First Coast Pet

Archive for January, 2009

Having hamsters can be an enriching part of any homeschooling family’s curriculum.  Hamsters are appealing as pets, plus they are easy to maintain and require very little living space.  They can not only be used as a part of your science curriculum, but can be used for any subject – math, language arts, social studies, etc. Learn more about the history of hamsters.

Before deciding whether or not you want to incorporate hamsters into your curriculum, consider the fact that you will be making a commitment of at least 2 to 3 years.  You cannot simply have them for a few weeks and them turn them loose – chances are they will end up being eaten by a predator or dying of starvation in the wild.  Setting hamsters free is not a humane or generous gesture, and simply giving them to a pet shop might have them end up being dinner for a hungry snake.  Carefully contemplate your choice.

Document your homeschooling activities through writing, photos, etc., and keep this for your records.

Once you have decided to get a hamster, decide on how you will use them.  You can choose to simply have one hamster and use him for observation and entertainment, or you could have more than one and use him and her to study things such as genetics, mating rituals, social order and other subjects.There are countless possibilities.

For language arts, you can use one or more hamsters to inspire fiction or to exercise writing skills in nonfiction topics.  Children can describe the characteristics of the hamster, day-to-day activities, how the hamster came to live in the family, and a host of other topics.Assignments can be given on the observation of any signs of illness.A good activity is keeping a daily or weekly journal.

For math lessons you can calculate food consumption, water usage, and the cost of supplies.  You can also calculate things such as how long a bag of bedding material will last if x is used per day, per week, etc.You can calculate population projections if you breed your hamsters.  Budgeting is another subject you can use, and you can give the children the responsibility of staying within a certain budget each month for your hamster.Children can learn to calculate the amount of profit you get from selling any baby hamsters.

Science is the subject most suited for this type of project.Children can learn about a host of scientific topics including breeding, and animal husbandry.Children can attempt to do selective breeding and create new, desirable traits in their hamsters.A great lesson in vet treatment techniques can be learned if your hamster becomes ill.A good lesson for children to learn (with adult supervision, of course) is how to tame a hamster.

The best lesson for children is learning to be responsible for another living creature.  They learn responsibility, empathy, compassion, respect and patience.Children can also mature in a loving way.

Remeber to stop by our online pet store for all your hamster’s needs.

Growling is normal for a puppy or dog, especially if you are playing tug of war with him. However, it’s also a sign of aggression and can be a sign the dog may attack – so be careful!

You should know if the growling is appropriate or inappropriate. If your puppy or dog is at a meal or has his favorite chew toy and growls when you come near, that isn’t acceptable behavior. It’s the sign of an aggressive dog.

If the growling begins unexpectedly with no obvious trigger, you should take the puppy or dog to the vet to to ascertain if there is a medical reason.

Growling can be a signal that your dog is trying to position himself as the alpha dog or pack leader. So, the next thing you need to make sure of is that you are positioning yourself as the pack leader in your home. This is the foundation of solving many dog behavior problems.

To set yourself as the alpha dog, you should adopt the approach of NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free). This means that before you give your dog anything, he must obey a command. This includes that you must not allow your dog to demand your attention. If you allow him to demand attention, he has exerted dominance over you again. Just ignore him when he demands attention. You choose when to offer him attention. If he presses you even more you must not give in or all is lost.

With NILIF all in the house need to be consistent.

So, for example, you should ask your dog to sit quietly before you lay his food down or before take him out for a walk. Don’t allow your dog to pre-empt you by offering the behavior before you request it.

Make sure that when leaving the house, you walk through the door first. Eat a small biscuit before you set your dog’s meal down, so that he sees you eating first. You are only required to do this for two weeks to position  yourself as the leader of the pack.

All members of your family need to engage in this activity to set them higher in the hierarchy than your puppy or dog.

The leader of the pack makes his bed on higher ground, so do not permit your dog to rest on your bed if you want to be more dominant.

You should do consistent obedience training with your puppy or dog. Each training session should be short and fun. This will help in making your dog better behaved in general.

