Dog's Health Guide

We've had seven dogs in our life so far. Three are still, fortunately, with us. We never read a manual about how to raise dogs or to care for them, but we've figured out a few things along the way that might benefit you and your dog.

First, buying a new puppy in the winter in the north is not ideal. There is usually a lot of snow that you have to move out of the way so you can train your dog to go outside instead of inside your home. We got two puppies during the coldest winter on record here in the Midwest. We shoveled from our back door out to the patio so they could do their business away from the house...getting to the grass would have been another 30 feet at 3' high...we didn't shovel that far. What our puppies did learn was that we wanted them to "go" on the patio. So they lived for 16 years thinking that the patio was their place. Needless to say, we cleaned our patio several times a day for 16 years. But what I will tell you is that when our elderly dogs had to make an emergency rest stop, all we had to do was open the back door and they did their business close by on the patio....and for that, we are grateful because up until the very end, they had their dignity preserved. They did what we taught them to do from the start. And that gives me a smile every day.

Our next tip has to do with chemicals on the lawn. Dog number two died at eight years old of cancer. We think it was the spray on fertilizer from the national lawn care truck. Can we be positive? No. It's a suspicion. Ever since that day, we only use spray on our front lawn because our dogs are kept in the backyard with a fence. In the back, we use a natural fertilizer, dry not liquid, and keep the dogs off of it until it has percolated down into the soil so they don't get chemicals or anything on their paws which they might lick off. This seems to be working at least in our case because our next two dogs lived to 16 years old. This evidence is good enough for us to continue to follow this plan. And really, when you see those little signs that say stay off til dry, they must know what they are talking about.

Finally, have your dog's eyes checked. So many things can affect your dog's vision that you have no idea. Make sure they get regular eye exams to check for cataracts, retinal degeneration and glaucoma. You'll be glad you did because if something is afoot, you will have more time and more options the sooner you know.

The Pet Parent Phenomenon

If you are a pet parent, you know who you are. You may have human children, you may be an empty nester or your may not have had any children during your life. You are the type of person that treats your animals as if they were your children, offering them all the love, attention and care that any good parent would offer their kid or kids. You consider yourself a parent, not an owner, and prefer the term pet parent over other descriptive phrases that distinguish between skin and fur.

The growth of the pet industry in the United States is a testament to how much Americans love their dogs, cats, horses, birds and other pets with more than $55 billion spent on pet products and care each year. Perhaps it is a result of the high cost of raising children, perhaps it is because people are marrying later or perhaps it is because it is easier to manage pets….no matter the cause, the business of pets is big business in the U.S.

There are MacKenzie-Childs dog beds that retail for more than $2500, there are jewel-studded collars, there are pet spas where your pooch or kitty can get a manicure and a facial. Dog kennels have made way for the pet resorts with swimming pools and play hours for their guests. You can even find someone that pet sits for your animals in your own home while you are away. Your animals can receive monthly goodie bags that you sign up for just like you would for the fruit-of-the-month club and these packages arrive at your front door like clockwork. Dogs are receiving cataract surgery to help preserve their vision and dentistry to help preserve their teeth. There is no end to the care or indulgences you can procure for your animals.

Lest we be unclear about this, pet parents don’t do what they do for status. They put the care into their animals because of love. Pets are family members whether you choose to use that term or another. They provide companionship and joy and provide an emotional connection that people need. Pets give people something to nurture, something to hold, something to believe in. There are human needs that can be capably fulfilled by a pet; and thus many people choose pets over other people. This is not a bad thing; it is just different.

To be perfectly frank, there are worse things in this world than to love and care for a pet. It is the best kind of addiction when you can focus your energies on the wellness of another being. When you lose a pet, the depths of your sorrow are no less deep. The emotional and biological connections you have with a pet are just as strong and just as compelling as with human relationships.

All semantics aside, what you call yourself or what other terms people use to describe the relationship you have to your pets really is irrelevant. Good people come in all shapes and sizes and with their own lifestyles and preferences. Good people love and care for their animals and that is really all you need to know about people and their pets.

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