Love For Animals

My dog is a labrador/shepard mix (probably mixed with more breeds though) and just turned nine years old. It seems as though her age is interfering with her ability to hold in that ungodly smell within her—the GAS! I have to give her some credit though because she doesn’t fart all the time. It happens rarely but is becoming slightly more noticeable.

I’ve learned that when certain breeds get older, their intestines start to lose their muscular tone; hence the doggy farting. Other reasons may include a poor diet, lack of exercise, constipation, or eating their food too quickly, which causes poor indigestion. Or, it just depends on the dog breed. The following dog breeds are considered the top 10 gassiest breeds according to seefido.com:

1. Mixed Breed (Check one for my dog)
2. German Shepherd (Check two)
3. Labrador Retriever (Check three)
4. Boxer
5. Poodle
6. Doberman
7. Cocker Spaniel
8. Rottweiler
9. Beagle
10. Dalmatian (I’ve actually experienced a heavily farting Dalmation! Air-freshener required! )

Of course, it all depends on your dog. I think it’s just an age factor with my dog since she gets a 30-minute walk everyday and eats dry dog food, never any wet dog food. She really only farts once in a blue moon, but I thought this was interesting. For those of you who have gassy dogs, remember to make sure your dogs get the appropriate exercise and a healthy diet suited for their needs. Oh! And keep those air fresheners in hand!

Is it wrong to declaw your cat? I hear of people declawing their cats pretty often, but in my opinion, it just seems a little excessive and inhumane. Although some cat owners do it to protect their household furniture from being clawed at, is it really the only way? I’ve heard about vinyl nail caps (probably best for indoor cats) and scratching posts, yet some cat owners say they have no luck with getting their cat to use the posts. It’s not my intention to blame a pet owner for their pet’s overall behavior, but I do believe that the habits of an animal depend on how the owner raised or trained it (that is, if you raised your pet since they were young). I think that training or familiarizing your pet to certain habits works best when the animal is young. I just don’t want this declawing procedure to be abused by the percentage of pet owners that are just looking for a quick fix.

Hypothetically speaking, even if declawing a cat was the only way to maintain a beautiful home (furniture and all), I don’t think it’s reason enough to physically alter or amputate a part of a cat’s anatomy. After all, that is what happens in the surgery room—the doctor has to cut bones, ligaments, and tendons during this procedure. It is not equivalent to pulling out a human finger nail. With surgery comes possible complications that can occur during the recovery period. Surgery should be performed under extreme circumstances or needs, but is protecting furniture one of them?

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A while back, my friend and I were walking on the street and we noticed a pair of eyes peeking out at us through a blanket. Then we both realized it was a small dog, some type of terrier. As our eyesight zoomed out a bit, we saw a homeless lady cradling the dog. As soon as we passed the lady, my friend tells me how bad she felt for the dog and how she was a little upset at the fact that homeless people don’t give up their dogs. She thought it was wrong because she felt that homeless people can’t even take care of themselves, let alone their dogs.

I just sympathized with her point, but I also suggested a hypothetical situation, which involved her as the homeless person. I told her to imagine what it would be like and whether or not she would give up her dogs (she has two). I explained to her (something along these lines): Imagine losing everything. And your dogs were all you had left. Sure, you could try to find them a better home, but what if no one could take them? Would you give it to a shelter (probably no-kill), but would that guarantee a good home for your dogs? Some kind of home is better than no home, right? Maybe, maybe not. But you do know one thing for sure, and that is the fact that you love your dogs. Some people see their pets as their best friends. It’s hard for them to give them up. But really could you imagine giving up your dogs in a situation like that?

She didn’t answer because she knew that if the situation was real for her, it would be a difficult decision to make. It became evident in her mind that it wasn’t a situation that had a clear-cut solution, at least when feelings are involved.

I think that it’s hard to witness an animal fall to the same fate as its homeless owner. It’s unfortunate for the animals because their life is being led by the owner. Yet, in my opinion, I don’t think it’s wrong for a homeless person to have an animal companion. We don’t know what this person is going through or what reasons he has for keeping his animal(s). It’s all speculative. Also, maybe homeless people find stray dogs, befriend them, and “take them in.” It’s very possible that a roof over an animal’s head isn’t always the answer to finding good care and love. If an animal finds a loving bond with someone who is able to care for the animal, whether homeless or not, that’s really a point to consider. Perhaps animals find “homes” in the people themselves, not an actual roof.

Suggested Related Links:

Feeding Pets of the Homeless

Lucky Dog Show - Interview with the Founder and Executive Director of Feeding Pets of the Homeless (Non-profit Organization)

There is a little uneasy feeling I get whenever I see a dog with a little black box hanging from its collar. It’s almost as if I’m looking at a dog on house arrest! I just can’t quite understand why anyone would actually think it’s ok to put a device like that on an animal, as if it’s not demeaning or inhumane to “train” your pet through the use of electric shock. Well, it is.

I understand that training your pet can sometimes be frustrating and time-consuming even, but it’s not necessary to resort to a shock collar and neither is it fair to your pet. I am a proud dog owner, and I only practice training methods that do not involve physical punishment. A shock collar represents physical punishment with the touch of a button, not to mention possible mental consequences. It is no different from hitting your pet after he/she does something that you don’t like because you are teaching your pet through the use of physical pain. Maybe the simple press of a button may make the owners feel better about their choice over a shock collar because they don’t actually harm their pets with their bare hands. In reality, it’s just a different way of inflicting pain.

I’m sure that there are plenty of pet owners that love their pets unconditionally but still use shock collars on them. Maybe they simply do not know that they are truly harming their pets, and maybe their pets have eventually become immune to the shock releases.

As an alternative, try training your pets (dogs in particular) with the use of your voice, getting them familiar with certain commands. Keep your voice tones consistent (e.g. Use a more high-pitched or more cheerful tone of voice when your dog does something good, and use a stern and deep tone of voice if your dog does something bad). By keeping commands and these training habits consistent, your dog will most likely be able to listen to you with great success.

Another effective training method is the use of rewards or treats, which is not only very helpful in grabbing your pet’s attention, but a snack that your pooch will very much appreciate! If you still cannot seem to get the training results you want out of your dog, there are plenty of dog-training classes that you and your dog can enroll in. These are just a few alternative dog-training suggestions. Try researching on your own a little, and really take the time to find out about more humane methods to train your pet, and keep those shock collars from creating any more buzz… literally!

Note: The dogs shown in the provided photos (above) are not my own pets. These photos were found on the web.

A few suggested links worth visiting:

BBC NEWS: Police Urged to Drop Dog ‘Shock Collars’

APBC: Shock Collars - The Shocking Truth

Wikipedia - Shock Collar (Informative)