Pets

Here are a few very important facts about bunnies and children.

Rabbits can be a wonderful pet for your child and add value to his or her life, but only under the following circumstances:

* You are prepared to take the time and have the patience to teach your child how to properly treat and care for a bunny.

* You are willing to educate yourself and your child on the delights of having a house rabbit, so you can give your bunny the best life possible.

* You are willing to take care of the bunny if your child tires of her (or when your child goes away to college).

* You, as a parent, are willing to assume the responsibility of rabbit caregiver. (Of course you will assign some responsibilities to your child, and this will be a valuable growth experience, but don’t fall into the trap of expecting your child to be able to regularly provide for the bunny’s needs. It’s great if they can but most don’t!).

* You and the other adults in your household are excited to invite a bunny into your lives.

* You know that while bunnies are very lovable and kissable pets, contrary to popular belief, except for a special few, most bunnies don’t like to be picked up or held. (This is because they are prey animals)

I’ve seen a lot of wonderful things happen in families with bunnies when the parents are prepared as above - and I’ve also seen a lot of dissappointments too.

So please take the time to consider your decision.

One of the most difficult things the owner of a Labrador Retriever must do is chose the right veterinarian. With a little work upfront, you will be able to find a veterinarian that you will be comfortable with, and one that will be able to serve all of your Labradors long term needs.

One of the best ways to find a good veterinarian is to start by asking your family members and friends whom themselves own pets. Neighbors, groomers, and your fellow co-workers are other good sources. You can also search your local yellow pages under dog hospitals, veterinarians, and animal clinics. An excellent online source is located at www.pets911.com (punch in your zip code and it will locate veterinarians in your area).

Now that you have a potential list of vets, your selection process can begin.

Give each veterinarian a call and explain that you are looking for a new veterinarian for your Labrador Retriever, and you would like to meet with them to ask a few questions and to see their facility.

Typical questions and what to look for:

Fee and Services – some veterinarians are higher priced then others. Don’t be hesitant to ask about prices.

 What methods of payment do they take?

 Do they accept a pet insurance plan?

 Is full payment expected on the day of visit?

 Are there discounts for multi-pet households?

 What is the range of services that the veterinarian provides (x-rays, blood test, heartworm test, etc)?

Office Hours

 What are regular office hours?

 Who will take over if the veterinarian is on vacation or out sick?

Emergency Care for your Labrador

 What should I do if the veterinarian is closed and my Labrador Retriever gets hurt or is sick?

 In case of an accident that requires an overnight stay, will someone be with my Labrador Retriever non-stop?

Observe the Staff

Observe the interaction with the veterinarian and with the other staff. Are they courteous and caring?

Facility

 Is the facility clean and well kept?

 How many veterinarians are in the practice?

 Are appointments required?

 Are the animals in separate cages?

The last thing you might want to do is to check with the Veterinarian Medical Board to check if any complaints have been filed against the practice.

Once you have finished making your visits with the veterinarians on your list, you should have a clear picture on what veterinarian you would like to use. If for some reason your first choice doesn’t work out, you can always switch veterinarians to your next choice on your list.

By utilizing the above guidelines, you will be able to match the right veterinarian to what you are looking for, and to serving all of your Labrador Retrievers needs.

The golden retriever is perhaps the most popular family dog and rightly so as its gentle temperament makes it a great companion for families with children. originating from Britain this breed is an excellent tracker and has been used as a hunting dog and also to help sniff out narcotics. They are very intelligent and eager to please as well as fast learners which makes them great candidates for guide and therapy dogs.

A member of the American kennel club sporting group, the golden retriever was first registered at the AKC in 1925. By breed standards they should be between 20 and 24 inches in height and weigh between 55 and 80 pounds. If cared for properly, the golden retriever can live for 12 years or more.

The golden retriever has a beautiful golden coat and has a well proportioned and sturdy build. the medium length code is feathered with a dense undercoat and water repellent outer coat. They have a broad head with powerful muscle black nose and brown dark rimmed eyes. They have medium pendant shaped ears in the long tail that is carried straight, not curled. Golden retrievers callers can range from cream to a deep gold.

