What I have learned

Throughout my blogging experience I have learned a lot.  More people than I expected care for their pets like family eighty-seven percent of pet owners.  Pets should be treated and cared for with love and affection, after all that is what they give us.  They are family, even if they are not human. 

In doing this blog I have come to appreciate people more.  I think it is wonderful that so many people treat pets the way they should be treated.  They buy them gifts for holidays and birthdays.  They take them on vacations and trips.  They can even fly in the main cabin of planes which is ever comforting to know.  Even if I need legal help with my pet it is there for me.  Pets are the back bone for some families.  So shouldn’t they have some rights?  

Pets give love and that’s what they should receive.  I don’t know how anyone could mistreat or abuse pets.  After finishing this assignment, I now know pets help start, build and keep family together. 

Can dogs remember things?

Do dogs have the ability to remember: past events, there birth family, or anything that is not a part of their daily lives?  Well in an article I read, they say they can (Grant, 2008).  A women and her mother have sister Pomeranians, and they know they are sisters.  When they are together they forget about everyone else, and they know they have a connection (Grant, 2008). 

Well I believe this article to be true, because my dogs definitely have a memory.  I got Dutchess when she was three months old.  I know the people I got her from I don’t see them often, but when I do and Dutchess is with me remembers them.  They did not treat her very well and she doesn’t like them.  She is a very friendly dog, except when they are around.  If they try to touch her go even if they look at her she growls at them.  They cannot come within ten feet of her or she will attack them.  The only thing that can be is that she remembers the way the treated her. 

Also, Princess does not like other animals, other than Dutchess.  Whenever there are other animals around Princess goes off to a corner by herself.  She gets nervous and stays to herself, except when I go over to her mother’s house.  I got her from a friend of mine and I go over his house occasionally.  I went over his house for the first time about eight months after I got her.  She took to her mother just fine.  She usually stays up under Dutchess, but when she saw her mom she took off and started playing.  She wasn’t scared at all.  She doesn’t see her very often, but she always remembers her when I take her over there. 

The way they act make me think they have a good memory.  What else could it be?  I never really took it into account until I read this article.  I thought it was normal for dogs to remember their mother, but I guess it is a rare occurrence.

      

Grant, R. (2008, May, 10). Do dogs remember their own family members? Retrieved December 5, 2010 From http://gomestic.com/pets/do-dogs-remember-their-own-family-members/.

INTRO

Hello everyone!!! I am writing this blog to help people understand why people consider their pets to be family. I have always loved animals, but never owned any.


When I was sixteen my step father, who has a passion for dogs, purchased my mom a beagle. When he came home with the dog my sister, and I fell in love, so we thought. We convinced my mom and dad to let us get a dog. Long story short: my mom and dad are still raising that dog.

Well three years ago my boyfriend and I moved in together, and we decided to get a dog. With bearing all the responsibility of having a dog, I formed a unique bond with her that I didn’t know could exist. Dutchess became my child. Yes I know she is just a dog, but to me she is family.

Out of loneliness for Dutchess we decided to get another dog. Princess was a handful; I didn’t think I could ever love her as much as Dutchess. As time went on Princess grew on me as well; we have had them for almost three years, and if something were to happen to them, I wouldn’t know what to do. After all ,they are my kids, and they have my true love.

Should pets be allowed to travel in the main cabin of a plane?

Should pets be allowed in the main cabin of a plane?  Well according to an article I read, pets are allowed to ride in the main cabin (Butler, 2009).  There are certain restrictions and regulations that have to be followed before a pet can ride in the main cabin (Butler, 2009).  Some complain of allergies, the smells, or the barking (Butler, 2009).  Most pet owner who travel with their pets on planes worry about losing their pets due to the temperature and pressure in the cargo areas (Butler, 2009).    

I have never taken my dogs on a plane, because they do not do well in carriers.  When we go on vacation with our dogs we always drive.  This is the first time I have ever heard about pets being able to travel in the main cabin.  I really think this is great for people who do fly with their pets.  It would be very uncomfortable having to worry about your pets while flying on a long trip.  People who have allergies to pets are allowed to charge their seat to be as far away from the pets as possible (Butler, 2009).  And, as far as the smell goes I know my dogs and everyone I know who has dogs, dogs won’t use the bathroom in their crates.  So, as long as you bathe them then they should be fine and no one should even notice them. 

The reason I couldn’t fly with my dogs in the main cabin is that they wouldn’t stop barking or crying, so since I know that I wouldn’t even attempt to fly with them.  A lot of pets are good with crates, different places, and strange people and their owners would know that.  So, as long as you know your pet I believe it would be fine to take your pet in the main cabin.  If people would just have consideration for others, then I don’t believe pets in the main cabin would cause a problem.

