IMPORTANT INFORMATION

ABOUT DOG FOOD

People across the globe are striving to improve their health – through exercise and proper nutrition.   Every day we make informed decisions about the foods we eat.

Companies have recognized this trend and have begun marketing low-fat, low-calorie, or low-carb versions of our favorite foods. But with all of this attention to our own health, we may be forgetting the nutrition of our loyal companion pets.

Sure, pet food companies have created special formulas for overweight, older, or active dogs; but even these blends do not meet the necessary requirements for your pet’s health. In fact, studies have shown that your dog’s food may cause illnesses such as skin allergies, stomach problems, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

For more information see http://www.5stardog.com/dog-food.asp

Dogs in your community need your help! Every day, dogs are left behind in the cold, abused and abandoned. The United States Humane Society estimates that of the 6 to 8 million dogs and cats entering shelters each year, 3 to 4 million of them get euthanized. Yet, there are several hundred thousand puppies that are being bred in puppy mills.

Puppy mills are mass breeding operations that are established strictly for profit. They are often in shockingly poor and inhumane conditions. The dogs are put in cages with hundreds of other dogs that are waiting to be sold for top dollar across the nation. Dogs raised in puppy mills typically leave with any number of health issues.

These unfortunate dogs prey on unwitting customers who are enamored by the resulting cute puppies in pet stores and on fancy websites. If a website has a constant availability of puppies of various breeds, the dogs are probably bred in a puppy mill.

How can you help?

Support your local shelter and rescue groups. If you come across any suspicious breeders or websites, report them to the ASPCA or the National Humane Society. If you do decide to purchase a dog from a  breeder or pet store, do as much research as possible beforehand, and make sure they are reputable dog lovers!

Up for adoption

Animal shelters are a positive place to find an animal to take into your life. Shelters provide a safe and temporary home for many dogs (and cats) of all ages and breeds. The shelter works like a homeless shelter, in the sense that it provides essential needs like food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Although this home is temporary, there are many dogs that remain at the shelter for very long periods of time (and at no-kill shelters, some dogs can remain there for years). The pervasiveness of homeless animals at the shelter is directly linked to many consequential factors. These factors result in some dogs being adopted at a faster rate than others, which pose a problem for animals that remain at the shelter for long periods of time. Furthermore, the adoptability of dogs is based on many factors, including age, breed, health, and temperament.

The most influential factor in the adoptability of sheltered dogs is the animal’s age (Normando, Stefanini, Meers, Adamelli, Coultis, and Bono, 2006). According to Normando et al. (2006), younger dogs are consistently adopted faster then older dogs regardless of the puppy’s behavior or other temperament issues. This illustrates that puppies are a popular choice for customers interested in adopting, and causes undeniable consequences that still needs further investigation (Patronek, Glickman and Moyer, 1995) (Scarlett, Salman, New, and Kass, 1999) (Normando, Stefanini, Meers, Adamelli, Coultis, and Bono, 2006).

Other important characteristics that contribute to adoption are the demographics of potential adopters. In one study, researchers concluded that adopters were typically highly educated (according to national average), owned their own home, and were primarily female, between the ages of 26- to 55-years old (Marston, Bennett, and Coleman, 2005). In addition, approximately 82 percent of adopters had dogs as children and 85 percent were previous dog owners as adults (Marston, Bennett, and Coleman, 2005). According to Normando et al. (2006), the majority of customers adopting dogs were women; however, gender did not play a crucial role on the success of adoptions. In these aforementioned studies, these demographic factors contributed to the rate of dog adoptions and the likeliness of these adoptions to occur.

Adopters with children are another vital factor that may lead to dog adoptions. In Marston et al. (2005), the majority of adopters had children between infancy to 18 years old. The frequency of parents to adopt may be because of the powerful effect animals – - specifically dogs – - have on children. Current studies indicate that dogs teach children empathy, compassion, responsibility and emotional support (Tissen, Hergovich and Spiel, 2007) (Daly and Morton, 2006) (Kotrschal and Ortbauer, 2003).

The positive influence of dogs on children also results in affecting children’s social behavior, conduct, self-esteem, and ability to socialize (Tissen, Hergovich, and Spiel, 2007) (Daly and Morton, 2006) (Kotrschal and Ortbauer, 2003). According to Kotrschal et al. (2003), they suggest that children that grow up with dogs develop more competent social skills as adults. These studies indicate that children usually respond well to dogs and benefit from their company in amazing ways.  In sum, parents might adopt more frequently then non-parents due to the powerful benefits that dogs can provide the development of their children.

“Millions of ‘consumers’ initially decide to adopt a dog, only to later abandon that animal because it is inconvenient or no longer suits their needs” (Frank 2004: 108).

Finally, there are many factors that influence the adoption of dogs. According to the researchers outlined in this post, it is clear that the problem has many underlying layers. However, many people seem to disagree with these allegations and do not seem to know that dog adoption is highly important. Do you think that these people are unaware of the problem or are just disinterested in it? What do you think? Do you agree with the factors that influence dog adoptions?

Each year in the United States, millions of dogs are killed due to the overpopulation crisis of companion animals (www.petpopulation.org). According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, approximately six to eight million dogs (and cats) enter animal shelters, and about three-and-half million dogs (and cats) are euthanatized each year (www.petpopulation.org). These figures illustrate a heartbreaking reality for millions of companion animals nationwide. Perhaps this information may assist in a better understanding about what factors may cause pet-overpopulation and why adoption should be mandatory.