Read more about how to stop your dog growling and other aggressive dog behavior.

It can be a matter of real happiness if you have a loving pet. Pets are good at making friendship and they can also become as good as a family member. If your children have no experience of pet, however they wish to have one, you may notice that virtual pet adoption can give them adequate knowledge of caring. It can help to your children learn the feeling associated with a real pet.

Unfortunately, kids often yearn for having a pet with little or no idea of what it really takes to take care of one. The responsibility of having an animal in the house is not as easy as it may sound like. Some times the demand of attention might be interfering in your life and also you can feel that it is too demanding. But once a bond has been formed with a pet, it becomes awfully difficult not to take care of it properly; you have no choice but to get on with the responsibilities of owning one as best as you can.

A whole lot like real pets

What makes owning a computer generated pet such a good idea for your kids? Well, as your little ones are taking care of their adopted virtual pet, they learn about what it would be like to take care of a real animal. Just like a real pet, your children will also have to perform a few things to their virtual ones as they take care of them. These artificial companions are replicas of real animals, so they basically seek the same kind of interaction from their owners as real pets.

Getting your kids to pick and look after their virtual furry companion will give them the same satisfaction they get from owning a real pet. They will get to name their chosen pets, feed them when they become hungry, ensure that they have enough water to drink, buy them stuff, play with them, and even take them out. Plus your little ones will also get the positive feedback from their simulated pets if they’re satisfied with how they’re taken care of – just like a real pet.

Picking the best one for the family

Does your child want a golden retriever, a Persian cat, a cockatoo or a python perhaps? There are a great variety of virtual pets your kids may adopt. Some of the available animals children can pet on their computer include cats, dogs, birds, mice, turtles, snakes, monkeys, fishes and many more. But they can also opt for a few unconventional creatures to take care of, like monsters or aliens.

The good thing about getting your kids to adopt a virtual pet before buying an actual one for the family is to test if it’s the animal suited for your household. For instance, if you think that a cat is the perfect companion around the house, you can try looking after one in a simulated manner first.

A pet caring is just like caring a member of the family. It needs a lot of patience and practice, love and devotion and time too. The best way is through virtual pet adoption that can develop and instill a sense of responsibility in your children. Your kids will have a great time looking after them as they get ready to get a real pet of their own.

Have you ever thought about going through the available options for pet adoptions? Pet lovers need not worry about finding the right furry companion for them. They are available everywhere, even on the cyberspace. But you must remember that owning pets entails lots of responsibilities. Here are some notes that can guide you before you decide on becoming a full fledged pet owner.

1. Adopting is less expensive than buying a pet. The cost will depend on the type of adoption center where you will be getting the pets. There are some places, just to give you a sample of how much it would cost, you could get a puppy for $150. If you opt to buy this, the prices usually range from $300 up to $600. Your expenses don’t stop there. You have to pay for the puppy’s vaccinations for its first years which may be about $150 up to $300. Other health tests must also be accomplished to ensure your pet’s health. This will cost you about $50 up to $200.

2. You are confident that you are getting a healthy animal as a pet. When you opt to adopt a puppy, the case is usually like this. The animal shelter will assure you that it already has gone through thorough examinations. And what are these? First, your puppy’s fleas have already been treated. You just have to maintain that in order to keep your companion well groomed. Health examinations for the puppy have already been done by the center and they make sure that before you get the animal, it has passed all tests. This assures you that you are getting a healthy pup.

If it is already suitable, when the animal is on its right age, the center will also provide its needed vaccinations. They also test the pups for parvovirus and some also do some testing for heart worm. Heart worm, distemper and parvo-influenza are considered terminal diseases for dogs. So you have to make sure that your pet have gone through tests for these and passed them all.

And this situation applies to all animals in your chosen shelter. They are all being given attention and proper funding to look out for their health.

3. While you are on the process of adopting a pet, you will get help by the center’s staff in order to provide you the correct animal. Additionally this process is also very essential. This is like helping you find the perfect partner or the additional family member who would be accepted by the family. If you’d like to get a dog, there are many kinds of dogs not only in terms of breed but also with the attitude.

