PETS: 101 Don’t make it 911
- Keeping your pet’s food dishes and water bowls clean. You surely wouldn’t leave your plate out all night and reuse it in the morning and again that night.
- Make sure you always keep a collar on your dog.
- Make sure your yard is fenced and secure. A missing pet is never a good day.
- Always walk your dog on a leash. Just proper etiquette and courtesy for others in the area.
- Make sure their sleeping areas are clean and comfortable.
- Always make sure you pets have water. Dogs can dehydrate quickly if they are panting due to stress or heat. Be prepared and always keep water in your car and always carry water with you on hikes and play dates for your dog.
- Never leave your pet in a hot car… Period no exceptions. A cars temperature can rise quickly. Even on a cloudy day.
What You Need to Know Before Bringing Home a New Pet
By: Dr. Karen Becker
In this video Dr. Karen Becker discusses the importance of planning for a new furry addition to the family and gives loads of great advice on how to successfully integrate a new dog or cat into your home and life.
Today I want to talk about the incredibly important topic of how to successfully add a new pet to your family.
This is a very exciting time for most families (and their new pets), but it can also be a very stressful time for lots of different reasons. For example, some new pet owners underestimate how much time it might take to introduce the new arrival to other animals in the home.
Often, a new pet is much needier than family members expected. And then there’s lack of planning for the stress itself, whether it’s temporary or permanent.
As I often say, preparation is priceless. Pre-planning for your new arrival can go a long way toward reducing stress not only on your pet, but also on the two-legged members of your family.
Pet Proofing Your Home
This is something you should do before bringing your new dog or cat home with you. You might not think of everything you need to do right off the bat, but at a minimum, you should move cords out of reach, and plants if your new addition is a kitty.
If you have children, you can involve them by having them get down on the floor to take a puppy or kitten-eye view of all the temptations your new pet might want to investigate. Pick up anything that has dropped on the floor like rubber bands or paper clips.
I tell clients at my practice that the best incentive for keeping a neat, clean house is a puppy or kitten, because if it’s been lost or left behind, they will find it. Kitties will disappear behind your entertainment center or under your bed, and reappear with stuff you’ve either long forgotten or never knew was there in the first place.
Pet-proofing your home before your new puppy, kitten, dog or cat arrives is the best way to prevent a choking, vomiting, diarrhea or other crisis during those important first few weeks of new pet ownership.
Making Important Decisions
Another thing you should plan for ahead of time are decisions such as:
- Where will your new pet eat her meals?
- Where will his bowl of fresh water be kept?
- Where will he sleep – in your bedroom? Will he sleep with you or in his own bed?
- Where will you place the litter box, or in the case of a dog, where is the designated outside potty spot?
- Where will you put kitty’s scratching post?
- If you plan to crate train, where will you keep it?
If you’re bringing a new puppy home, I urge you to purchase a crate. Many of you may have already watched my videos on crate training and know I consider it a very important part of keeping your precious pup safe when you’re not at home or can’t keep a constant eye on him.
People who are uncomfortable with crates say things like, “I’m uncomfortable putting my dog in a box while I’m gone.” If that’s your feeling, you should know that dogs, by nature, are den animals. They crave being in a small, safe, dark spot.
I strongly recommend you have the crate ready when your puppy comes home. If she’s allowed to sleep in your bed with you for several days and then you move her to a crate, you’re apt to run into resistance.
Your pup has already learned her nighttime sleeping spot is your bed. Moving her to the crate may cause an exaggerated response – whining or crying, typically — over and above what you could have expected had you crated her on her first night with you. So I recommend you purchase the crate before the puppy comes home, and put it to use her first day home. READ MORE
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