Animals as a Social Problem. A social problem is defined as a “condition that (1) is widely regarded as undesirable or a source of difficulties; (2) is caused by the actions or inactions of people or of society; [and] (3) affects or is thought to affect a large number of people” (Farley, 1987:2). Pet-overpopulation is a serious and overwhelming social problem, which has created many difficulties in the animal shelter community. The results to this problem depict a sad and disheartening fate for many homeless animals. The social problem of unwanted pets is associated with our morals as a human society (Arluke and Sanders, 1993; Hines, 2003).

According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, for every person that is born each day, there are 15 puppies (and 45 kittens) that are born in the United States. The remaining animals are abandoned to the streets or end up in an animal shelter (www.petpopulation.org). Each day 10,000 humans are born in the United States and 70,000 puppies (and kittens) are born. In order to keep up with the current flood of puppies (and kittens), every person would have to own two dogs and six cats during their entire lifetime, (assuming people live for 75 years and dogs and cats for 10). A household of 5 would have to harbor 10 dogs and 30 cats! In addition, only one in five puppies (and kittens) remain in his or her original home for his/her entire lifetime. As long as these birthrates continue to exist, there will never be enough homes for all of the animals (www.spayusa.org).

These statistics represent the intensity of this crisis and proposes that pet-overpopulation is a national disaster which seems to be only getting worse. If animals were to exceed the human population, the possibilities and consequences would be tremendous. Given the prevalence of this social problem and our affinity for companion animals, the ramifications could become too great to control if this problem is not ameliorated (Patronek, Glickman and Moyer 1995). As the birthrate continues to rise there could be a more serious problem at hand pertaining to pet-overpopulation. Finally, the overwhelming amount of animals will be euthanatized at a staggering rate and pet-overpopulation could become too great to control if this crisis is not rectified soon.

How can you help?

• Adopt a dog only from your local Humane Society, SPCA  or animal shelter.
• Consider animal rescue (available locally and/or breed specific rescues).
• Never buy or purchase a dog for any reason.

Important questions to ask your animal shelter and/or animal rescue:

• Where do the dogs come from? Are they surrenders, strays?
• Are the animals well cared for?

Important questions to ask yourself while thinking about adopting a new friend:

• Do we have the time to properly care for a dog?
  • Remember dogs need plenty of exercise and socialization.
• Do we have the financial means to pay for requirements for dogs?
  • Vet bills, vaccinations, food, pet fee (for some residences).
• Are we moving or are changing our living situation in the near future?
  • Moving to a new house, out of state, or even out of the country is never a good excuse to surrender your animal. Please keep in mind that if you are moving in the near future, perhaps you want to wait till after you move to adopt a dog.
• Do you travel a lot?
  • If you travel a lot and will be unable to spend adequate time to care for your dog, maybe now isn’t the best time to adopt a new friend. It is never healthy for a dog to live in a unstable living condition. Dogs depend on consistency and routine and by traveling a lot and not being available for your dog is not healthy for your new friend.
• Are you will to put the time into training your new friend?
  • All dogs must have manners. This is executed by proper training and socialization repeatedly through the dogs life. Potential pet parents must include a plan to train the dog so he/she is able to have manners in many situations. Whether you train your dog yourself or get your dog professionally trained, either way it is something to think about before you adopt a new companion.
• Cuteness is not a characterisitic to look for when searching for a canine companion. Breed, temperment, age and size should be the deciding factor when looking for a dog.
  • Puppies need a LOT of work and a LOT of training. Are you willing to invest your money, time and belongings that your puppy will inevitably chew, for a puppy?
  • Adult dogs are easier to maintain and may not require as much supervision as a puppy. Consider an adult dog for a variety reasons: You know how big the dog will be, you know the dog’s temperament, you may have to train the dog less, and so on.
  • When looking for the right temperament, consider your lifestyle and what you are able to handle. If you choose to adopt an active dog, you must conform to his/her needs, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle. However, a new pooch is a wonderful way to start a new exercise routine, shed the pounds, and get in shape!

In Moscow, stray dogs commute to and from a city center on underground trains in search of food scraps. The clever canines board the Tube each morning. After a hard day of scavenging and begging on the streets, they hop back on the train and return to the suburbs where they spend the night.

Experts who are studying the dogs say they even work together to make sure they get off at the right stop after learning to judge the length of time they need to spend on the train. The dogs choose the quietest carriages at the front and back of the train.

Scientists believe the phenomenon began after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, and Russia’s new capitalists moved industrial complexes from the city centre to the suburbs. Dr. Andrei Poiarkov, of the Moscow Ecology and Evolution Institute, said “These complexes were used by homeless dogs as shelters, so the dogs had to move together with their houses.”

Because the best scavenging for food is in the city center, the dogs had to learn how to travel on the subway to get to it in the morning, and then back home in the evening, just like people.

Dr. Poiarkov told how the dogs like to play during their daily commute. He added that they “jump on the train only seconds before the doors shut, risking their tails getting jammed. They do it for fun. And sometimes they fall asleep and get off at the wrong stop.”

The dogs have learned to use traffic lights to cross the road safely, said Dr. Poiarkov. And they use cunning tactics to obtain tasty morsels of food. They sneak up behind people eating snacks, and then bark loudly to shock them into dropping their food.

With children, the dogs play cute by putting their heads on youngsters’ knees, and then stare pleadingly into their eyes to win their sympathy and scraps. Dr. Poiarkov added, “Dogs are surprisingly good psychologists.”