| Ten Things All Pet Owners Should Know | | | | 6. Bacteria do not make good pets. |
| | | | A clean environment keeps everyone happy and |
| Following these ten tips will guarantee you a happy, | | | | healthy. Pets are dirty,and need lots of cleaning. On a |
| healthyrelationship with any kind of pet. | | | | weekly basis, brush your dog's teeth,wash out the |
| 1. Your pet needs to go to the vet. Start saving now. | | | | gerbil's water bottle, and scoop out the cat's |
| Every pet needs to be examined by a vet | | | | litterbox! If you don't, you're in for bacterial and |
| occasionally. Illnesses thatare caught early are often | | | | parasitic infections,painful tooth decay, and the smell...! |
| treatable, and regular vet exams are yourbest | | | | 7. Tight security saves lives. |
| weapon. Even the healthiest pet may have an | | | | Keep your pet confined safely. Escape-proof all cages |
| accident, callingfor immediate emergency care. Older | | | | and fences,walk your dog on a leash, and keep your |
| pets may be in pain from age-related deterioration. | | | | cat indoors. The outsideworld is full of speeding cars, |
| Face it, you're going to have to take your petto the | | | | unfamiliar animals, pesticides, andeven pet thieves. |
| vet sooner or later. Be prepared to pay for it! | | | | Just in case, make certain all dogs and cats |
| 2. You're the human, you set the rules. | | | | havesturdy collars with tags, or have been tattooed |
| Don't let your pet boss you around. Decide on the | | | | or micro-chipped. |
| rules, and enforcethem consistently. Don't let your | | | | 8. There are too many homeless animals already. |
| pet get his way if it goes againstthe rules -- he'll just | | | | Lost pets without tags usually end up being put to |
| try that much harder the next time. Animalsmay not | | | | sleep at theshelter when they lose their way home. |
| seem to have long memories, but they sure | | | | Even worse off are the petswho never had homes |
| remember how theygot their own way the last time! | | | | to begin with. There aren't enough good homes forall |
| 3. Animals love a boring routine. | | | | the animals out there, so have your pets spayed or |
| Pets want to know what to expect -- it makes them | | | | neutered, anddo not allow them to breed! In America |
| feel secure. Yourswill be happiest if they are fed at | | | | alone, four million cats anddogs are put down every |
| the same time every day, sleep inthe same spot at | | | | year. That's far too many! If you wantanother pet, |
| night, and can count on you to always come home | | | | consider adoption instead. |
| at acertain time. They'll get by if the routine | | | | 9. When in doubt, look to nature. |
| occasionally changes, butkeeping their day predictable | | | | When confronted with a pet problem, find out how |
| keeps them predictable, and happy. | | | | your pet would havelived in the wild. Need to know |
| 4. Good food and lots of exercise equals a long life. | | | | how warm your frog's tank should be? |
| We all know we should eat healthy foods in | | | | Research his natural habitat and try to copy it. Want |
| moderation and get plentyof exercise. The same | | | | to keep yourdogs from fighting? Read up on pack |
| goes for our pets. Healthy living preventsillness, and | | | | behavior in the wild. Our petsevolved to live in the |
| you won't have to see the vet as often! If a small | | | | wild, and by understanding their naturalenvironment, |
| petis confined to a cage, give it lots of space and | | | | needs, and social behavior, we can help them live |
| things to climb onor explore, to encourage exercise. | | | | withus more comfortably. |
| Reserve treats like dog biscuitsor table scraps for | | | | 10. It all depends on you. |
| very special occasions. | | | | Ultimately, when you accepted this animal as a pet, |
| 5. Everything ends up in their mouths. | | | | you agreed totake care of him. This means feeding, |
| To you it's an electrical cord, but to your dog, it's a | | | | habitat, health, safety... youare responsible for it all. It |
| chew toy. | | | | takes a lot of time and money to carefor a pet |
| Keep in mind that your pets will chew on anything, | | | | properly. However, it is certainly worth it! There are |
| and keep dangerousitems out of reach! Encourage | | | | over |
| them to chew on toys instead byproviding lots of | | | | 100 million households worldwide with at least one |
| them, especially new ones once the old ones | | | | pet, and theycan't all be wrong! Take care of your |
| havelost their appeal. | | | | pets, so you can have a long,enjoyable life together. |