You will find purebred and cross-bred dogs of different sizes and personalities. There are those that are shy and others with extremely high energy. You will be asked by the center if you are the type of person who loves sports and may want to bring the pet on your running sessions. Or are you the type who just wants to stay home after a stressful day and be comforted by the fact that you are no longer alone.

Pet adoptions can be fun as well as challenging. But you have to be responsible for the pet’s well-being after you have left the shelter. So make sure that you have thought about it real hard and you are ready to commit to the idea that you will be answerable to whatever will happen to your chosen pet once you have taken it home.

Did you know that in pet adoptions centers, animals have an expiration date? The staff of animal shelters put animals to sleep after a specified duration of time, if they don’t get adopted. We really can’t blame the shelters for this; it is a legal though upsetting procedure they have to carry out.

There are a few reasons why animals must be put to sleep when no one adopts them:

* One of the most common problems in animal shelters is the lack of space. Abandoned or stray animals are sheltered for a pre determined duration before they are displayed for adoption, or sadly, they are put to sleep forever. This gives the owners of the animals ample time to find and reclaim their furry friends. Remember that during the holding period of an animal, newer ones are continually being brought to the animal shelter.

* Not all of the animals brought to animal shelters are in good health and adoptable condition. Sometimes an animal is brought in that’s unwell and mentally unstable. Should the animal shelter’s staff deem the animal cannot be helped or adopted, it is put to sleep right away.

* In quite a few cases, an animal may have exhibit sign of stress after it has spent considerable time in the shelter. Behaviors such as agitation, anxiety, depression and aggression begin to show up, which is not typical for the animal. In the long run, if the animal does not get adopted, it becomes so mentally unsound that the staff of the animal shelter has to put it to sleep.

The pros of adopting from shelters

The best way to prevent these animals in shelters from being put to sleep is by adopting them. Whether you are planning to own a dog, cat, ferrets or any other animal, you are not only saving their lives but you are also getting a loyal companion for yourself.

What makes adopting an animal from an animal shelter is that you know what you will be taking home with you. Our furry friends in animal shelters have been examined by veterinarians. This means that the animal you’ll be getting is up to date with its shots, and its medical condition is properly looked over. Animal shelters may sometimes charge a fee for adoption, but still it’s a lot cheaper than buying a new one from pet stores, or compared to the service they had provided for the animal.

Taking your time in picking one

Be sure to take your time looking around and choose the healthiest animal you can find in an animal shelter. Look for one with ears and nose that are clean and free of mucous. The eyes should be bright and clear. Carefully inspect its coat and skin; look carefully for signs sores, bald spots or skin diseases. Check also the way of their walking – the animal should not be limping, limping might be an indication of skeletal problem like fracture or an injury.

Adopting an animal from pet adoptions centers means you are willing to bestow time and dedication in taking care of a furry friend. Remember that you will have other expenses besides the adoption charge itself. But all these are a small price to pay for saving the life of an animal and earning a loyal companion for the rest of its natural life.

Many myths are prevalent about adoption process of the pets.  Several myths about pet adoption is that the pet parent will get an animal with behavioural problems or temperament which does not suit the family.  There is also an animal shelter myth saying that animals in shelters are less valuable or intelligent that purebred animals.

To eradicate our fears of these pet adoption myths, we should know the adoption and selection process done by animal rescue groups and shelters.We should be totally participative in the procedure of adoption to ensure the success of the pet adoption.

Rescue groups and shelters ask a lot of questions about the prospective pet parents or adopters.Two reasons are there for this: first, is to ensure that adopter is able to provide permanent home to the new pet and next is to ensure if he is capable of handling the responsibility and financial commitment required to keep a pet.The other reason is to ensure that the adopter and the pet would have a good match. They normally do it interviews or signing application forms. 

A best way to be sure what kind of pet the adopter is interested having, is doing a research on their own.  There are several questions that will help the adopter to determine the pet, like activeness, family composition, type of residence, or love for the outdoors. 