Butler, J. (2009 June, 4). Airlines allowing pets in main cabins of plane.  Retrieved November 6,2010, From http://www.suite101.com/content/airlines-allowing-pets-in-main-cabin-of-plane-a122736.

In a Divorce Should Pets be consider like children?

If my boyfriend and I were to break up we would have to go to court over our dogs.  The same as if we had children.  We both love Dutchess and Princess equally so we would never be able to reach an agreement.  In an article I read a Maryland court granted a couple joint custody of their dog (Costello, 2010).  Each person got to keep the dog six months out of the year (Costello, 2010). 
With that being said I would have to have a better arrangement in place.  It would be devastating to an animal to be in one place for six months and then have to go somewhere else for six months just to do it again.  If this were ever an issue for us we would have to have an every other week arrangement.  That would be a lot less stress on the animals.  Pets need stability as much as children do.  Also, since Dutchess and Princess take part in our holiday traditions we would both have to have them on those days.  The summer would also have to be divided evenly.  I go camping a lot and it just wouldn’t be the same without them.  They have more fun camping then I do. 
So, if I were to very have to go through a custody battle for my dogs it would be a very complex case.  They mean the world to me and they are worth fighting over.  Anyone would fight for their child, so why shouldn’t I do the same for mine.       

Costello, C. (2010 July, 30). Gut check: should pets be considered like a child in divorce court, CNN’s American Morning. Retrieved October 24, 2010,   From http://amfix.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/30/gut-check-doggie-custody/

It is surprising to know how many people consider their pets family!

I always thought I was the only one who talked to my dogs on the phone, until I read an article the other day.  The article stated that thirty-three percent of pet owners talk to their pets on the phone (Christiansen, 2007).  Also, seventy-nine percent of pet owners buy their pets gifts for their birthdays.  The same article stated that eighty-seven percent of pet owners strongly considered their pets family (Christiansen, 2007).   

Whenever I am at work and my boyfriend is at the house, I make my boyfriend hold the phone up so I can talk to the dogs.  He will put the phone on speaker and I will talk to my babies.  They give the same reaction as if you were talking to a young baby on the phone.  They will hear my voice and look around for me.  Then they will realize it is coming from the phone and just look at the phone with a puzzled look.  I don’t say much to them on the phone I really only say their names and “what are you doing”.  They will bark at me sometimes, but for the most part they just try to find me by looking around the room.  I started talking to my dogs on the phone when I went on my first vacation without them.  I was at Myrtle Beach for a week and I missed them.  So, I called to talk to them.  They bark and my mom said they were jumping up and down going crazy looking for me.  Ever since then I have always talked to them on the phone.

Every year for Christmas my dogs get so spoiled.  Everyone in my family buys my dogs gifts, and I fill a stocking for them.  On their birthdays they get a cake and a few presents. On Easter they each get an Easter basket and get to go to the family cookout.  Also, on Valentine’s Day they get a stuffed animal and some type of special treat. 

Due to the facts listed, I now know I am not the only person to consider pets family members.  I love my dogs and I treat them the way most people treat their kids. 

Christiansen, J. (2007 September 19). Pets: survey shows many consider pets family members, Retrieved  October 10,2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/381035/pets_survey_shows_many_consider_pets_family.com

Pets can be very costly!!!

I was reading an interesting article about pets and there owners.  The article stated that every year Americans spend an estimated thirty-seven billion dollars on pets (McKiel, 2007).  For that that much money to be spent on pets there must be a lot of families that include pets.
Having two dogs, I spend roughly three thousand dollars a year taking care of them.  There food alone cost about Fifty dollars a month.  They are also very spoiled so they get lots of treats, bones, and toys.  On average I spend anywhere from ten to thirty dollars a week on those things.  They each have to have a heart guard pill and a dose of K9 Aventis each month.  Every time they have to go to the vet it is at least a hundred dollars apiece.  They usually have vet appointments twice a year.  In some cases like the one I just went though vet appointments can cost five hundred or more dollars.  Princess was peeing blood every time she used the bathroom.  It started when I was at work, so by the time I got home and noticed, it was too late to take her to her vet.  I called an emergency vet and told them what was going on, and they said I needed to bring her in right away.  When I got there they told me the possibilities of what could be causing the bleeding.  I was panicky and scared for her, so I had them run all the test needed to find out what was wrong.  Luckily, she was fine and it was just some bruising from a previous surgery, she was better in few days.
So, like I have been saying pets can be a big part of people’s families.  There are a lot of people who do not believe in raising pets the way that I do.  But obviously there are some, or else there wouldn’t be thirty-seven billion dollars annual spent on pets.  Personal I spend more money on my babies then I do myself, which is true of most mothers.

 McKiel, J. (2007, April 18).  Are your pets part of your family?  Retrieved September 18, 2010, from http://searchwarp.com/swal148599.htm