When I was younger, we brought home pets all the time with no consideration as to what was best for the pet AND the family. As I grew older, I began to understand more about the importance of educating children on the needs of a pet. When we decided to get a dog, we knew we had to train our daughter how to behave just as much as we needed to train the dog.
It is really important to assess your child’s maturity level and necessary involvement when introducing a new animal family member. This site has great pet recommendations by age. It has great tips on how to build a relationship between your pets and your children and safety precautions. How important do you feel it is to educate your child on their role in your pets’ life?
ASPCA Guide to Pets and Children
From the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters:
Grateful pet owners from around the country honor their trusted pet sitters this week during National Professional Pet Sitters Week, observed March 1 – 7, 2009. The week-long event recognizes the many contributions of professional pet sitters nationwide for their commitment, hard work, and dedication. Pet owners can thank those trusted
individuals who take such good care of their adoring pets and for the loving care they provide.
Pet sitting has become one of the top 10 professions in the past decade, according to the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS). Pet ownership in the United States is continually on the rise and currently, 63 percent of all American households have pets. The U.S. pet population includes approximately 73 million dogs, 90 million cats, and 16 million birds plus fish, hamsters and other animals, according to the America Pet Products Association.
When choosing a professional pet sitter, owners should take in consideration whether the service provider has commercial liability insurance, references, and literature fully describing services and fees. The NAPPS Web site offers a nationwide referral network as a valuable online resource for locating pet sitters in all areas of the country. Accessible directly from the NAPPS Web site, www.petsitters.org, this free service provides contact information for all NAPPS member pet sitters and pet sitting companies in the area. With one simple search, pet owners can learn all about the services provided, and even details regarding the sitter’s experience and expertise.
The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) is a national nonprofit trade association dedicated to promoting the concept of in home pet care, supporting the professionals engaged in at-home pet care, promoting the welfare of animals, and improving and expanding the industry of pet sitting. NAPPS provides valuable credibility, networking, and education to help foster the success of their members. NAPPS takes great pride in providing its members with the tools needed to succeed, but also provides the pet owning public with helpful information such as a Disaster Preparedness Plan and guidelines for selecting a pet sitter.
For more information on NAPPS or to locate a professional pet sitter, visit: www.petsitters.org.
Georgia Voters for Animal Welfare is pleased to announce that Grace’s Law has become an official bill. Sponsored By Rep. Tom Knox, R-HD 24, Georgia House Bill 606 can be viewed here. A similar bill is being sponsored in the Georgia Senate by Sen. Steve Henson, D- SD 41.
Georgia voters who want gas chambers banned statewide and with no exceptions should immediately contact their state legislators.
To locate your Georgia Assembly Representatives enter your zip code here.
You will need to add your home address to locate your local Georgia Senate and House Representatives. You can find their contact information by clicking on their names.
Then let them know how you feel about the bill. Ask for their support and tell them know how you expect them to vote. Call their offices or send them an email, they keep track of this stuff. It is their responsibility to represent us. It is our responsibility to let them know what we want.
Join the Humane Society Georgia State Director, Cheryl McAuliffe, and other local animal protection advocates, March 3rd at 7pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta as they meet to discuss current animal protection legislation that is before the Georgia State legislature. The goal of this meeting is to arm concerned citizens with lobbying techniques and ways to take action. The Grass Roots movement is growing and is a great place for each of us to start to promote change and help protect those who can not protect themselves. Please RSVP to this event by 5 PM March 2nd.
A total different approach on dog training based on true friendship and understanding with our companions. This is really one of the best books I ever read about developing a mutual relationship with our dogs. I heard about it from a friend of mine, Tanja with Holistic Sitting in Woodstock, GA. Thank you Tanja!
Who is your favorite dog trainer?
February 24, 2009 the Humane Society of the United States starts its annual campaign to encourage people to save animals lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats. Why does the Humane Society want to promote spaying and neutering? “Four million cats and dogs—about one every eight seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets, even purebreds. Maybe someone’s cat or dog got out just that one time or maybe the litter was intentional, but efforts to find enough good homes failed. Spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats and a proven way to reduce the vast numbers of animals who are born only to die prematurely and without a family who loves them.”
Find out more about why you should spay or neuter your pet.
Find a local Spay Day USA 2009 event here.
The Canton Paw Park, a local non profit group, recently donated three pet sized oxygen masks to the Canton Fire Department. Pets are as much at risk from smoke inhalation during a house fire as humans. Firefighter’s often try to give a pet oxygen using a human mask, unfortunately since human oxygen masks do not fit pets very well and many die from smoke inhalation. The donated masks use the same type tubing and tanks as human masks, but are designed specifically for animals who are rescued from any type of fire or emergency. This donation will allow Canton Fire Department to save more pets who might otherwise succumb to smoke inhalation. Want to find out how you can help get your local fire station pet sized oxygen masks? Check out HelpAnimals.org.
We hope you have a Purrfectly Happy Valentine’s Day!
This Valentine’s weekend PBS’s Nature explores why humans love their pets.
Sunday night our family will be watching to find out more about the science of why we love of furry friends so much! You can find out too by tuning into your local PBS station Sunday night at 8.
Find out more and see a preview of Sunday night’s show on Nature’s site.
Just in time for Dental Health month, these crunchy biscuits with mint and parsley will help keep your pets teeth in tip top shape.
Minty Biscuits
* 2 Cups Whole Wheat flour
* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (or 1 1/2 TBL dried mint)
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
* 3/4 cup water
* 6 tablespoons safflower oil
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, cornmeal, mint
3. and parsley in a large bowl
4. Add water and oil and
5. mix thoroughly
6. On a floured surface roll
7. out dough to 1/4″
8. Cut with cookie cutters
9. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly browned
10. Turn off heat and allow biscuits to continue drying in the oven for several hours
Do you have a favorite treat recipe?
Share it with US!
