7 Rules to Ensure Your Dog's Health and Happiness
When you take on a pet, you take on a huge responsibility. You are the one who must ensure that your dog gets what she needs to be happy, healthy, and a great companion. These seven tips will move you down the road to your own happiness, knowing you've done the required, responsible things to care for her.
- Provide your dog with an ID tag. The tag should include her name, your phone number(s), and special medical concerns that should be taken into consideration by anyone who finds her. Ensuring that she has a tag drastically lowers the possibility that you'll one day have to pick her up at the pound.
- Enroll both of you in a class so that both of you will be properly trained. You need to know how to discourage inappropriate behavior or habits; and she needs to understand that you -- not she -- are the one who is in charge. Both you and your dog will be much happier together when both of you know what to do and who makes the decisions.
- Don't miss an annual visit to your veterinarian. Even though your dog appears to be in perfect health, it's possible that your vet will spot warning signs that point to serious, life-threatening problems. Waiting until the signs are obvious to you might mean you're waiting until it's too late for effective treatment.
- Plan for future disasters. Things go wrong in your household, in your neighborhood, in your region. Plan your Family Evacuation Plan to include your pet's needs, so that she, too, is protected and evacuated when necessary. Whether you're planning for a household fire, a forest fire threatening your neighborhood, or a hurricane threatening your entire region, you need to know what you'll do under a wide range of circumstances.
- Plan for your own future. If you were to die next month -- the car or truck that kills you in traffic doesn't care how healthy you think you are -- who would take over responsibility for caring for your dog? Once you've chosen your pet's "potential future master," you might want to establish a routine of having this person be involved in her care whenever you're out of town, hospitalized, or otherwise unable to provide the level of care, concern, and love that your dog deserves.
- The training mentioned above absolutely must include training your dog not to bite. If your behavior training course didn't address this issue, you will need to address this issue on your own or with the help of another trainer.
- At the appropriate time in his/her development, have your dog neutered/spayed. Your vet will know the appropriate time for this operation to take place. And if you cannot find room in your budget for this, there are those who will provide the operation for free or nearly-free. Unless you are planning to be a professional breeder, this is perhaps the single best thing you can do to protect your dog's health and happiness.
Follow these rules and you'll have moved far along the road to happiness for both you and your dog.
