Thursday, August 27, 2009

Question and Answers #1

Question: Can your pet have chocolate?
Answer: No pet should have chocolate because it makes the pet's heart rate to increase, which can cause a heart attack or even death. It can cause the pet to have diarrhea.


Question:What is the best thing to put in your dogs toy ball?
Answer: Peanut Butter, dog treats, dog food, boneless chicken, or boneless turkey.


Question: Since cats can have have fish, can dogs have it as well?
Answer: Dogs can NOT have fish. Fish are potentially harmful and can cause choking. Bones of fish can actually poke through their esophagus, intestines, etc.


Question: How often should I bathe my dog?
Answer: Depending on the breed depends on how often. West Highland White Terriers should only be bathed once a month due to their allergies. I would answer that question by saying, Bathe your dog when he/she really needs it, such as when the dog is dirty, smells bad, or when they keep on digging when they already had their flea treatment.



Question: Why does my dog eat grass and then vomits?
Answer: Dogs eat grass when they have a stomachache. When they vomit, it take the bug(not a real bug) out and cures their stomachache.



Question: What is the biggest mistake people make when the dog runs away and comes back?
Answer: The biggest mistake that people make is yelling at the dog when they come home. If you do this, the dog thinks he/she is being punished for coming home, causing the dog not to want to come home. It is the same with correcting your dog, If the dog does its business on the floor, the average person would yell at the dog, even though they didn't see the dog in the act. In order to correct the dog, you must see the dog in the act, so it won't confuse the dog.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

What to See in Animal Cruelty and How to Report it

Things to see in animal cruelty:

  • Untreated wounds
  • Seeing tangles in the fur
  • Animal being left outside without food or water
  • Extremely thin looking animals
  • Seeing animals getting beat
  • Seeing an animal limp
  • Not bathing the pet for long periods of time
  • Locking the pet in a cage that is way too small for them
  • Not exercising the pets
  • Flea and Tick infestation
  • Forced Animal Fights
  • Animals crying for long periods of time without anyone seeing about them
  • Letting the pet to lay in urine and feces

Report Cruelty: The information below is from the ASPCA

New York City:
Call: (212) 876-7700, ext. 4450
Email: humanel@aspca.org

New Jersey
Call:(800) 582-5979
or fill out form online here

"Outside New York City: You will need to find out the name of the persons in your area who are responsible for investigating and enforcing the anti-cruelty codes in your town, county and/or state. These people typically work for your local humane organization, animal control agency, taxpayer-funded animal shelter or police precinct."

"If you run into trouble finding the correct agency to contact, you may wish to call or visit your local police department and ask for their help in enforcing the law. Similarly, you can ask at your local shelter or animal control agency for help. To find contact information for your local shelter, check the yellow pages or visit the ASPCA's searchable database of nearly 5,000 community SPCAs, humane societies and animal control organizations."


Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Dog Collars: Good or Bad




Chain Slip Collar: This type of collar is very simple to use: All you have to do is pull the leash to the side. BE CAREFUL NOT to pull too much this type collar chokes your dog until you release, but it may stick at times.






Martingale
: We use this type of collar on Mason (My Maltese-Poodle Mix) It is similar to the Chain Slip Collar Except it has fabric on one side and the other is chain. You much pull to the side to correct the dog.




Head Halter Collar: This type of collar actually goes over the dogs head. If you or the dog pulls at all, the dog will turn towards you and it closes the dogs mouth. Dog trainers usually use two leashes-One for the Head halter, the other for the collar. Doing it this way usually give the owner more control. It does not prevent the dog from biting. The head halter is not a muzzle.






Harness: This type of collar is used on the actual body. It gives you more of a control of your dog and doesn't put pressure on the throat. Some dogs will try to back out of them and some dogs bodies do not fit this kind of harness. We've bought some harnesses that do not fit my dog Mason Correctly. You may want to purchase a custom-made harness.







Regular collar: Darcy(My Shih-Tzu) uses this type of collar. Any dog can use this type of collar, but it is recommended for dogs who do not pull on the leash.






Microphone/Talking Collar: This type of collar actually has a built in speaker. A person has a microphone and the sound comes out of the speaker on the collar. This is a great tool to use if your dog chews on things while you are gone.


Collars I Despise

Prong Collar: This collar is complete torture to a dog. When the dog or you pulls the leash it causes the spikes to stab through the dogs skin and can embed itself into the dogs neck. Would you put this collar around your neck?


Shock Collar: This collar gives off a shock wave to the dog with the control of a remote. Anyways it makes your dog afraid of things. How would you feel if you were zapped every time you made a mistake?

Dog I.D Collars: There is not any torture with this collar. The only problem with this collar is that it shows your dogs name. Imagine if someone broke-in your home. All the person has to do is call the dogs name and He/she can lock your dog in a room while they steal your things.Someone could easily steal your dog. Would you want someone to know your name that you don't know?

Citronella Collar: This type of collar sprays Citronella in your dogs face when they misbehave. At times it may spray the dog when they are doing nothing wrong. Would you want some kind of spray to squirt in your face when you don't do anything wrong at the moment?

Flea Collars: This collar controls fleas from your dogs neck. It doesn't protect dog's whole body. It also does not kill the fleas. Sometimes the collar have too much flea medicine in the collar which is not good for the dog. Would you like a collar that has too much or too little flea medicine around your neck even though it doesn't completely repel fleas?

TIP: When putting a collar on your dog, there should only be two finger lengths in between the collar and the collars neck(And body if you use a harness.)
The above is only my opinion about the different dog collars on the market today.