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Problem pets for young kids

By on January 6, 2010 in Pet Selection, Wildlife

girl with turtle

Dogs and cats make great pets for kids, but if you are looking for something different, you might find this helpful: The Good, the Bad and the Scaly: Choosing Small Pets for Kids, an article by Petra Spiess in Parenthood.com. Spiess explains why some small animals are totally inappropriate for kids (and maybe even most adults) and suggests safer alternatives. She advises that in addition to being easy to care for, the best pets for kids are ones that are amenable to being handled. Not all pets like being handled – and some are not safe for kids to handle.

For example, did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns against keeping reptiles in households with children under 5, pregnant women or people with compromised immune systems due to salmonella? That cute little box turtle in the photo may look small, cute, and innocuous, but handling small turtles may expose kids to infection. (See the FDA’s pamphlet Turtles may look cute but they can make you very sick!) Plus, box turtles – the ones most often seen in pet stores – have a lifespan of up to 100 years. Are you ready for that kind of commitment?

Other pets that Spiess says can pose problems for kids:

  • Iguanas don’t like being handled. They grow quickly and can morph into a 6 foot long aggressive adult.
  • Rabbits can be destructive chewers and they can be skittish of noises and sudden handling.
  • Hamsters and gerbils are nocturnal and famous for being “escape artists.” Because they are so tiny, it’s difficult for young kids to handle them gently enough.

Before you buy a pet for children, do the research to ensure you aren’t opening the door to problems for your family and for the animals themselves.

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Role reversal: dogs adopting people

By on November 13, 2009 in Cute!, Dogs, Friday Fun, Pet Selection, Pet Videos

This totally cute and hilarious video turns the tables on the issue of adoption. Members of the band You Scream I Scream teamed up with Petfinder member shelter the MSPCA Adoption Center — Nantucket in Nantucket, MA to raise awareness about pet adoption.

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Shelter animals make great pets!

By on October 9, 2009 in Pet Selection, Pet Videos

Some people have misconceptions about the animals found at shelters – they think that the animals wound up in shelters because they have some kind of problem. Not true, says the the Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund and the nonprofit Ad Council – and they’ve launched a cute ad campaign to help dispel those myths and promote the idea that shelter animals make great pets. They’ve also launched a Shelter Pet Project website with talking dogs and cats who make the case for adoption. The site allows you to search for adoptable cats or dogs through Petfinder.

See the ads:

Thanks to L.A. Unleashed, the L.A. Times great pet blog, for the pointer.

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Parents – Resist the “G-Force” – just say no to guinea pig pets

By on July 22, 2009 in Misc., Pet Selection

Some call it the “101 Dalmatian Syndrome” – every time a popular movie features cute, funny, or cuddly animals, there is a public stampede to acquire those animals. But impulse pet buys inevitably lead to problems – many who make a spur-of-the-minute animal purchase later have a change of heart when they learn the realities of pet care and the pets end up abandoned or delivered to shelters.

With the Disney film G-Force featuring a squad of “specially trained” animated talking spy guinea pigs, animal rescue groups everywhere are braced for problems. Experts issue a plea to parents: be ready for and just say no to guinea pigs when the inevitable pleas from kids ensue. Not only are the animals too fragile for young children, they aren’t anything like they are portrayed in the film:

“In “G-Force,” … Agents Juarez, Darwin and Blaster drive cars, parachute, use blowtorches, swim, talk, walk on two legs, live in tanks with mice and rats and use hamster balls, Lyn Zantow, a volunteer for the Orange County group, warns on her Web site.

In real life, guinea pigs are noisy, eat and poop all the time, require big and clean cages, don’t swim and can be expensive to care for if they get sick, she said, adding that they should be kept out of the hands of young children.”

About 800,000 homes have guinea pigs as pets. Despite some of the drawbacks delineated above, they can be charming and personable pets for adults and older children – but they aren’t for everyone. They live for 5 to 7 years, so it is a long-term pet commitment. Making an impulsive purchase based on a cute factor triggered by a Hollywood movie isn’t a good basis for bringing a pet into your home. Experts suggest that a toy guinea pig is a better solution for young kids.