Well known for their gentle manner and intelligence, the golden retriever is easily trainable and a good dog if you have other pets and children. They are eager to please, loyal and confident but are extremely active and will need to get their exercise. While they are easy to train, they can be quite boisterous and are easily distracted so you want to exhibit patience during the training process. Your golden retriever should be an active member of your family as he can become mischievous if left alone for long periods of time.

This breed can be prone to eye defects as well as hip dysplasia and should also be checked for heart problems and Von Willebrand’s disease. Some can be prone to skin allergies, and you should keep an eye out for this as you’ll need to treated it immediately.

While the golden retriever does need plenty of exercise he can live happily in apartment as long as you are sure to take them for walks and let him play. Of course, they love to retrieve so having him retrieve balls or sticks or even a frisbee is ideal. They can put on weight easily so you want to be sure to watch what you feed them and make sure they do get enough exercise as being overweight can be unhealthy for any dog.

When grooming your golden retriever mixture to pay attention to the dense undercoat and brush in good with a firm bristled brush. Only bathe when absolutely necessary, but if you want to you can dry shampoo them as often as you want. This dog is an average shutter.

I have wondered just who are the ancestors of the shih tzu. Like all other dog breeds, shih tzu ancestors most likely come from five choices: Grey Wolf, Golden Jackal, Coyote, African Wild Dog. It is hard to imagine our little shih tzu baby dolls has any of these wild characters in their background. According to researchers, all canines have their roots in one of these five categories. I don’t think I could ever be in love with a real live wolf or a coyote. A coyote makes those strange sounding “howls.” I have some shih tzu that have a howl sound rather than a bark.

Out of the five groups, wolves and dogs share 71 of 90 charted behavioral patterns, more than any other two canid species. My thinking is then probably most breeds as we know them today have the wolf as its ancestor. The fact that the shih tzu has ancestors in the wolf family, however, does not thrill me in the least. I cannot imagine sharing my bed with a real live wolf. The shih tzu faces are so sweet and innocent. A lot of my shih tzu look like chinese men and women in the face. They do not seem like even “dogs” to me.

The Egyptians had a real talent for taming animals and kept a variety of pets. They probably receive the most credit for the domestication of the cat, but there were dogs in the Egyptians’ homes as well. We can imagine this because of the many canines that prance across egyptian tomb paintings. Some of those canines have been identified as greyhounds, salukis, pharoah hounds and Ibizan hounds. I have to admit the only one in this group I recognize is the “greyhound.” Our shih tzu was not in this group at all it seems. However, less frequently, were paintings of small, short-legged dogs, (not our shih tzu) in domestic settings. They could have been the watchdogs for the Egyptians or just simply pets.

The Romans were crazy about dogs and seemed to realize they could choose dogs to mate based on appearance or behavior and develop specific abilities. They had guard dogs and dogs who fought in battles. They had a variety of house dogs including one that most likely was of the Maltese type.

The Chinese emperors were quite fond of pets. Their puppies had human nurses and their adult dogs had human servants. The Pekingese exists as a breed at least from the period of A.D. 700. They were developed to resemble the spirit lion to ward off evil and bring good luck. The chin were sometimes called “sleeve dogs.” There are ancient imperial dog cemeteries scattered about Beijing in China. Pekingese dogs were very often entombed with their emperors. The thing that really amazes me is how the faces of some our shih tzu look like the faces of chinese men and women. How did the Chinese accomplish that?

During the 14th Century the Chinese began to recognize the dog’s many functions such as being able to lead the blind.

Henry III of France was noted to have kept at least 2,000 lap dogs, who lived in luxury. Louis XIV spent 200,000 gold francs for the construction of the royal kennels at Versailles where he kenneled hunting hounds, truffle terriers and toy poodles. Tsuanayoshi of Japan nearly plunged Japan into bankruptcy to feed his 100,000 dogs. Connie Limon (writer of this article) built her shih tzu a cabin costing around $10,000 and she may be plunged into bankruptcy to feed her dogs……and the list just goes on and on and on. What people will do “for the love of dogs” is estounding. It is a bond that sometimes transcends the bond even between humans.

