Little Big Ways to Love Your Pets
Happy National Pet Day! Family pets are an integral part of American culture and you know it. Maybe it’s because I’ve always romanticized the notion of the family dog (thanks, Lady & The Tramp), but the love I have for my dogs and cats is completely unconditional. It’s also endearing to see old high school friends gushing over their pets on social media, treating them like they would a human child. We take solace in the bonds we create with our furry companions. There are likely times where you feel that you could be doing a better job of taking care of your pet, but they’re not exactly picky. There are several little ways to show your cat or dog just how much you love them in a very big way. Pay attention to what’s in their food Humans are creatures of convenience—we can just throw a giant bag of budget-friendly pet food in the shopping cart with the rest of our groceries. But pet foods that are carried in grocery stores and supermarkets are often not the best option. Although the amounts may be minuscule, many popular brands may contain “natural preservatives” like arsenic, which can become harmful over time. Resources like PawDiet and Dog Food Advisor can help you pick the right food for your pet. Just like you should make conscious decisions about what you eat, it’s important to keep your pet’s unique needs in mind, like age, breed, and weight. The wrong food can have a negative impact on your pet’s health later in life. For instance, our vet advised us to limit our pug Minnie’s protein intake to lessen the possibility of kidney and liver failure. Invest in quality supplies So you bought a puppy/kitten. And the adoption fee was the only big expense you have to take care of, right? Absolutely not. Don’t let those big adorable eyes distract you from the fact that bringing a pet into your life is EXPENSIVE. Make a checklist of what you need for the new pet before bringing them home, as well as what you might need for them as they get older. Thanks to the internet, there are a vast number of resources available for you to read up on the best pet supplies. It can be tempting to opt for a more budget-conscious solution, but from experience, cheap price usually means cheap quality. Make reasonably sound decisions on things like beds, food, and medication. When it comes to toys, you should also consider whether the toy is tough enough for your pet. Soft plush toys tend to be inexpensive, but if you have to keep replacing them because of your chew-happy German Shepherd, you might as well just hand her the money to rip apart. The same goes for cats—providing them with cat furniture that they are allowed to scratch saves the rest of the furniture in your home. Keep up with their health I hate thinking about this, but our pets won’t live forever, as much as we really want them to. As doctors are to us humans, veterinarians are to our animals. Since pets age at a more rapid rate than us, being proactive about their health makes a big difference. Vet care should be a critical section in your budget when you have a pet. Much like our own human medical expenses, vet bills can add up very quickly. Consider choosing a veterinarian office that offers a wellness plan, which is sort of like a membership. For a monthly fee, your pet has access to benefits like free office visits, comprehensive exams, and dental cleanings. Many regular insurance companies like Progressive even offer pet insurance, which can help cover the cost of major veterinarian expenses. Pearly whites, shiny coats & trimmed nails Good dental hygiene can drastically improve the quality of life for your pet. It’s estimated that 80% of dogs develop periodontal disease—inflammation of the gums—by three years of age. Left untreated, dental issues can lead to more serious infections and heart damage. A pet who’s healthy on the inside will show it on the outside with its coat. Diet will play a big part in this, but don’t forget to bathe them (yes, even cats). You have your favorite shampoo, so find one that works best for your pet. Minnie has a few allergies and her skin gets very itchy and irritated, so we use fragrance-free, soothing shampoos. Your vet will likely dig this into your brain: trim your dog’s nails often. If nails get too long, walking on hard surfaces can actually become painful. They could also damage their skin or eyes when they scratch an itch. Avoid breeders I know, I know, English bulldogs are SO cute with their infinite rolls and precious underbite and heavy breathing. I wanted one all my life, but with a $2000 price tag it remained a dream. Plus, the rolls and underbite and trouble breathing create health complications for brachycephalic breeds like bulldogs, boxers, and pugs. You should also consider what breeds would best fit in with your lifestyle. Once you’ve identified a few compatible breeds, pay a visit to your local animal shelter or rescue organization. If you’ve got your heart set on a specific breed, try searching for a rescue operation that specializes in that breed. When you rescue a dog or cat from a shelter, you will typically save more money than if you bought from a breeder. In our case, Minnie cost $425 with only one round of shots and was not spayed. For $125, Molly came home fixed with a basic suite of vaccinations and free heart worm treatment. Adopted animals will usually go home with basic vaccinations, and many shelters will not allow animals to be adopted without being spayed or neutered first. Rescuing a dog or cat is arguably the best way you can love them. Pet overpopulation in America, and around the world for that matter, is a crucial issue that can only be solved if we spay and neuter our animals. We
