Shout About Pets

Electric shock collars designed to shock misbehaving pets such as cats and dogs into obedience have been officially banned in Wales. These sort of behavioural techniques are popular in America, but pet owners in Wales could face a £20,000 fine if they are caught using them.

Whilst those in support of the collars claim they are useful in terms of modifying dangerous behaviour, animal rights groups such as the Kennel Club and the RSPCA claim that using the collars is inherently cruel, as they cause a great amount of unnecessary shock, pain, distress and suffering to the animal.

They instead suggest long-term, reward based training schemes for modifying the behaviour of naughty pets.

According to a new study conducted by Erika Friedmann, a professor at the University of Maryland in the US, pets can actually make you healthier and happier. The results of the study suggested the following:

• Pet owners suffering from mild hypertension had lower blood pressure when they had their faithful animal companions with them in stressful situations
• People of all ages experience less stress when a pet is present
• The presence of a friendly pet tends to make most people feel more comfortable in social situations

Speaking of her own dog, Friedmann explained:

“Without my four-legged friend, I wouldn’t do anything,” she says. “She makes me more social, and she makes me more active.”

There are numerous ways to keep your pet safe while travelling, not even travelling, people look at cages as being cruel as it restricts movement etc, the only reason people look at them like this is simply because they used to be used as cruel apparatus.

As I said cages are a good way of keeping your pet safe and out of harms way, for example if you are in the car and driving a long distance, you do not want the dog / cat climbing everywhere for their own safety, they would more than likely jump out of the window into a neighborhood they do not know, or if you are on the motorway they would jump out to certain death.

I have experience of the above as one of my cats did exactly that and jumped out while we were stopped at traffic lights, this was back when I myself thought it was cruel to put them in a cage, I parked up and tried to find him but he had disappeared and I never saw him again.

This is why animal cages are very necessary because no matter how cute a pet can be, they are dumb regardless of how many tricks they can do, or open the door with their paws!

What is it about animal these days we just love to spoil them, don’t we? When looking at the market there mountains of websites and products aimed just for pampering your pets
Recently my friend was moving house and was contemplating what furniture would fit and what really was either ready for chucking or else wouldn’t fit.
As the deco in the new place was all very moderns she really just wanted an excuse to get rid and start a fresh. Lucky of you have the budget, MTV cribs have a lot to answer for. Anyway there are basic items that one would natural think of would the sofa fit, will the Bedroom Furniture look out of place, but she went a step further… will the dog bed look out of place in the back bedroom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I don’t know what alarmed me more about that sentence, the fact that the dog bed had to match the room or the fact that her pooch had its own bedroom!
Following which we are now on the hunt for the perfectly dog bed and the new sofa has gone on a back burner! I have found four poster beds with leather head boards, seen brass legs beds in the shape of crown and even miniature over paddered couches.

But the best thing I have found has to be the miniature ‘antique’ wardrobe I have found with draws and actually hanging rail inside
I am pleased to report my friend decided it was a tad old fashioned looking but gave us a giggle all the same

Most children will covet the idea of owning a pet of some sort at some time.  If you decide to introduce an animal friend to your home not only will your children be delighted but they will experience the many benefits that animal ownership can bring.  Children absorb information rapidly and will enjoy learning how to care for their pet and in the long term grow to appreciate and respect all living creatures.  It is a great gift to develop this nurturing behaviour in children as it has been found in studies to promote good social behaviour and a general responsible attitude to other in later years.

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Whether you have a guinea pig, a cat or a dog, no matter what type of pet you have when buying toys you need to take care.  Unlike children’s toys there are no safety restrictions or standards imposed on manufacturers of animal toys and your pet can be at risk if you don’t check out the toys before you buy.

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It’s a terrible feeling when you realise your pet has gone missing.  I’ve had two such experiences.  One instance was when my dog Tashi appeared to have escaped through the garden gate.  We searched high and low in the neighbouring area and when I had just about given up I trekked back home with a heavy heart only to be greeted by a distant yap from upstairs.  Tashi had managed to clamber upstairs and hearing my calls and realising he wasn’t allowed upstairs had kept steadfastly quiet!  I was so relieved to see him I quite forgot to reprimand him for being somewhere he shouldn’t be!  My second experience wasn’t as happy an outcome.  My cat Tabitha went missing and was found some days later a few streets away.  She had been knocked down and killed.

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There’s no way round it.  You’re very unlikely to get a pet that actually enjoys going to the vets.  Most animals will soon cotton on to the signs that you are about to whisk them away to their least favourite place.  If you find that you feel a little tense when you go your pet will pick up on that too.

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The nights have started drawing and the dreaded fireworks have already begun in my neighbourhood!  Your pet may not be affected by the noise of fireworks but in the main most animals will find the loud banging disturbing and frightening so you need to take precautions:

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We are becoming and increasingly portly nation and this now includes our pets with fifty per cent being obese.  It can cause more harm than simply making your pet puff a little when it exercises.  There are a plethora of obesity related illnesses that can plague your pet from low energy to heart disease to osteoarthritis to diabetes. 

For a cat putting on just 1 kg is the equivalent to a woman putting on 16kg so you can see how quickly things can get out of hand. 

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