Although the history of the Yorkshire Terrier is sketchy, there is a great deal known about the origins of this exceptional, vibrant breed. The Yorkshire Terrier, or Yorkie for short, finds it humble beginnings in Northern England, in the counties of Yorkshire, Manchester and Leeds, during the years prior to 1750.

During this time, the onset of the Industrial Revolution gave rise to small communities located around coal mines, textile mills and factories. The people of these areas originally made their living from the land and experienced great upheaval during the time of the Industrial Revolution. Many had to learn new ways of life to continue to support their families. These persevering families, many from as far away as Scotland, were drawn to the small fledgling communities to begin a new life.

Along with this hardy group of migrants came equally hardy pets and companions. During the 19th century, Scottish weavers began to arrive and brought with them the sturdy Scottish Terrier. Far from being a simple bloodline the Scottish Terrier has been attributed to creating several different types of Terriers including the Yorkshire Terrier.

Part of the Scottish Terrier bloodlines later became the breeds today known as the Skye, Scottish Terrier, West Highland White Terrier and the last of the named from their separation, the Cairn Terrier.

The Scottish Terrier was also known to be on Argyle or the Isle of Skye. It was of a bluish color and was also known as a broken or smooth haired Scots depending on the length of coat it had.

There is every possibility that they were forerunners to the modern day Skye Terrier. Other breeds that have ancestral claim to the Yorkie are the Paisley and Clydesdale Terriers and the Broken-Haired Scotch Terrier.

All of these Scottish breeds, along with some English ones, were working dogs, used to keep the vermin under control in the coal mines and mills.

In an effort to produce canines with exceptional skill at catching mice and rats, the common men of the day would breed only smallest, quickest and best ratters of the bunch. These men were not out to produce a purebred, sophisticated breed of dog; instead they desired the best dogs to keep the mice away. This is the reason why no records were kept as to what breeds were mixed to create the Yorkshire Terrier.

The best guess is that miners in Yorkshire County bred the Black and Tan English Terrier with the many breeds of the Scottish Terriers. It is even believed that Maltese may be thrown in there somewhere. The resulting Terriers were then probably crossed with yet again other types of terriers such as the Welsh Terrier.

In the late 1800s, the first written recordings about the ancestors of the modern-day Yorkshire Terrier began to appear. Most of these were written by wealthy educated men who had traveled to Yorkshire County and witnessed the intelligent, spunky dogs chasing down their prey.

Rawdon B. Lee, speaking of Yorkshire Terrier in “Modern Dogs says: “How the name of Scotch Terrier became attached to dog which so thoroughly had its home in Yorkshire and Lancashire is somewhat difficult to determine, if it can be determined at all, but a very old breeder of the variety told me that the first of them came from Scotland, where they had been accidentally produced from a cross between the silk-coated Skye (the Clydesdale) and the black and tan Terrier. One could scarcely expect that a pretty dog, partaking in a degree of both its parents, could be produced from a smooth-coated dog, a long-coated bitch or vice-versa.

Maybe, two or three animals so bred had been brought by some of the Paisley weavers in Yorkshire and there, suitably admired, pains were taken to perpetuate the strain.”

Then, at the turn of the century, Mr. James Watson claimed in the “Dog Book,” that the pedigreed origins of the Yorkshire Terrier could be traced back 60 years. Before that time, there were two Class Registrations for Toy Terriers, Rough and Broken Haired. In 1866 Broken Haired Scotch Terriers were registered as not exceeding 5 pounds. These were later registered as Yorkshire Terriers in 1874.

Since the official recognition of the Yorkshire breed, there have been many famous, well-loved Yorkies. And today, this breed is gaining newfound attention as more and more people are turning to this lovable breed for companionship.

Everybody knows that a new puppy brought into the home is going to be as inquisitive and nosy as your mother-in-law, and it is this character trait that we can take full advantage of when introducing him/her to their crate for the first time. Remember, we ourselves are similar in this retrospect to our four-legged companions. Let me explain: If I walk down a street and pass a bakery, and if that bakery is omitting the smell of home made bread, you better believe that I will go in there to investigate the free sample rack! Now when training your dog to “crate” you can use the same philosophy.

