Caring For Your Dog
If you have a dog, be a caring owner
One way we can all help dogs is by being responsible owners. Dogs need a proper diet,
appropriate exercise, and regular medical care. They also need affection and compassion from their
human friends.
Quick Care Tips
- Keep your dog healthy with nutritious dog food and plenty of fresh
water.
- Plan regular vet trips and keep your dog's shots up to date.
- Spay or neuter your dog.
- Provide appropriate obedience training.
- Keep your dog fenced or leashed and safe from busy streets.
- Provide regular exercise and keep your dog at a healthy weight.
- Consider bringing your dog indoors. Dogs who live with the rest of the
family establish better social relationships with people and are better able to tolerate
strangers.
Unchecked breeding leads to unwanted puppies
When dogs breed at will, the number of dogs needing homes soon exceeds the number of homes
available for them. In six years, one female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies.
That's a lot of puppies to find homes for. Nearly 2.1 million puppies and dogs that don't find
homes are euthanized in U.S. shelters each year. That's one dog every 15 seconds.
Though many homeless dogs are euthanized, many others end up living on the street as feral
dogs. Feral dogs may damage property or, out of fear, attack people. Many are abused, starving, or
diseased. All too often they're hit by cars. Cold, hungry, miserable, and sick is no way for a dog
to live-or die.
The best way to make sure that dogs receive the loving homes they deserve is to spay or neuter
adult dogs. This minimizes the number of unwanted puppies, so there are fewer stray and mistreated
animals.