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Choosing the Right Dog for You

By on February 3, 2009 in Dogs, People & Pets, Pet Selection
By: Steve Phillips, Master Trainer

Choosing the correct dog for your personal circumstances can make the difference between a happy well-adjusted relationship and total disaster.  You should do your homework BEFORE going to look at prospective additions to your household.  Let’s look at some of the considerations that need investigating before making a final decision.

First, are you interested in a puppy or an adult dog?  While having a puppy can be a good way to teach responsibility and respect to your children, it can also turn out to be much more work than you might have anticipated.  If you are going to choose a puppy, remember what is involved with raising it to adulthood.  You have to have the time and desire to properly socialize your new puppy.  This socialization process must start the day you bring your new puppy home.  It involves taking the puppy to new and unfamiliar surroundings and introducing the puppy to humans and other dogs in a well-structured way.  It also involves bringing people into your home to introduce the puppy to unfamiliar people there as well.  Proper socialization is the key to raising the puppy into a well-adjusted adult dog.  Once the critical early socialization period (three to sixteen weeks) is missed, you may risk the chance that your adult dog may never be as well adjusted as it might have been if it was properly socialized.  This all takes time and patience.  If you adopt an adult dog, you are taking the chance that it was not properly socialized, as normally the truth about its upbringing may never be known to you.  In the adult dog, it is important to assess its personality and temperament to make sure you are not inheriting a problem.

What about housebreaking?  The puppy should normally be taken from its mother at seven or eight weeks old.  It will not be capable of being totally housebroken until at least four months old.  Can you cope with that?  On the other hand, if you adopt an adult dog and it is already housebroken, or has been housebroken in an earlier situation, you have to remember one thing.  Just because your dog was housebroken in a previous home, does not mean it is housebroken in YOUR home!  It will be much quicker to housebreak the adult dog if you use the right housebreaking techniques.

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The Presidential Pet Museum

By on January 20, 2009 in Dogs, People & Pets, Pet Selection

With all the presidential pomp and circumstance this week, the country waits in suspense about one important matter – what will the presidential puppy pick be? Up until last week, this was a closely held secret, but the cat is out of the bag now: the field has apparently narrowed to a Labradoodle or Portuguese Water Dog, both selected because they are hypoallergenic. One thing is clear: whatever the selection, the “first puppy” will be a celebrity – most presidential pets attract almost as much attention as their owners!

Did you know there was a presidential pet museum? Just about every president has had a pet – you can read about them right from George Washington up the through George W. Bush in this fascinating online museum. The more recent galleries – the last hundred years or so – have pet photos galleries and interesting anecdotes.

The adventurous Teddy Roosevelt had the most wide-ranging menagerie. Besides horses, dogs, cats, and guinea pigs, he also had a lion, hyena, wildcat, coyote, five bears, two parrots, zebra, barn owl, snakes, lizards, rats, roosters, raccoon and badger. Among some of the other exotic creatures were John Quincy Adam’s alligator, Martin Van Buren’s pair of tiger cubs (which Congress made him send to a zoo), and Old Ike, the tobacco-chewing ram that grazed on the White House lawn during Woodrow Wilson’s term of office.

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Hamster Cuteness

By on November 21, 2008 in Cute!, Friday Fun, Pet Selection, Pet Videos

You can’t do better for a cuteness quotient than the short video clip entitled Mocha and His First Broccoli – at the time of the video this engaging little fellow was just 13 days old. And if you can’t get enough of that baby hamster cuteness, try this photo album of baby hamsters – it’s heavy on the “awwwwww” factor.

Hamsters make very cute pets and can be ideal if you live in a small space that won’t accommodate bigger animals. They also make good first pets for kids – a good way to teach them the responsibility of caring for a pet. Hamsters are clean, small, easy to care for and relatively inexpensive. Did we mention charming? Here’s a handy guide to selecting and caring for a hamster.

