Few people know ALL about dogs. They are complex animals and are as versatile as any creature on earth. On top of that, they, along with the domesticated house cat, make the most wonderful, loving, entertaining and companionable pets on this earth! I've owned them both for over 65 years so I know and feel what I say.
Above: In the ocean near Sussex, England, adopted Golden Retriever "Georgie" and adopted Black Lab Mix "Jessie" romp and play the afternoon away. It's a good life.
A Little About Dogs
Dogs are the eyes and ears for the blind and deaf. They are therapy for the shut-ins and disabled and can be a best buddy for a ten year old. Dogs will comfort and soothe an elderly widow or pull sleds loaded with medicine through snow and ice. They perform search and rescue when avalanches bury people and towns and can hunt and track lost hikers, locate missing bodies and find babies buried in the rubble of fallen buildings. Dogs can sniff out illegal drugs and bombs buried in hiding places. They track the worst of criminals and help fight wars as well as guarding you, your kids and your property to the death.Dogs will bring joy and companionship to a family, even when the family consists of only one lonely person. They are a status symbol to royalty or they can make you smile when you’re totally down and out. They don’t care what color your skin is or what language you speak or what country you live in. Dogs don’t even care if you/re flat broke or have a trillion dollars. They don’t care if your name is Bill Gates or Earl the “homeless guy in the alley behind the bar.” They will stand by them all to the end. Long live man's best friend!
All a dog asks for in return is our love and kindness.
There is no other animal on the face of the earth that can do what these wonderful canine friends can do.
The dog, as most people know, descended from the wolf. It was, according to some, domesticated roughly 25,000 years ago and since then, there have been at least 400 breeds bred world wide. The smallest of all the breeds is the tiny teacup poodle. The largest is the Irish wolfhound. Believe it or not, the plain old mixed breed is by far the most popular breed in the world today! Forget your pedigree. The mutt wins out as the number one dog in popularity!
Dogs are sociable animals that MUST interact with their human owners and family. They can not be stuck in a back yard with a chain and left 24/7. They crave human or canine companionship the same as we do. To chain one up in a yard and leave it is now viewed as animal abuse and in some states brings jail time and fines.
They learn by association. Ever see a one get excited when he hears the can opener? It means his dinner is coming. Or, the jingle of car keys can cause a dog to run to the front door because he might be going for a ride in the car. Pick up his leash and see what he does! He knows it’s walk time just by seeing the leash.
About Dogs - A Doggie Routine
This is interesting to know about dogs. Did you know puppies as well as adult dogs crave daily routines? Yes. Let your pup know you are boss! Tell s/he what time to wake up in the morning, when to eat breakfast and dinner, when to go outside for potty call, exactly what time to take the morning walk and so on. Then try to follow this time schedule every day. (as best you can) Your pup will love you for it.
You’ll be amazed at how obedient your dog will become. She’ll suddenly be waiting for you at the door when it’s time to go for a walk or out to potty!
They not only love a set routine, but also training. It’s a known fact that a dog wants to please his/her human and takes great pleasure out of training sessions where he knows he is doing just that every time he gets a treat or “click” (from a clicker) for doing the right thing.
One of the best ways to bond with your pooch, and he with you, is through obedience dog training.
In the wild, if you stare straight into a dogs eyes, he will view that as an act of aggression and even if you stare at your pets eyes, he is likely to look from side to side with some fear. However, once bonding has taken place and your dog is totally comfortable with you, you may find him taking long, loving looks at you with no fear of revenge or trouble!
Did you know canines use distinct body language?
If you are an elderly individual considering getting a dog, please consider that you will have to not only walk the her each day, but you will need to be able to BEND OVER and REACH THE GROUND to pick up after your dog.
Most states have laws stating you must pick up after your dog and as you get older, that can become a problem...You must clean up when your dog poops, period. This is a nation-wide problem. It's just one thing about dogs that is a "must do."
