Adopting a Dog From a Shelter - Things to Think About

You and possible your children are all excited because you are going to the local shelter to adopt a new dog or puppy. This can be good for the family and for the pet that is getting rescued from the shelter. It should be viewed as a long term commitment. After all, you are adding a new member to the family that will be loyal to you whether or not you are loyal to it.

A pet can be a wonderful friend and companion and should be viewed as a joy to have as a part of you and/or your family's life.

Unfortunately, too many people adopt a new pet and then when they realize that it takes some work and a change in their daily schedule in order to take care of their new pet they give the pet away or return it to the shelter.

First, when you adopt a pet from a shelter, expect to pay a fee in order to complete the adoption. Fortunately, the pet has usually been spayed or neutered and has been brought current on all their latest shots. The fee you pay is usually much less than it would cost you to have all this done at your local vet's office.

Your new pet will be a lot of fun, but it may very well cause you to change your daily schedule in order to care for him or her. If you keep the pet inside and depending on the dog's age you may have to get up during the night to let the pet outside for bathroom purposes.

You will probably need to get up a little earlier in order to feed the dog before you go to work. You will need to come home after work and feed the dog before it gets too late.

Your dog will need a bath fairly regularly. Regular trips to the vet for checkups and even to handle an unexpected injury of some kind will need to be added to your schedule and your budget.

If you live in an apartment or don't have a fenced yard then you will need to take your dog for a walk almost daily.

If you have children, assigning a lot of the tasks associated with taking care of a new dog is a good way to teach your children responsibility. When a child bonds with a pet dog it is a special friendship for both the child and the dog that will bring many years of happiness for the whole family.

Keeping your dog healthy has a lot to do with knowing what to feed it. Should you use dry food, canned dog food or people food? When you read the ingredients on a bag or can of dog food, the first three ingredients listed make up about 80% of what is actually in the dog food. So, if you see chicken, beef or liver on the label and it is listed number six or seven as an ingredient then you expect that there is very little chicken, beef or liver actually in the food.

I once had a dog who had seizures and I found that when I fed her certain canned dog food that she would have a seizure about thirty minutes after eating. But, other brands of dog food would reduce the frequency of her seizures.

I later learned that home made dog food virtually eliminated her seizures altogether. Not only that, her skin allergies got better. Since that time I have tried to keep all my dogs on a regular diet of home made dog food.

The best recipes I have found for healthy, homemade dog food are from a fellow named John Miller. He developed Healthy Recipes For Dog Food that have nothing but healthy ingredients for your dog. There are recipes for treats, food, shampoo for a healthy, shiny coat and a non-chemically harmful recipe to keep your dog free of fleas.

While checking out new family things take a look at Click Swimming Pools. Your new pet might just like a nice swim also.