Adopting a second dog: the transition
On July 21, we adopted a second dog and became a little family of four! In case we’re not friends on Facebook, this little lady is Molly Louise. We adopted her from the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. It’s funny because I initially began volunteering there in an attempt to quell my puppy fever. I figured that playing with dogs without the responsibility of owning them would satisfy my need to add another dog to our family. But alas, this only fanned the flame. You see, here in Orange County, there’s PAGO and right across the street is Orange County Animal Services. PAGO is privately-owned and only takes owner surrenders, whereas OCAS has to take any and all animals since they’re a government facility. So it became a habit of mine to browse both shelters’ adoptable pets online on a daily basis. There were so many potential doggies we both wanted to adopt, but the timing was always off. At one point, we decided that it would be best if we just became foster parents for a while. That way, we’d still be helping an animal even though we wouldn’t get to keep it. We were actually planning on attending a puppy foster orientation, but the apartment tour we were on ran longer than we expected. So I asked Anthony if he wanted to go to the shelters anyway to check out the dogs and he shrugged, sure. We ended up meeting with two dogs at PAGO that we had seen online. I really wanted to meet with a dog named Ariel because she was right at the top of the alphabetical list every time I opened the adoptable dogs page for the past month. I had grown fond of that face and wanted to see how she was in person. She was indeed just as cute, but the most precious part came when we got to meet her. I never wanted to make a decision about adopting a dog without my husband. I wanted to fall in love with the dog together and decide together. So when Ariel excitedly bounded into the room, she instantly jumped into Anthony’s arms and snuggled. She was so sweet and cute and she completely stole our hearts. We were told that she was heartworm positive, but PAGO sponsors the treatment and she would have to be on strict rest until treatment is over. This is absolutely no problem considering we’re pretty sedentary people. Heck, Minnie plops all day long. So we tried to set up a meet-and-greet between Ariel and Minnie, but we were told they don’t do them on the weekends, so we said we were just going to go home and ruminate. The next morning, the very first thing Anthony said upon waking up was that he was thinking about Ariel. I was like, “Okay that’s it, we’re going to get her.” And that’s exactly what we did. We burst through the door and announced that we were there to adopt Ariel. And so they scheduled her heartworm treatment for the next few months, administered some last-minute vaccines, and then she was ours. And because I have a Harry Potter naming policy, we decided that her name was henceforth Molly! I was really nervous about introducing her to Minnie since bigger dogs make her a little nervous. She’s only about 10 lbs bigger and she’s in no way a large dog, but she’s still bigger than Minnie. So when they met, they just sniffed each other and Molly was quite excited. But she didn’t act standoffish, so I took it as a good sign. According to paperwork filled out by her previous owner, the only dog she knew was her brother, and they lived outside for three years. It was no wonder she had heartworms… But when we let her sniff around our room, she made her bed in ours as if she was always an inside dog. Molly looked right at home and it was the sweetest thing. She’s such a gentle sweetheart, and I didn’t understand how anyone could give her up. But at the same time, I was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that she needed to learn some manners. She didn’t know any basic commands and she is a very strong puller on a leash. Every day for the next two weeks, I became severely overwhelmed. I was convinced that this was the worst decision we ever made. We should have taken more time to think about it. We don’t have time to take care of two dogs. We don’t have room in our apartment for two dogs. We can’t afford more vet bills. When we move to a new apartment or house, we can’t apply to places with breed restrictions, seriously limiting our options. The worries kept piling on and on, and I cried nearly every day. I felt that someone else could take better care of her. I truly felt that we were extremely rash in our decision and I desperately wanted to give her back to PAGO. But my poor husband, always dealing with my dramatic tendencies, refused. He made me feel incredibly guilty, reminding me that I begged him to adopt her, and asking me if I really just wanted to throw her away. Of course I didn’t, I said. But I really thought that we just weren’t the right parents for her. I only calmed down when I realized that we could have her trained. Sure, it’s going to take time and money, but the results will be worth it. And then she snapped at someone and their dog. It didn’t worry me at first because it was really the other dog’s fault. The dog saw Molly in the distance and really wanted to come meet her, so the owner indulged and walked toward us. As the two approached each other, the dog jolted to the side at the last second and Molly snarled and gave such an ugly bark. I
