists. Mostly because backyard breeders and puppy mills are terrifying, cruel places that are more interested in profit than ensuring healthy living conditions. They also tend to inbreed dogs which destroys the gene pool and causes severe deformities, poor health and behavior problems.
Breed specific legislation (BSL) refers to laws which prohibit or restrict the ownership of certain dog breeds or breed types. If ownership is prohibited, dogs are forcibly removed from their homes and either destroyed, or especially in the case of mixed-breeds, placed in kennels to establish whether or not they fit the profile of a “dangerous” dog.
Most of us consider our pet dogs and cats as part of the family, so it’s traumatic when they go missing. There are numerous reasons your pet may go wandering. Fortunately, there are a steps you can follow to find lost pets and get them safely home.
What’s the difference between cats and dogs? Cats see us as slaves rather than BFFs. The superior attitude is underscored by cats’ haughty attitude, which made cats equal to humans in the eyes of the ancient Egyptians. Haughty or not, cats and kittens love to play, even if it’s with the leaves outside rather than with you. Whether you have a kitty who thinks you are the bee’s knees when it comes to play, or you desperately want some ideas to make yourself more interesting to your cat, we have some great cat toys and activity suggestions for you.
You’re probably already familiar with dogs who guide the blind, sniff out cancer and warn their owners of an impending threat. But these long-time faithful companions continue to surprise us with their innate empathy. Recently, it’s emerged that dogs are an invaluable aid in comforting trauma victims and patients in nursing homes and hospitals. And so a whole new industry is born, namely pet therapy.
Pet doors have their pros and cons. In addition to their self-service convenience, it can also be argued that they have the potential to be life saving. Consider this: You go away for the weekend and entrust your pets to a friend who comes over twice a day to feed them and take them for a walk. Your friend locks up for the night with your pets snug inside and goes home when a fire breaks out. The sitter has no idea. Your pets have no escape.
At the risk of stating the obvious, cats are not dogs. They’re generally smaller, less tolerant, and have sharper teeth and claws which they keep on a hair trigger. So while you should never leave any pets and children together unsupervised, there are some cat-specific guidelines to follow for everyone’s safety. They are especially important if you have very young kids and cats or kittens.
If you think you just have to get through 6 weeks of puppy classes and a few months of house training before you can kick back and relax with the perfect dog, then you are very much mistaken. In fact, as your sweet pup goes through an interesting dog adolescence, you might yearn for the days when you had to get up 3 times a night to stand outside in the cold while your puppy decided whether or not she really needed a wee.
Most pet parents know how important physical exercise is for their dogs. Without a daily walk, run or cycle, most dogs go stir crazy. They drive their parents insane with barking, chewing, pacing and other destructive behaviors. What many pet parents don’t know is that mental stimulation is as important for dogs as physical exercise. Brain work can calm dogs, tire them out, make them more confident problem solvers. They also meet their innate canine needs and keep canine cognitive dysfunction (dementia) at bay. Interactive toys and puzzles are simple tools to get your dog’s brain working.
Pets, like people, can be injured or contract an illness that results in massive blood loss or contaminated blood. Blood transfusions may be the only way to save their lives. This means that it’s as important for pets to donate blood as it is for people. Your pet can be a hero and that’s a wonderful opportunity for any animal.
