Responsible Dog Ownership
The joy of dog ownership also brings responsibility. Responsible dog owners are easy to recognize because they:
- Make careful decisions about getting a dog by spending time learning about different breed characteristics
and then choosing a dog suited to their home, lifestyle and personality.
Obey local ordinances including licensing and leash requirements. They protect and control their dog for its own safety and the safety of others.
- Provide their dog with a pleasant and safe environment,
adequate food, water and shelter; proper identification,
plenty of exercise, training, companionship and LOTS OF
LOVE.
- Provide regular health care as recommended by their vet,
including rabies and distemper vaccinations and heartworm
prevention. They provide regular maintenance checks for
fleas and other parasites as well as a regular bathing
and grooming schedule.
- Are always alert to weather changes that could affect
their animals. Summer's humid heat and winter's cold winds
are equally dangerous. They leave no dog unattended in
a car on a warm day, nor outside without shade and water
in the summer and full protection from the cold winds and
wet snow in winter.
- Know the importance of teaching compassion and respect
for animals early in life and begin by teaching their own
children these values.
- Have their dog spayed or neutered, and encourage other
owners to do the same. They are not responsible for producing
dogs that will find themselves unwanted and uncared for
in this world.
photos compliments of Sue Westlake, Ann Short and Tracey Benson