Out and About With Your Pet

We interrupt our daily postings with this content brought to you by Lintbells. One of the greatest issues I've had with my dogs are skin problems such as Buchi's mange, parasite-related ones like ticks and fleas and the dreaded itching for unknown reasons.

So your pet is getting old enough to leave the safety of the house. This can prove a whole new set of challenges for you as the owner. As a responsible pet owner, you have a number of responsibilities that you must undertake.

The first responsibility is to those who you will be meeting along your way. It is important that your dog is suitably leashed, or well enough trained to respond to commands. Many people are scared of dogs, and if your dog appears to be uncontrolled or badly behaved, the situation may only get worse. They may also have young children, who may not have been taught how to respond to an energetic dog, or indeed, your dog may not know how you respond to the behaviour of a child.

The second responsibility is to the dogs they will be meeting and possibly playing with. Much like humans, some dogs can be rather nervous around other dogs, particularly if they are overbearing in their greetings. They are more likely to be responsive if your dog greets them in a calm manner.

Your third responsibility is to the health of the dogs they meet. If your dog appears to be scratching excessively, it may be wise to walk them in a place that is low on dogs. They may have some form of parasites, and if this is the case, it would be irresponsible of you to create a situation in which your dog could transmit the parasite to other dogs. You wouldn’t be happy if your dog caught a parasite from someone else’s dog, so you should not allow your dog to give it to others either.

 If you plan to be stopping off at a friend’s house or other indoor location, it is important to think about the conditions in their house. For example, if your dog has a skin condition, they could pass it on to the pets already present in the house, or any future pets they may choose to have in the next month or so. Furthermore, if this skin condition causes your dog to suffer from dry flaky skin, they could cause problems for any allergy sufferers that may live in the house.

Today is Family Friday (isn't everyday?) in my timezone. Don't forget to give your mom/human the biggest puppy-eyed stare you could ever muster. Remind them that you know you're taken care of and loved to the nth level.

News Flash: I've decided to switch back to Windows XP because I can't deal with the drama Windows 7 is giving me.