There are several websites that displays different animal characteristics and one the choice had been made, the adopter can inform the shelter or rescuers what animal they have in mind.  Shelter and rescuers can identify what breed of animals you might be interested in.  Also they have a selection of mixed bred pets that can also display the characteristics of an animal or pet you have in mind.

Some of the questions may even be intrusive of the adopter’s personal life, but the rescuers and shelter staff are just trying to make sure that these homeless animals’ interest will be top priority.  Another step that can be done to assist the adopter to be prepared with what to expect in the adoption process is by checking the websites of shelters and rescue groups.

There are also some shelters and rescuers that do a “yard check” before the pets are taken to their new homes.  It is quite necessary since shelters and rescue groups have full grown animals that need a larger size of place to roam and have physical activities.

Some even do veterinary check with the present or former vet clinics.  This is to ensure that current of previous pets were up-to-date with their shots, exams and other medical attention they require.  While there are others who require three character references in their application papers, aside from the veterinary to be really sure. 

After these have been completed with both parties satisfied, an adoption contract is presented as a final step in the process.A contract of adoption includes information like vaccination, required veterinary visits, diet, a required spay/neuter, continuation of medical treatment as per prescription (if applicable) and return clauses if the adopter wishes to return the pet.

To fully adopt the animal, a pet adoption fee is needed to conclude the process. Normally the price ranges from $75 to $200 dollars depending on the size, animal, and vetting costs.  After this, adopters and now-pet-parents get to take home their beloved pets. 

For a lot of people, searching an appropriate website for pet adoption is the only hurdle that prevents them from getting a new pet. They are the type of people who already want to get pets, love pets, want to get ready for caring for a pet if they aren’t already, and are only looking for ways to get access to the pets they want to give homes to.

For those who are not interested in purchasing pets from any pet store, their opportunity for having pets are threefold: through pet shelters, through rescue organizations, and through the different websites.

Volunteers run the rescue organizations with the objective of saving pets from the threats that these poor animals are forced to face when they are left on the road to fend and wander in the cities. These rescue organizations aim to cut down on the near 70% of animals that get killed yearly due to harsh conditions and overpopulation. These rescue organizations help nurse these dogs and cats back to life, and help find suitable homes that will adopt them. Their team of expert volunteers and counsellors offer both compatibility assessment and adoption counselling to help facilitate the entire process.

These rescue organizations, because they prefer to be able to save as many animals as possible, would prefer individuals to return the pets they adopted if, for any reason, they feel it is not the right pet for them. Having conversation with the volunteers at the organization might help in getting the appropriate dog you always wanted. each year these rescue organizations provide home for 21 to 30% or purebreds, making these places attractive and similar to the other places where you search for pets.

Animal shelters give the same type of services to rescue organizations, as they wish to give the animals all the support and care which they require for survival. There are a huge number of animal shelters in existence, so it’s important to check whether the shelter you are approaching is good or bad. Good shelters provide animals with a clean, sanitary environment, and captivity conditions that will not constrict reasonable movement where they are kept. Some animal shelters also recommend that you get a pet that has already been previously sterilized.

This is to avoid instances when individuals want only one pet, and end up having one pet with 5 to 7 offspring. Shelters want to be able to get pets to care for off their hands and into better homes, and giving one for adoption in return for having to accept the 5 or 7 offspring it will be have is not commensurate. Inquire about the mandatory sterilization and if it is suggested for your pet. However, if you intend to grow a pet and its young through generations in the family, inform the shelter that you do not wish the pet sterilized before it is released to you.

The last portal you can make use of is the internet. With the advent of the growing consumer awareness through online information channels, the internet has made it easier to disseminate information and provide access to the same. There are websites online exclusively designed to accommodate those who wish to adopt pets.

The mechanism involve in this whole system is that the portals accept only those listings for pets which are open for adoptions and not any other. This helps keep the message that the facility is only to help make adoptions possible.

This pet adoption portal may prove to be effective especially for those who have very little time in their hands to visit shelters by themselves.

