How to properly care for a dog.

Adopt don't shop.

Looking for your first puppy or adult dog? Try the local shelter first and if you don't find what your looking for find a reputable breeder.  If you do go to a breeder remember these things:

• Don't be put off if a breeder isn't immediately responsive. Hobby breeders often have full-time jobs and they don't always have available puppies. Be selective. Find a breeder who is knowledgeable and make sure you're comfortable with them.
• Visit the breeder's home or kennel and ask to see at least one of the puppy's parents. Get an idea of what the future holds for your dog in terms of temperament and appearance.
• Observe the premises. Is the house/kennel clean? Odor-free? Dogs and puppies should be clean, well fed, lively and friendly. Look for signs of malnutrition such as protruding rib cages or illness such as runny nose/eyes, coughing, lethargy and skin sores.
• Pay attention to how the dogs and puppies interact with their breeder. Does the breeder appear to genuinely care for the puppies and their adult dogs? Both dogs and puppies should not shy away from the breeder and should be outgoing with strangers.
• Find out about the health of your puppy and its parents. Breeders should be honest about the breed's strengths and weaknesses and knowledgeable about the genetic diseases that can affect their breed - including what's being done to avoid them. Breeders should be willing to share proof of health screenings such as OFA and CERF certificates with potential buyers.
• Establish a good rapport with the breeder. He/she will be an excellent resource and breed mentor for you throughout the life of your puppy. You should be encouraged to call the breeder if your dog has a crisis at any stage of its life.
• A responsible breeder may ask you to sign a contract indicating that if specified conditions of care are not met or you become unable to keep the puppy, he/she will reclaim it.
• Don't expect to bring home the puppy until its eight to 12 weeks of age. Puppies need ample time to mature and socialize with its mother and litter mates.
• Breeders should be willing to answer any questions you have and should ask many of you as well. Breeders will want to make sure their puppies are going to good homes, with people who know what to expect and have made all the necessary preparations.

After you take your puppy or adult dog home remember the five basic necessities: 

Find a veterinarian.

Find a veterinarian that will listen to you and provide all necessary information for such things as a shot schedules and basic care for your new dog. Always keep your veterinarians information in a place where it can be found quickly in case of emergency. 

Training

Make sure your pet knows basic commands like sit, stay, come and leave it. You can self-teach your pet in which case there are plenty of resources in books and online. You can also take your pet to puppy classes or a professional certified dog trainer. Always be careful when taking any advice from anyone what they say may not necessarily be the right training for your pup. Stay clear from anyone insisting hitting your dog is okay!

Exercise

On top of basic training your pet will also need exercise. Don't expect just letting your pet out in the backyard will give them enough exercise. Walk, run or bike with your dog is the best case scenario. At the very least play games with your dog be it fetch or hide-and-seek. The more you keep your dog's mind busy the lest likely they will develop bad habits.

Feeding

Most dogs will be fine with basic dry kibble. However occasionally you may have a pet with food allergies in that case ask your veterinarian whats the best pet food their specific needs/ Always follow the suggested feeding amounts designated on the pet food bag. This way you don't overfeed your pet or your pet gets to skinny. If your dog is a active breed and participating in a lot of exercise feed a little extra. This also goes for if your pet will be outdoors during the winter always feed a bit extra.

Shelter.

Indoors is best but if you must keep your new pet outside provide adequate shelter. Insure the shelter sits slightly off the ground a couple inches and their are no drafts. If you must use bedding use something like hay/straw or cedar shavings that you can clean out if it gets wet. Avoid blankets and towels which can get moldy  and have to be washed/sanitized often. Most dog do fine outside however if it is exceptionally cold, well below freezing, bring them inside or at least put them in  a draft free barn or shed.

#ClearTheShelters

On August 15, shelters across the country are taking part in a nationwide push to place pets in forever homes. Adoption fees are drastically cut or lowered strategically to give pets more of a chance to find a home. Thus #ClearTheShelters has commenced.

 

Check out the Clear the Shelters website to find out about participating animal shelters.

 

Clear The Shelters

Thanksgiving Treats Okay To Give Your Pets

Don't forget donate some food to your local animal shelter to feed some hungry pets come Thanksgiving and beyond. Give and be thankful always.