Make it worth your pup’s while to go in there, at least for the first few times until he associates you putting him/her in it with a good outcome. Treats or toys, placed inside the crate but hidden from the dog’s view will serve you best. What you should also be doing is word associating every time your pup goes to enter his crate. Once in the crate, praise, then leave alone. The crate time is your dog’s quiet time so as little fussing over him/her once in the crate the better. What you will find is that once your dog is familiarized with the crate he/she will look to go in there anytime he feels like being apart from you. Sleeping or just lying down are good examples of this. You must understand that the crate is your dog’s and your dog will come to know this, and know that it is the one spot of solitude that he/she has that is totally their own.

Start your dog off with small increments of time in the crate. Being a new puppy, your dog will not like being left in there for long periods of time especially when he/she can see things happening around him. In instances where you dog starts incessant crate barking, you can either:

- Ignore the behavior until it stops

- Create an uncomfortable stimuli for the dog in order for the barking to stop. (example, - wrapping on the crate while uttering a firm “knock it off” or whatever term you choose) By doing this you are also beginning to teach your dog that you are the leader, and whatever term you do end up using, you can start using for any unruly behavior to come to an end.

- Do not let your dog out of the crate just to stop him/her barking. If done, your pup will associate very quickly the act of freedom upon being disruptive. This is a really bad habit to get into.

Keep these points in mind if you do decide to purchase a new puppy, as they will serve you quite well. Having a crate for your dog is a great idea and should be one that all new dog owners invest in. Look at it this way? We as humans need to have timeouts now and again. Dogs have needs to.

You’ve decided to bring a new puppy into your life. Congratulations! You’d probably like to adopt a shelter dog, but you have your heart set on a particular breed or one of the new “designer” breed mixes. You’ve done your research and decided on the right breed for you, but you’ve heard so many horror stories about sickly and genetically defective purebred pups.Nowhere is “buyer beware” more important than when selecting a new puppy. To help keep you from looking for love in all the wrong places, here are ten steps to success:1) Check out shelter purebreds first. 25% of shelter dogs are purebreds that have been checked for temperament and common defects. Search on-line (by age, breed, sex and location) at www.1-800-save-a-pet.com or www.Petfinder.com.2) Be patient! Breeders who always have pups may run mass breeding operations called puppy mills. These pups are often defective, poorly socialized and sick. The best breeders breed their dogs only once or twice a year.3) Beware of bargains. Today’s bargain is tomorrow’s huge vet bill. Steer clear of dogs from pet stores, flea markets, street corners and Internet stores. Good breeders care more about your suitability as a “parent” than your ability to pay.4) Meet The Parents! Meet the dog’s parents and get clues to the pup’s eventual size and temperament. Look for dogs raised indoors as family members.5) Avoid backyard breeders. People “dabbling” in breeding have no idea what genetic problems they are passing along. Look for breeders who’ve studied the breed and are active in breed clubs. And always check references.6) The terms “USDA inspected” and “kennel club papers” mean little. The USDA merely establishes minimum-care standards, and papers are no guarantee of quality, health or even lineage.7) If possible, buy locally. Selecting a pup from a photo, even when accompanied by a health “guarantee,” is asking for trouble. Also, shipping dogs like cargo can cause permanent psychological damage and even risk the dog’s life Buy the happy, friendly pup, not the cute shy one. Temperament is everything, and is often indicative of health.9) Beware “designer” mixed-breeds. Mixed breeds can benefit from “hybrid vigor” because common defects aren’t passed along from both parents. Unfortunately, unethical breeders now sell popular mixes. Remember: two sick parents don’t make a well pup. Be as careful when buying as you would when selecting a purebred.10) Have your pup checked! You must have your dog vet checked before finalizing the purchase. No exceptions! Make sure the vet represents you, not the breeder. Research the breed and have the pup tested for common breed detects.Save money and heartache by using your brain — and not your just your heart — to select a dog. You’re making a commitment that could last decades and cost thousands of dollars. Remember: your dog’s very life–and your happiness–depend upon your making a good choice. Select wisely and enjoy one of the best experiences of your life.