If you are set about owning a pet, it may be better if you will first inquire about the best times to do pet adoption. Inquiries are a must if you want to get what you want and what will fit in to the kind of life that you are leading.

Not because you want a very big dog are you going to be allowed by adoption centers to have one. The centers will do a lifestyle check to find out if what you want is really what you need. The match should be right. If you do not have sufficient time to do rounds of running or to play with your pet every day you might find it difficult to keep an active pup.

Who you are will determine what kind of pet you deserve. Being a pet owner is a big responsibility. The animal shelter will do their best to make sure that the decision will be beneficial for you and your chosen pet.

The Costs
This is one factor that you must be prepared for. Acquiring a pet through adoption is less costly than when you buy them on commercial pet stores. But there are some considerations that you must also be prepared to allot for. This includes, most importantly, is the medical needs of your pets. You should be ready that just like you, they may get sick from time to time. And the sickness may vary from simple to severe. And accidents may also happen when you least expect it so you have to have that extra budget to be able to handle the situation.

Save a Life
If you are still undecided about adopting a pet, here is one great motivation for you. Did you know that every year, more than four million of companion animals are being destroyed in the United States alone? So in your decision to adopt a pet, you are also saving a life in the process.

If you have no idea how to start the process of adoption, you can look for your local center or the one nearest you of the Humane Association of the United States. You can also ask the help of the veterinarians near you and they can point you to the right people. You can inquire too at the pet stores of your nearby areas. But please be sure that before you precede any further with the adoption process that you are ready in all aspects that may require you to be.

Financial is a priority. But aside from that, you must also be ready to open up emotionally. Animals are like humans, they need to feel loved and taken cared for. You must also talk about your decision to the important people of your life who will also be interacting with the pet. This is a serious matter that requires you to be responsible for your every decision.

The Right Time
The best times to do pet adoption, of course, is when you are ready in all aspect mentioned above. However if you intend to go for the best deals, search out the shelters during the springtime and early fall as it will be the best time for adoption. These are the breeding seasons so your choices will be a lot varied.

Meanwhile, if you don’t want to be stuck with minimal choices, do not go during Christmas season. Many people are adopting during this time and so the process is being hurried.

Animal euthanasia is the act of inducing death to an animal.  Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress.  Most of the times, it is called the act of “putting asleep” an animal forever.  Meanwhile organizations like animal rescue groups and animal rights organizations strictly oppose this method.“Pet Euthanasia” can be easily reduced through pet adoption as per animal rights organizations.

There are many reasons for animal euthanasia.  Terminal illness, behavioural problems like aggression can be reasons for euthanasia.  While there are animal owners inducing their animals or pets to euthanasia when they have illnesses or broken limbs that requires big medical and financial attention.

Old age is also a common reason for animal or pet euthanasia.Meanwhile the animal shelters, if faced with space constrains for keeping the abandoned animal take shelter of euthanasia. 

According to Humane Society of the United States, there is an estimated 4 to 5 million of adoptable animals in animal shelters euthanized due to lack of facilities.  While American Humane Association cites even a bigger number, 9.6 million animals in the United States are being euthanized every year. 

According to the survey conducted by the American Humane Association, out of the 1000 shelters who responded to the survey, 2.7 million of 4.3 million animals (64 percent) are being euthanized.  Out of this euthanized number, 56 percent are dogs and 71 percent are cats.There 2 percent of cats and 15 percent of dogs were reunited by its owners.  Just a dismal 25 percent of dogs and 24 percent of cats were adopted. 

Majority of the animals in shelters were being euthanized since there is a standard period of time (ranging from several days to weeks for unclaimed stray animals).  However, there are “no kill” shelters run by private and animal welfare organizations.  These “no kill” shelters make it an official policy never to euthanize animals for medical reasons.  

Another reason why animal euthanasia is creeping to our culture is because of pet overpopulation.  There are numerous pet owners surrendering their pet due to personal reasons and inadequacy in taking responsibility for their pets.There are quite a few people who love to have only puppies, once the puppy grows, they totally neglect it and finally surrender to the rescue groups or to the shelters. 

