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Health & Fitness

Which Is The Perfect Pet? Research First, Enjoy For A Lifetime.


Before you seriously consider inviting a new pet into your home, it's wisest to consider some of the following suggestions. Keep in mind, it little matters if it's a dog, cat or a aquatic creature. However, in this article, the suggestions are primarily for adopting a dog or cat. 
  • Purchase all necessary supplies prior to obtaining the pet. This is one way of understanding the true yearly cost of a "free pet." Speak with the vet you'll be using. If adopting a dog, ask the cost of yearly "maintenance." Keep in mind, in the Chicago area, there are plenty of discounted hospitals to take your pet for medical care. Find the nearest one to your home and decide if, financially, this is a better option. These facilities are just as qualified as a private vet. Do your homework on the healthiest food to give at each stage of the pet's life. The vet will recommend his food, but there are very good name brands that will work just as well. What is the doctor's preference for the collar and leash (at each stage of life)? If it's a dog or cat, you might have it "chipped".
  • Fostering Pets. If owning a pet isn't an option at this time, consider joining pet rescue services that foster specific breeds and/or various breeds in one's home until it's adopted. I've encountered some pets that have "permanently" lived in the foster home. An added bonus to fostering a pet is that some agencies will continue to pay for the cost of medical care or they'll chip in when necessary.
  • Pet Budget. Vet's and other medical specialists have the ability to extend our pets lives beyond our wildest dreams. So consider what you're willing to spend when an emergency arises. There are 24-hour vet's located in the Northwest suburbs; however, they are terribly expensive, and one trip to the emergency vet and it might just break the bank! With this in mind, it's much easier to make a decision with a clear head, then when you're at doctor's office under great stress. Don't ever allow the vet's office to make your financial decisions . I've left wondering "what just happened to the mortgage money?"
  • Pet Proof Your Residence. Consider crawling on the floor about one to two feet off the ground just as a small toddler would do. Then you'll know what to pick up, unplug, cover or move out of harm's way. If a puppy is coming home, consider locking up any chemical products, cleansers, insecticides, antifreeze and other dangerous fluids that are ordinarily left at easy reach for the puppy. Place houseplants out of reach for a kitten or puppy, because many plants are considered poisonous. Once more, at the doctor's visit ask if they have literature on pet proofing a home before you adopt.
  • Prepare to Separate Existing Pets & New Arrivals. Many pets need to be separated so they may grow accustomed and comfortable in their new surroundings and, of course, to their new owner. Setting aside an extra room designed just for the new pet for a few days works wonderfully. Keep the area free of any existing pets that are curious and nervous about the arrival, and the new arrival may slowly and comfortably grow into the new home. When the day comes to introduce the addition to the rest of pets, do so slowly and gently. It's advisable not to allow the pets to play or interact until things are smoothed over and it's completely safe. There's nothing worse than waking from a dead sleep to blood curdling screams coming from a cat fight!
  • Miscelleanous. Other things to consider are: will the pet sleep with a family member, what areas are strictly off limits, how will the dog be trained; a professional trainer, park district classes, or professional six week boot camp. Remember, anyone of these programs still requires family cooperation in the home. Is anyone allergic to any of the pets considered? You might consider having any of the family member's go through allergy testing to be sure.
  • "Who's The Boss?" Lastly, and most importantly, from the get-go, establish, firmly, "who's the boss?" Dogs, unlike cats, are pack animals, so in order to survive in the wild, they learn quickly who is the leader of the pack. He wants to understand where he is on the totem pole of the family unit. If you don't do this very basic and important step, the dog will be hard to control. And believe me when I say I've seen frustrated owners with dogs that are completely out of control.

From where I stand with 22 years of pet sitting under my belt, the number one project for a loving and happy dog is obedience, obedience, & more obedience.

Pet obedience takes patience, persistence and a firm, but gentle hand. All that's necessary is to let him know (firmly and consistently) you are the boss, not him. It isn't necessary for him to learn to jump thru hoops; rather, teach him to sit quietly, and stay until he's told to come. and stay down. 

Most of us have encountered a time when we've seen a pet owner screamed at the dog to stop barking at the postman or the passing car. And I can't help but think of all the energy that goes into yelling at the dog, over and over, to get down, and the frustration heard in the owner's voice is shocking. Had the owner taken the time to train the pet, both would be happier, more content throughout the years.

It's been necessary to decline pet sitting reservations when I discover the dog is a "jumping Mexican bean." My policy is very strict: undisciplined pets need not apply. Safety is top priority for any employee I hire, and the fear of liability issues certainly is a close second. However, explaining to the owner, in polite terms, his dog's menace to society is one I've not quite accomplished, successfully.

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On a more serious note, a responsible pet owner takes the necessary steps to be properly informed before hand. Afterwards, if it's a green light for whatever he wishes to "his other family member", that pet will be great joy for many years to come!


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