There are metal or plastic “pooper-scoopers” on the market but if you are going any distance, they can be a chore to carry along. Please take this into consideration for the sake of the rest of us!
About Dogs - Canine PrioritiesDogs have two primary items in their agenda. Food and safety. When a new dog comes to live with you, the FIRST thing he will worry about is “am I going to be safe here?”
If your new dog is terribly shy, or afraid of you at first, give him little bits of food. Food is his SECOND main worry. Win his trust with food. (Preferably little bits of fresh meat, cheese or similar really tasty foods.)
He’ll slowly warm up to you once he figures out that you are there to give him comfort (food) and not harm. A shy dog must learn to trust you. Food without harm is the way with dogs. It's a good thing to know about dogs.
Dog training should start with the breeder and continue throughout the dog’s life. MOST of the training will take place by the time the dog is 6 to 8 months old.
By the time the dog is a 12 months old, he should know all the basics he’ll need to get along for the rest of his life, but you will want to continue using the commands he has learned so he doesn't forget any of them, especially the “come” command.
About Dogs - Dog AbuseUnfortunately, animal abuse is a reality and millions of dogs suffer horribly. Dogs are tormented by juveniles who just don’t realize or care how horrible they are acting and how much pain they're inflicting. They don't understand about dogs and they don''t realize dogs feel pain and are essentially helpless to retaliate.
Adults are just as mean and hateful. Animal cruelty has been on the rise for a long time, world wide. Dogs suffer terrible pain and the animal rescue teams only get a few of the dogs before they die.
We need far stiffer laws that truly go after and deal a blow to offenders of dog abuse and animal cruelty. This needs to be a world wide effort but I doubt that will ever happen, as different cultures view animals and especially dogs differently.
About Dogs - Dog Have Feelings Too!Dogs have feelings just like humans. They get depressed, happy, they grieve, they become sad, lonely and frustrated just as we do. They morn the loss of another dog and they morn the loss of one of their humans. And, they DO feel pain, even though they can’t say anything.
Another important subject not mentioned is that of dogs and kids. Any time you put dogs together with kids, there is the potential for trouble. Dogs and kids need very close supervision at all times. Please read out Dogs and Kids page. It's good information about dogs if you have kids.
Learn all you can about dogs if you plan on getting one. Plan on having it roam around your house and share space with you. Otherwise, you don’t need the dog. It’s all right to leave some breeds of dogs outside during the day, but not 24/7. That’s animal abuse.
About Dogs - Dogs love to be played with!Most dogs love the water. Pick a warm summer day and turn on the hose. Either fill a kiddy swimming pool or take the hose and squirt it about the yard. Your dog will love to jump in the shallow pool or play in the stream from the hose. Invite the neighboring dogs over for a pool party. We’ve done that and the dogs love it!
While some dogs are in the pool, others can play “fetch” or “Frisbee” with you. It’s all good clean fun and the exercise is good for everyone participating.
Just make sure none of the dogs stray off somewhere and that none of them run out into the street. If you have more than one dog, it’s a good idea to have at least two people supervising. There's just something about dogs and automobiles that seem to collide.
You can also play fetch indoors if you have a fairly long hallway. You just need a small ball, such as a tennis ball (or smaller) will do fine
Dogs like to be handled. Between runs through the hose or dips in the pool, give the dogs plenty of rub downs, roll over's and tummy rubs. Scratch behind the ears and give chest rubs. Show them a real fun day in the yard! They’ll all take naps afterwards.
About Dogs - World Population Of Dogs As PetsAccording to the ASPCA, here are some rough figures of world ownership of dogs held as PETS as of 2006:
North America = 68 million
Russia and France, just over 10 million each.
Italy and Germany, 5 million each.
Spain and Australia, 3 million each.
Belgium and The Netherlands, 1.6 Million each.
United Kingdom and Japan, over 7 million each.
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