There are owners who due to failure of spaying or neutering their animals tend to reproduce.  There are thousands of litters being born in American homes every day.  It is important to consider the financial and medical attention and responsibility these huge numbers of pet reproduction.  We do not want to contribute to the raising number of people surrendering their pets for adoption.  Eventually, leading to not being adopted and euthanasia.

Clearly, there is crisis in the pet population of the United States.  Too many animal companions competing for a few good homes than will take them is a clear effect of uncontrolled breeding.

Dog bite victims are now ranging to 4.5 million each year, due to uncontrolled breeding. Some of the victims fall prey to homeless and stray animals in the streets.They cause danger for public, and the government is paying the money collected through tax for the maintenance of animal shelters and controlling these animals. 

Pet adoption is a great way of lessening the impact of the crisis in pet population. Instead of buying pets from puppy mills or companies that breeds animals for profit, adopting an animal is a great way of reducing the number of euthanized animals in shelters.

There are countless benefits of pet adoption.  There are studies conducted saying the adopted pets are more loyal and devoted since they have already experienced the worst.  Pet adoption is a great way of reducing the number of animals in shelters and making way for another one.  Pet adoption battles euthanasia – one pet at a time.

Pet adoption is a great way of getting pets in a much less price.In addition, adoption of pet is a fantastic way of providing homes and taking care to the pets and animals that have been mistreated by its previous owners or left.

Adopting pets from shelters just charge an adoption fee which is very far from the regular prices of animals in pet stores.The range of adoption fee in between $35 to $200 which includes services like deworming, vaccination and spaying (neuter).  There are even shelters that offer follow up veterinary services to ensure that pets remain healthy and able to get the necessary vaccines. 

Animal shelters provide great choices for adoptable pets.  Shelters not only have adult animals, but they also have kittens and puppies that a pet parent can choose from. However there are some myths about animal shelters and why it is not a good place to adopt from.

Many people believe that pets in shelters have behavioural problems. It is important to remember that these animals have bad experiences from their previous owners. They might have experienced neglect and abuse.  Animals in shelters normally exhibit minor behavioural problems.  Some of these pets may be scared while others can be excited.Animals having major problems with respect to behaviour are not displayed for adoption.

Screen test is done by the animal shelters in order to know the temperament of animals living in the shelter.  The shelters try to get as much information they could get from the animals’ previous owners.  Soon-to-be pet parents are happier and at ease to know that their new pet has healthy and friendly temperament. 

Since these animals have been neglected, abused and abandoned, the next parent should display more patience to train them. Also since these pets already know and encountered difficult hardships they display more loyalty and devotion to their new owners. There are some pet parents who have adopted from shelters saying that their pets are more loyal and loving than other pets.

Another shelter myth says that pets from shelters and pounds are mature animals and cannot be trained. Most pets in shelter are older animals but there are also kittens and puppies that is available for adoption. 

Adoptable animals from shelters can be trained like other animals. The important thing during training is to be consistent, patient and understanding.  Animals (regardless if they are in shelter or in homes) respond to good, effective, loving and humane training techniques.

There are shelters that offer the new pet parent the opportunity to participate in obedience training and pet parenting classes.  These sessions serve as a transition period for the pet and the parent to bond together. 

It is commonly believed that pets in animal shelters are inferior to purebred animals.  According to the Humane Society of the United States there is an average of 25 to 30 percent of purebreds in animal shelters. 

Also, mixed bred animals are not inferior to purebred animals.  Animal shelters have pets that are healthier and have better temperaments than purebred.  Interested pet parents just have to talk to the shelter and provide the what kind of behaviour they would like to have in their pets.  Mixed bred pets oftentimes exhibit traits of several breeds.  If a pet parent like to have a purebred because of its temperament, the shelter would likely have a mixed bred that exhibits the qualities of the purebred. 

Going to a shelter for a pet adoption is a great way of helping animals in need in a much affordable and economic way.  Adopting a pet from a shelter is not only a solution for the pet parent’s problem but also a way of saving a life.