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Pet Bird Selection

By on November 6, 2008 in Birds, Pet Health, Pet Selection

Many people want a pet but don’t want to be bothered with the responsibilities of litter, daily walks, and all the care normally associated with cats and dogs. The mistaken assumption is that a bird would be a good care-free alternative. Wrong! While birds can be great and charming companions, they can be noisy, messy, and loud, and just as with any other pet, the require care, attention, and commitment. For prospective bird owners, careful consideration and some preliminary research is critical in determining whether a bird will be a good pet choice for you and your family. Here are a few resources to help you in your decision-making:

For a brief article on considerations before getting a pet, Windhover Veterinary Center has compiled a excellent introductory guide on Choosing a Pet Bird.  It runs through practical considerations about cost and care. They also compare and contrast the experience of small vs. large birds, and discuss wild vs. hand-raised birds. Hot Spot for Birds offers a basic bird care guide that offers practical tips for bird care – reading it should give you a good idea of what pet bird care will entail.

For more information, here are a few good sources:

Up At Six bills itself as the most complete source for pet bird care information on the Internet, and it is certainly a comprehensive site, with information on information on exotic birds, parrots classifieds, bird magazines, breeders, chats, birds supplies, shows, bird care information. They provide information on parakeets, lovebirds, and parrots to more exotic birds such as cockatoos and macaws. Their Pet Bird FAQ offers answers to frequently asked questions.

Bird Channel is is the online companion to Bird Talk magazine, a publication that has been a favorite among bird lovers for more than 25 years. The site offers news, health, nutrition, behavior, training and all things related to pet birds. It also has some very impressive photos!

Hot Spot for Birds is an avian mall and reference center devoted to the care of birds. There are articles written by experts in the field on keeping birds healthy through good nutrition and keeping birds safe through avoidance of dangerous chemicals and plants. It’s an excellent and comprehensive resource.

Animal World’s Guide to a Happy Health Bird offers a basic care guide and additional information on specific breeds of birds.

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Horse Resources

By on August 13, 2008 in Horses, Pet Selection

Are you a horse owner? A would-be horse owner? We’ve compiled a variety of the web’s best resources on horses and horse care, and will add them to our “Pet Help Resource” section. We’ll also periodically be adding resources to our blog.

Horsekeeping – author and horse expert Cherry Hill’s roundup of hundreds of articles on horses and horse care – an invaluable resource.

Horses – frequently updated articles and resources on a broad variety of horse-related topics from About.com

Horse Lore: Basic Information for the Serious Novice Horseperson – advice from Elizabeth Gredley, a humane educator, riding instructor, and author who has 30 years experience with horses.

Basic Horse Care Information and Guidelines – hundreds of equine articles

Tips for Buying a Horse – from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

Top 10 Horse or Pony Buying Mistakes

Finding the Perfect Horse Name

Basic Horse Safety Manual

The American Association of Equine Practitioners – professional association for veterinarians specializing in equine care. Site includes Ask a Vet and a video clip on selecting an equine veterinarian.

National Equine Veterinarian Locator Service – from the AAEP

Find an ARIA-Certified Riding Instructor – from American Riding Instructors Association

How to Choose a Good Riding School – from the Horse Wiki

Learn About Training Methods and How to Safely Train Your Horse – a variety of articles from About.com:Horses

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New Cat Resources

By on July 11, 2008 in Cats, Pet Health, Pet Selection, Pet Videos

We have been busy adding more items to our Resources section and came across some great sites just for cats. If you love cats, you may enjoy our latest finds:

Cat Nutrition:

  1. Basics of Feline Nutrition (PDF)
  2. PetEducation.com – Nutrition and Feeding

Fun Stuff:

  1. Cat Personality Test
  2. DIY Arts and Crafts – Cat Toys, Beds, etc.
  3. Cat Agility Tournaments and Information

Grooming Tips:

  1. http://www.catchannel.com/care/grooming/article_2426.aspx
  2. http://purebredcatbreedrescue.org/grooming_your_cat.htm

Miscellaneous:

  1. How to Care for a Cat
  2. Choosing a Cat – Breed Descriptions
  3. Cat Training Videos

Here are some new links we found that are not specific to just cats:

Pet Education – This site is listed above under Cat Nutrition and Recipes but provides valuable information for all types of pets.

Animal Shelters:

  1. Search by Distance
  2. Search by State
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