Adopt A Pet

Beware of Puppy Flippers and Scammers on Craigslist!

So lately here I have been lurking on the Seattle Craigslist community pets classified ads and have found nonstop comments about puppy flippers and scammers. Unfortunately I have noticed the "trend" as well, personally spotting several ads that are suspicious and obviously not following the craigslist rules.

Craigslist rules specifically state pet sales, sale of animal parts and stud service are prohibited! A small re-homing fee is allowed. The norm for a small re-homing fee is set at $150 or less. Anything more can be and in my opinion is considered a pet sale. In which case I see a lot of re-homing fees placed at $300 and that's for a unpapered, unfixed, unvaccinated puppy  maybe given some OTC de-wormer and no proof of proper veterinary care. That is completely unsafe and unreasonable. You are better off paying a $300 adoption fee to a shelter at least the puppy would be vaccinated, fixed and have a full health check-up. I'm sorry but if you have a litter of puppies and are trying to "find them homes"with a re-homing fee over $150 (or even at that specific amount if your trying to comply with craigslist rules) you can be considered a backyard breeder.

There is no such thing as a "accidental litter". You are responsible for your dog. It is irresponsible to knowingly let your unfixed dog run around in the vicinity of another dog that is not fixed and assume you will find good homes for a unwanted litter or you are just one of those greedy people wanting to make a profit without considering the well-being of each individual puppy . You are simply adding to the overpopulation of homeless animals. There is no excuse that's that.

Now onto more heartbreaking matters. It seems like every where I look I keep hearing stories about people buying puppies off craigslist, taking them home and coming to find out there pup has Parvo or some other life-threatening illness and dying a few days later. I feel for the devastated families whom have to deal with this. I don't blame them I blame the uncaring people whom sold them the dog. These puppies often come from backyard breeders or puppy mill operations whom in which only care about making profits and could care less about the health and well-being of each individual dog.

Here are some tips from PAWS you need to know:

Animals in puppy mills are treated like cash crops

• They are confined to squalid, overcrowded cages with minimal shelter from extreme weather and no choice but to sit and sleep in their own excrement.
• Animals suffer from malnutrition or starvation due to inadequate or unsanitary food and water.
• Sick or dying animals receive little or no veterinary care.
• Adult animals are continuously bred until they can no longer produce, then destroyed or discarded.
• Kittens and puppies are taken from their mothers at such an early age; many suffer from serious behavior problems.

Look for these red flags:

• The seller has many types of purebreds or "designer" hybrid breeds being sold at less than six weeks old.
• Breeders who are reluctant to show potential customers the entire premises on which animals are being bred and kept.
• Breeders who don't ask a lot of questions of potential buyers.
• No guarantees-responsible breeders make a commitment to take back the pet at anytime during the animal's life, no matter the reason.

Help stop the suffering by taking these steps:

1. Be a responsible, informed consumer-if you do buy from a breeder, go to a reputable one who: 
• Will show you where the dogs spend their time and introduces you to the puppy's parents.
• Explains the puppy's medical history, including vaccines, and gives you their veterinarian's contact info.
• Doesn't have puppies available year-round, yet may keep a waiting list for interested people.
• Asks about your family's lifestyle, why you want a dog, and your care and training plans for the puppy.
• Doesn't use pressure sales tactics.

For more information check out: http://www.paws.org/puppy-mills.html

If you even think or question a pet ad is a scam or looks suspicious it more then likely is one. Most scammers take images from the internet and give very little information about the dog they are trying to sale. Never give out any personal information no matter how much you may want a specific animal the scammer is trying to advertise it is a ploy to scam you. Simply ignore and report immediately.

Report all suspected puppy flippers and scammers to Craiglist immediately so the ad can be removed. Simply click the suspected as and then click prohibited or spam.

All and all be careful when buying a pet on Craigslist.  There is always that small chance you get tricked into buying a sick puppy or kitten and regret it later when that puppy dies or you end up spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars in veterinary care. All I can say is you are better off adopting a puppy or kitten at a shelter. Not only will you be saving a life but you will be getting a healthy, spayed/neutered and possibly micro-chipped pet. As the saying goes "DON'T SHOP, ADOPT."