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Why Pets Aren’t Good Presents

This goes without saying, but you can never say it too often because it happens every year: don’t give pets as presents.  If you’re thinking about gifting a pet to someone you love this year, consider very carefully.  Pets are lifelong commitments and responsibilities, not fun presents. Now, I can think of one context in which it could be OK to give a pet for a present: if the person receiving asked for it, knew that’s what they were getting, and understood the responsibilities involved.  That means in most cases, it’s not appropriate to get pets as gifts for children: … Continue reading →

Deceased Dog Granted Legal Status Beyond Property

Legally pets are considered property. It’s relevant related to insurance claims or custody and other legal proceedings. It seems harsh to many, including myself, because in both instances it can lead to decisions that don’t seem to take into account that most people love their animals like family members. Now a Texas court has changed the game. The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth made a ruling in a case that gave dogs increased status above property. Dogster.com has the full story. One day the worst happened for an unnamed couple in the Fort Worth area. Their dog, Avery, … Continue reading →

What to Consider When Getting a Dog

I realized the other day that in my short time as families.com’s Pets Blogger I’ve talked a lot about being a responsible pet owner, and all the things a person should consider before getting a pet, without actually expounding on what those things are. So today I’m introducing a new recurring column on what to consider when getting a new pet. This month’s topic is dogs. Dogs are some of the most common pets, and they’re also one of the ones that come with the largest responsibilities, particularly in regards to time. I’ll start with what to consider after adopting … Continue reading →

More Foods That Are Fatal For Fido

Last time I talked about five common foods that are bad, if not fatal, to dogs. While some people may already be aware that things like chocolate and alcohol are bad for our furry friends, there were quite a few foods on the list I never thought twice about. After all, who would think that something as innocent as onion, garlic, or grapes could actually hurt your dog? Our pets are important to us and can change our lives in wondrous and happy ways, so we must be careful about what we feed them. For a full list of foods … Continue reading →

Why You Should Take a Dog with You When You Die

Recently Wayne was goofing around with our DVR again and decided to put it to use recording old Twilight Zone shows. Before he leaves for work most mornings, we sit in front of the TV and eat breakfast together. Sometimes we watch the news, but since that’s been too depressing lately we’ve been relying on whatever DVR recordings are in the queue for our morning entertainment. That’s how we came to find ourselves watching one of the Twilight Zone reruns Monday morning. No Dogs Allowed in Heaven It was called “The Hunt.” It’s about an old man and his dog … Continue reading →

In the Company of Dogs Early Holiday 2008 Catalog

In an effort to be more environmentally conscious this year, I opted out of a receiving a lot of my beloved catalogs in the mail. One I could not bear to go without, though, was In the Company of Dogs. I can’t afford hardly anything in it, but oh how I love browsing through it! Yesterday the Early Holiday 2008 catalog arrived. The cover touted over 100 new items. I didn’t pay much mind to that at first…until I realized I was earmarking just about every page. What kind of cool things caught my eye? Glad you asked. Let me … Continue reading →

Are Adoption Rules too Strict?

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If you decide to adopt a pet from a shelter (and I hope you do — there are plenty of great dogs, cats, and other pets out there that need loving homes), you may find yourself faced with a laundry list of criteria you have to meet. When my family adopted Becca back in the summer of 1997, we went to a local shelter called Jersey Shore Animal Center. Once we decided on which dog we wanted, we filled out an application. The shelter asked for contact information for our former family veterinarian (it had been more than ten years … Continue reading →

My Favorite Pet Blogs from the Past Year

Below is a list of my favorite articles I wrote during the past year, often with an explanation of what made them memorable. Five Non-Cash Ways to Help Animals/Shelters this Holiday Season: This was my first article to have a comment left on it. Is It Ever Okay to Kick a Dog?: This was my first article to ever get stars. The BMK Fund: This practice is very near and dear to my heart and it was neat to have a platform such as blogging for Families.com to share it on. How to Put Your Shopping Dollars to Work Helping … Continue reading →

Why Does My Dog Roll In Things?

I remember a trip to the park one time with Lally (this was in the few months when I just had her, before we found Moose). After a fun walk with our human friend Joe and his Bassett hound Cassie, Lally decided to end the adventure by rolling in something. I don’t know what it was but it smelled AWFUL. I dragged her home (it was a long and stinky walk) and carried her into the shower with me, since the apartment didn’t have a bathtub. Lucky for me, Lally only weighs around fifty-five pounds, so I could pick her … Continue reading →

Dog Breed: Mastiff

The Mastiff — also known as the Old English Mastiff — is an old breed. In England alone, the breed has been around for more than two thousand years as a watchdog. But the history of the Mastiff goes back farther than that! The breed is thought to come from Asia. Mastiffs are depicted on Egyptian monuments from around 3000 BC — which means that these dogs have a history that may be more than five thousand years long! In literature, the breed first appears in 1121 BC. When Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC, he wrote of courageous dogs … Continue reading →