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My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet. -- Edith Wharton
Many studies show the health benefits of owning a pet.
Pets control your blood pressure, encourage you to get out, and exercise and improve your mood. However, Washington
state where I live, approximately 147,000 cats and dogs ended up in shelters,
almost 65,000 of whom were euthanized in 2000. According to Federation of Animal Care and
Control Agencies 2000 Statistics, close to 34,000 cats and dogs in the Puget Sound region were killed in shelters in 2000; nearly half of
those animals were healthy puppies and kittens. So why adopt one of them before they are euthanized? After an adoption, spaying and neutering are very important to prevent pets' overpopulation. These are very effective elements
to reduce euthanasia rates. A statewide spaying and neutering programs started in New
Jersey in 1986. The euthanasia rate dropped 10 % over 16 years while the population
increased by 8%. Simply, not enough homes for them all, but there is something we can do to reduce our companion animal
euthanation.
1) Before you adopt a pet
- What
to Consider Before Adopting a Pet
- An article from The Humane Society of The United States. Pet Adopt Information is a great place to check what you need to know before you have a pet.
- Adopt
an animal
- Adoption tips from ASPCA.
- Prepare
Your Home
- How to make a pet friendly home for you and your pet.
- Dog
Breed List
- Complete breed list from American Kennel Club to know what breed is the best
for you.
- Cat
Breed List
- Cat breed list from Animal Planet.
- Horse
breed
- Horse breed list from Equip Search.
2) Where to find a pet
- Pet Finder
- Adopt a pet and help an animal shelter rescue a needy animal. You can search
by breed (dog, cat, bird, horse, pig, rabbit, reptile, barn yard and small & furry),
size, age or region or nationally.
- Humane
Society of The United States Adoption
- Find a local shelter to adopt a pet.
- PETS 911
- Find a pet and location by Zip code.
- Breed Rescue
Groups
- Contact information about purebred dog rescue from American Kennel Club.
3) Spay and Neuter
- Where to Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered
- If you have trouble affording the procedures, please check this page.
- SPAY - USA
- An organization to end the suffering of innocent dogs and cats by reducing the number of unwanted births.
They have affordable spay/neuter programs and clinics in 1,000 locations nationwide with 7,000 veterinarians in the network as of 2005.
- Friends
of Animals
- Search for participating veterinarians and purchase low-cost spay/neuter certificates
online.
- Low Cost
or Free Spay - Neuter Programs in the United States
- Programs that provide low cost or free spay/neuter, listed by state.
4) After you adopt a pet
Humane Society of The United States is one of the very helpful animal information sources out there. There are many useful pet care tips such as...
One of my dreams was to walk with Charly and Gino nicely on a leash together.
It was impossible for awhile. They tangled,
went different directions at the same time, and pulled so hard. I have taken them
to an obedience class and learned how not to let them pull on a leash. The problem
was that they walked fine when they were with me individually but went crazy when
they walked together. Gino's obedience class trainer told me to use a prong collar on him because
he was already big enough to drag me out on a street when he was 7 months old. I just
could not get used to it. Adding some pain to train him was not my choice so I kept searching what to do.
I've tried some halters and harnesses and finally found the one - SENSE-ibl
Dog Harness. The leash connects to a ring on the chest. There are similar types of harnesses like this, and they are recommended by Dr. Patricia McConnell, ph.D., the author of "The Other End of the Leash". They still pull me with an excitement of going for a walk or a cat on a street, but this harness gives me more control without hurting them.
By the way, here is Dr.
Nicholas Dodman's interesting interview from Bark magazine about prong collars.
He is a Section Head and Program Director, Animal Behavior Department of Clinical
Sciences at Tufts University of Veterinary Medicine.
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