The relationship between a person and a dog can be one of life’s most rewarding experiences!   To give this relationship the best chance of success, choose your pet carefully.

Consider your lifestyle, your home environment and your family needs. Learn as much as you can about the characteristic of different breeds so you you can make the right choice that best fit your life style.

For example...

• Sporting breeds will need more exercise. Therefore, a Coon Hounds or Pointers, they might need to be in a place where they have a fence yard with a place to run and play.
  
• For apartment people a less active breed may be best, for example Grey Hounds, Cocker Spaniels, Basset Hounds.
  
• Coat length should also be consider for grooming purposes, just remember thick coats will require a good deal of grooming to keep them that way.
  
• Allergies are an important factor in choosing a dog, such a breed that don’t shed like Bichon Frises and Poodles.
  Don’t forget the mixed breeds, always make great, loving pets.

We will help you decide what age dog will best suit your family.

Before your new dog arrives you will need to prepare your home for him. Think about his basic needs. Where will he sleep? How will you take him out for exercise? What kind of toys he will like to play with?

Bedding

The first thing that your new dog will need is a comfortable bed in a place of his own. Find a quite, warm close to the family. Dogs need an area where they can sleep undisturbed whenever they are tired. A traveling pen or a crate is also a worthwhile investment for the new member of the family. A crate will make housetraining easier and will stop your puppy getting into trouble.

Accessories

Your dog will need his own set of food and water bowls. Try to find the kind that is designed for his breed.

Collar and leashes

The first type of collar you will need is a plain buckle collar, either a nylon or leather which your dog can wear all the time. An identification tag is at very important and it MUST be worm always and should be inscribed with his name, your name, address and telephone number.

The first few weeks of your new relationship with your dog may require some effort and at times, a lot of patience. However, once your new dog has settled in your home, you will wonder how you ever got by, without having him in your life.

- Be patient: Housetraining your dogs won’t take place overnight and a few accidents around the house are to be expected at first. Don’t punish your new pet-just clean up the mess and vow to supervise him more carefully next time.

- A soft touch: Teach your children to be gentle with their new pet. Dogs can be wonderful playmate for children, but they are not toys.

- Meeting other pets: Introduction to the household’s established pets should be made gradually and under constant supervision. Always give your older animals the most atttention, never allowing them to feel that they are being replaced.

Dogs love to eat and owners love to feed them!

Feeding your dog a nutritious and well-balanced diet in the proper amounts, is one of the most important things you can do to keep him happy and healthy. Dogs need a diet based on protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. A dog must have fresh water at all times to maintain proper levels of body fluids and ensure that body wastes can be eliminated efficiently.

Types of food: Commercial dog foods come in three basic types (dry, semi moist and canned) and three quality levels (generic, popular and premium). They differ in consistency, cost, moisture and ingredients. Always choose a nutritionally balanced food that meets your dog’s needs.

Optimum body weight: Check your dog regularly for weight gain or loss-you should be able to feel the ribs along his sides. Adjust his food intake according to his weight.

Feeding schedule: Younger pups should be fed 3 times a day. Adults or seniors should be feed 2 times a day. Don’t overfeed your dog. The amount of food a dog needs varies according to breed, size and activity.

As a dog owner, providing your dog with plenty of exercise is a key responsibility. Not only will your dog love the activity but it will keep him happy and healthy. Small breed dogs such as the, Pomeranian, can get much of the exercise they need inside an apartment. On the other hand Retrievers might need to be walk a few times a day and they might need a fenced yard to run and play with freedom.

Frisbee fun: Young, active dogs need plenty of exercise to stay in shape. Playing games such as frissbee with your dog will make these sessions more fun for both of you.

Taking the lead: When walking your dogs in public, make sure they are firmly under your control.

A gentle stroll: A daily walk on a leash is enough to keep many breeds of dogs happy and healthy.

Regular grooming not only helps your dog look and smell good, but also keeps his skin and coat in top condition. Make grooming sessions part of your dog’s preventative health program.

Turning over a new leaf: Dogs clean themselves naturally by rolling on the ground.

Brushing: Removes loose dirt from dog’s coat as well as dead hair. Which eventually either be shed or become matted. Brushing also distributes skin oils throughout the coat, keeping it shiny. When you brush your dog, try as much as possible to brush in the direction that the hair grows.

Removing matts: If you encounter a mat in your dog’s coat while grooming, first try to remove it by gently untangling it with your fingers. If you can’t do it with your fingers try to use scissors to cut into the center of the mat.

Nail clipping: Dog’s nails need to be trimmed about every two weeks . Dogs that regularly walk on concrete wear down their nails and need less frequent triming. Use a sharp trimmer and have some flour available to stop bleeding just in case you cut too close to the vain and it bleedes.

Grooming sessions: Your dog’s grooming sessions should always be enjoyable. Start with a gentle massage and plenty of praise. Then do your home health examination to check for any trouble spots. If the dog is restless or nervous, feed him a treat. Clean any discharge form your dog’s eyes with a soft cotton ball moistened in water. If the ears are dirty or if there is any sign of discharge, clean the flap and ear opening with a cotton ball moistened with a little alcohol or mineral oil. Clean your dog’s teeth with a washcloth or toothbrush and canine toothpaste. Use a flea comb to check for fleas and ticks.

"It won't happen to me..."

Like most people, that's what I thought until my dog did something he had never done before...he left home.The gate was unlatached, left open by mistake. Do you realize just how much your pet means to you? I didn't -- until it was too late. Then, I admitted he was part of my family.

Frantic with worry, we did all the thngs we were supposed to do, Calls and visits to animal shelters, ads in the paper, flyers to veterinarians, and LOST DOG-REWARD posters hung everywhere. As we searched the neighborhood, we saw a lot of wandering dogs and cats, without collars,  just like the ones we have seen at the shelter.

I knew we were not the only ones going through this ordeal. Hundreds of LOST PETS flyers have been posted at my hospital. I was frustrated. Frankly, I didn't believe anything could be done. Did you know that a family pet is lost every two seconds? That's millions every year! Shelters do their very best to locate owners, but if your pet has no form of identification there's not much they can do.

Shelters are already overcrowded so lost pets be kept a short period ot time. Meanwhile, owners are frantically spending time and money trying to find them. Does this make any sense? No one wants this to happen. No one wants this to continue! More pets die because their owners didn't identify them than from all all infectious diseases combined.

Imagine being notifed taht your pet is found!

Microchip your pet...A message from a veterinarian