Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Get to Know Border Collie



The Border Collie is a highly intelligent dog that regularly wins awards for obedience. She needs lots of open space to exercise in. She is a working sheep herding dog and she is the happiest with a job to do. She will get too bored and possibly destructive just sitting around a house alone. She is considered to be one of the most intelligent dogs.

*Approximate Adult Size. The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male Border Collie is 19 to 22 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder) and 30 to 45 pound. The females range from 18 to 21 inches to the withers and 27 to 42 pounds. 

*Special Health Considerations. Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Border Collie is no exception. Some of the medical problems you might encounter are Progressive Retinal Atrophy (inherited disease of the retina that can cause vision loss and blindness), Canine Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (inherited neurological disorder that can lead to progressive degeneration of brain and eye cells and can cause severe impairment and early death), canine hipand elbow dysplasia (genetic based looseness in the hip joint that can lead to arthritis pain and lameness), Collie Eye Anomaly, epilepsy and flea allergies.

This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list. She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

*Grooming. The Border Collie has a medium length double water resistant coat that needs to be brushed every few days, daily if possible. She should be bathed rarely as this strips her coat of its protective oils. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat and also help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with your pet.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net. 

*Life Span. The Border Collie can live between 12 and 15 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

*History. The Border Collie originated in Scotland and England. The American Kennel Association first registered Border Collies in 1995.

Reday for adopt a life?

Adopting a dog from a Humane Society, or a private shelter, can be a great gift to the dogs fighting for survival on the streets, abandoned by owners, or mistreated before they were rescued. However, this should not be done naively, or with the heart alone. Any new purchase of a dog needs to be done carefully, and not on impulse. There is nothing worse, for the family or the dog, to take a dog into your care and then discover that problems arise which you are unable to handle. This ultimately contributes to the sad fate of abandoned dogs.

There are many factors to consider when thinking about getting a new pet. There are the ongoing costs of food, vet bills from routine operations like desexing and minor illnesses or mishaps, as well as the time and money involved in training dogs. Depending on your experience with dogs, you may need to take your dog along to an obedience school. Dogs need to be trained so that they know how to behave around people, to prevent any biting or aggressive behaviour around neighbors or small children, and to establish a harmonious and understanding relationship with their owners. Many of the reasons people abandon dogs and other pets can be avoided if they take the time to train their dog, and understand where the behaviours that exasperate come from - and what to do about them. That is responsible dog ownership.

One of the advantages of adopting a dog from a shelter or humane society is that the animal will usually be desexed. Despite some lingering mythology around the subject, desexing does not psychologically or developmentally harm the dog in any way. That is a projection of a human response onto an animal of a completely different species.

Some private dog shelters have a 'No Kill' policy. This means that unlike many others that euthanase a dog if they are not rehomed within a certain period of time, these shelters place dogs in foster homes until a new owner is found. The advantage of adopting a dog from one of these places is that the temperament of the dog will be more well known. Plus, many of the behavioral issues that can come from the trauma of being abandoned, or being abused, are healed in a loving environment by the foster carer before the dog is available for adoption. Things like how well a dog interacts with other dogs will generally be known, which is essential if you have a multi-pet household.

No Kill shelters also rehabilitate very sick or malnourished dogs before they are put up for adoption. Most shelters and humane societies check a dog's health before letting them get adopted, so you at least know what you are getting in to. They can also provide advice on whether a dog is suitable for a more experienced dog owner, whether a dog is suitable for a family, and can provide tips on how to smoothly integrate a dog into a new household.

To decide to adopt a dog is a very noble thing to do, especially given the huge number of unwanted dogs in the world. As well as that, by adopting a dog from a shelter, you're actually helping that shelter help other animals. Whilst these dogs are not free, the charge is nominal, and generally covers health care costs for the dog. Many dogs may be given away free 'to a good home', but going this path is risky. You won't know if the dog has a serious or contagious illness, which can be a disaster if you have other pets. Plus, you won't get unbiased advice on that dog's temperament, or history. Many times these owners really just want to get rid of the dogs in their care, and not all are scrupulous about to whom they give the dogs to.

Friday, August 14, 2009

PET ADOPTION



Some good governance countries are still campaign on 'pet adoption' to encourage people more open mind to adopt poor homeless dogs and cats. Pet Adoption is a better way to find suitable friend than buying new one. Because you can save your money, moreover, you can help homeless pets whom need love and family warmth. If you decide or plan to find a pet, please think about pet adoptions first before searching for pet kennels. In some countries
, you would go to animal shelters or wherever you know to adopt your new pet. Others countries, has no animal shelter to adopt pet, you can easily find pet adoption on street, te
mple, etc. might called strayed dogs/cats. 
Pet adoption might want more love and warmth than others from kennels because pet adoptions were abandoned once. They has a deep scars in their hearts and need a long term cure. Thus, you must be patient with them and love them even m
ore but when look at thier big black glas
sy eyes, you can't stop loving them but keep loving them instead.
Somehow pet adoptions might be a second chance for both human and animals to make thing right again. For pe
t from pet adoption, its is a last chance to be loved and the second chance to be loyal to you eternally. And for human like us, pet adoption is the good chance to prove that all human is still human can care about the others whatever they are human or not. Animal is our closest and significant friends in the earth. 
Pet Adoption is your answer or not?!

<--- little dog waiting to be adopted





<-- thinking about what to be loved feel? @ pet adoption centre.

Friday, August 7, 2009

DOG Breeds for Kids




In choosing a dog for the family, it's a good idea we keep the children in mind. Some dogs are not tolerant of children and can be a threat to them. There are many breeds of dogs out there to choose from. Do your homework to see which one works the best with your family and especially your children.

By far the number one best dog breed for children hands down, would have to be, you guessed it, Labrador Retriever. This dog is well accepted because of its good nature. It is not generally aggressive or hyper. It is playful, easy-going, intelligent and patient. No wonder it is loved by the young and old. Because of its mild manner, it is first choice in working with the handicapped. It is has desire to please as if it knows its plight. The Lab is also a great pick if you have other animals. They are very accommodating. A well taken care of Lab can live up to 13 years. In order to reduce boredom in these dogs, they should be kept active. These dogs love playing in the yard or taking walks.

DOGs; where our best friends come from?

DOG (Canis lupus familiaris,[2] pronounced /ˈkeɪ.nis ˈluːpəs fʌˈmɪliɛəris/, nicknamed: Man's Best Friend) is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history. Amongst canine enthusiasts, the word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species, as opposed to the word "bitch" (the female of the species).

The dog quickly became ubiquitous across culture in all parts of the world, and was extremely valuable to early human settlements. For instance, it is believed that the successful emigration across the Bering Strait might not have been possible without sled dogs.[3] Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, protection, and, more recently, assisting handicapped individuals. Currently, there are estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.[4]

Over the 15,000 year span that the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped byenvironmental factors and functional roles. As the modern understanding of genetics developed, humans began to intentionally breed dogs for a wide range of specific traits. Through this process, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal.[5] For example, height measured to the withers ranges from a few inches in the Chihuahua to a few feet in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue'") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; coats can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth.[6] It is common for most breeds to shed this coat, but non-shedding breeds are also popular.