Are You a Responsible Dog Owner?

It may be hard to fathom give how loving and friendly dogs can be but the truth is millions of dogs have to be euthanized each year due owner ignorance or neglect. As a dog owner it is important to make sure you take responsibility for your dog and unsure that it doesn’t become just another statistic.

Bringing home a new dog means making a commitment to take on long term responsibility. Too many new dog owners realize after the fact that the dog comes with a lot of work and effort. Unfortunately this is not usually realized when first contemplating bringing home a dog. It’s important to realize that the novelty of having a dog or puppy will wear off but the time and effort necessary to care for the dog will not.

Here are some basic steps of responsible dog ownership. Most are common sense strategies.

Turn to a local animal shelter or rescue operation to select a puppy or dog. Keep in mind older dogs need caring owners too.

Contact a vet and ask him to run a series of tests on your new dog. This is fairly typical.

Have the dog spayed or neutered as soon as possible. There are far too many dogs who need to be adopted than there are owners available.

Ensure that your dog is protected from fleas, heartworm and ticks. Also make sure you get annual physical examinations and regular vaccinations. If any signs of trouble appear with your dog contact your vet immediately.

Provide food suited to your dog’s age, size and condition. Ensure that it gets enough each day.

Exercise your dog to meet its daily requirement. This varies based on age and breed.

Protect your dog from abuse. In many states animal cruelty is a felony. If anyone in your house purposely mistreats your dog report it immediately.

You’ll should be able to tell the difference between play and aggressive behavior. Contact your veterinarian at any sign of aggressive behavior.

Older dogs are prone to several of the same illnesses that older humans are. Do everything in your power to keep your dog comfortable at the end, but at some point, you may be required to end its suffering. Having been a responsible dog owner for the entire dog’s life, you’ll want to end that life just as responsibly.

The author is an avid dog lover. He runs a blog dedicated to informing other owners about animal related concerns and problems. Just Recently he has added extensive information about food allergies

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