Five Most Dangerous Plants for Dogs

How to Be a Responsible Dog Owner

Here are ten obligations of a responsible dog owner. Rate yourself or give it (anonymously!) to some other dog owner.

1. Don’t get a dog unless you can afford the upkeep including an annual veterinary examination, vaccinations and potential emergency care.

2. Make sure your dog has identification, preferably by microchip (see my article at http://www.toybreeds.com/microchips.htm.

3. Don’t let your dog roam unsupervised and don’t walk him without a leash in urban areas.

4. Know and obey your local and community laws and rules on dogs.

5. ALWAYS SCOOP POOP when out on walks. Put it in a plastic bag for placement in liter container.

6. Worm your dog regularly throughout the year – it’s not just a summertime need.

7. Provide him with a balanced, high quality dog food and continual fresh clean water.

8. Have adequate insurance. This may include pet health insurance but definitely includes homeowners and liability insurance. Any dog can bite – I repeat, any dog can bite. Protect your home and assets with insurance.

9. Don’t let your dog jump up or rush people and other dogs. You have no right to complain if a stranger uses a mace-like spray on your dog if you’re letting him run loose.

10. MOST IMPORTANT – respect the views and rights of others. Not everyone loves dogs as much as we do. These people, however, have a right to peaceful walks or bike rides, clean yards and quiet enjoyment of their backyards!

P.S. Visit http://www.ToyBreeds.com next month for a new edition of the Bone-Mot™.

License the Owner and the Dog!

I continue to be depressed by the number of people I see out walking their dogs and making no effort to control their unruly dogs or clean up after their dogs.

Why should we responsible dog owners be concerned?

Because typically communities react to complaints by restricting all dog ownership rather than targeting the irresponsible dog owners. It's cheaper and quicker for them to punish us all.

If you love having a canine companion, you must be concerned about protecting your right to have a pet.

What should responsible dog owners be doing?

1. Set a good example.

Keep your dog leashed on your walks and do not let him jump up or attack other dogs or people. For heaven’s sake, clean up after him!

I like to buy cheap plastic gloves and bags at Costco. When my dog leaves his "calling card," I simply put on a glove and pick up the poop. I then bag the glove and poop in a plastic bag that I can seal so I'm not walking around with a strong odor.

2. Report irresponsible owners to the proper authorities.

If you continue to run into a problem dog in public places, take a camera with you on your next outing and get a photo of the dog and owner. You can give the photo to authorities so they can recognize the problem dog and owner.

We protect our right to have a dog as well as everyone else’s when we insist every dog owner follow the rules. (See the next article with the 10 requirements of responsible dog ownership.)

The best way for communities to protect our right to have a pet is to start licensing owners or households. This would be similar to the way our states license car drivers.

I am not advocating protracted tests, but dog owners should know the laws/rules in their communities related to dogs. That means such items as leash laws and pooper scooper requirements.

Every household or individual with a dog should be required to have a license. These could be obtained concurrently and have the same expiration date as the owner's driver license.

If an owner doesn't drive, a community could have the owner's license test given at the same time as the owner gets his dog licensed.

Computers make it easy and inexpensive for cities to have residents take a simple 5 or so questions test.

If an owner breaks the laws, he could lose his license to own a dog and the dog could be seized. The owner would need to pass the license test and pay a penalty to get his dog back. This is identical to the way we treat drunken and reckless drivers.

I realize this sounds harsh, but there doesn't seem to be any gentle way to deal with hard-core selfish brats who insist on having dogs.

We’ll have a healthier society when we acknowledge that pet ownership is a privilege, not a right.

P.S. Visit http://www.ToyBreeds.com next month for a new edition of the Bone-Mot™.