Are You a ‘Good’ Pet Owner?
We had a great response and a lot of interaction last year when we did a blog piece on responsible pet ownership, so I thought we could revisit it with a similar topic: what makes for a good pet owner? ‘Responsible’ is one thing – that’s like having a savings account, flossing and contributing to your 401(k) (in other words, a tad dull). But being a good pet owner? That’s like riding an albino shark over Niagara Falls while playing the Star-Spangled Banner on a solid-gold kazoo. In a word: awesome. (Also, dangerous: DO NOT DO.)
So, what characteristics make for a really good pet owner? It’s obviously more than just plopping down the puppy chow and scooping the litter box, right? There has to be that special connection, that spark of kindness that recognizes all that you get from your pets, and turns it around to benefit them. To me, a really good pet owner realizes the big part that pets play in a family and treats that pet (whether it is a dog, cat or one of the many cavorting wee beasties that people keep as pets) with a furry version of the same love that everyone in the family receives.
So, here I will offer up my criteria for what makes a good pet owner, and give you a peek into the world of my own pets to see how they fare. I currently have two dogs, two cats, three chickens and a snake (plus a whole bunch of fish) living on the premises.
Feel free in the comments section to let us know what sets you apart as a good pet owner – the special things you do for them to celebrate the fun and love that they bring to your family.
| My Minimum Standard | Dr. T’s Pets |
| Love: Snuggles and cuddles, you know the stuff. Plenty of one-on-one time on the couch, on walks, camping and at the park. | We watch the tube together, camp together, and the kids love playing with the dogs (except the 9 year old – he’s ‘too cool’ for that right now). I have lots of pics of the babies rolling around with the dogs on the living room floor. |
| Fun: Stuff they love to do that’s healthy for both of you – catch, laser pointer. | We do take our younger dog for play dates at a local kennel, but I don’t do enough with them myself. It’s going on the ‘to do’ list! I could use the exercise, too. |
| Planning: OK, so it’s a little like flossing, but planning what kind of pet you are getting and making sure they fit into your lifestyle are important! Don’t get a Great Dane if you live in a studio apartment! | Our medium-sized dogs get regular exercise in our yard and the cats are safe from predators and disease in our house. |
| Health: Making sure you can take care of them when they need it. You don’t have to break the bank on a brain transplant, but part of being a good pet owner is making sure they get good preventive care and good medical attention when they take ill. Preventing parasites and getting a yearly checkup equals good pet care in my book! | Our older dog just got the 100,000 mile service, and I can take them in to work when they need care. (Granted, I may have a slight advantage over the average pet owner in this department) |
-Photo Credit: From Mar Sension. This is Maddi and Wyatt celebrating Wyatt’s first birthday.
Tags: 01133, 07072, cat, dog, Fiproguard, fleaandtick, laser, pets, veterinarian, zoink
Also – a good pet owner does not overfeed their dog. So many people think food means love and then the dog learns that. A “good boy” or “good girl” is much better than constant treats.
If I walk by and a tail wags, I stop and I give and get some love. No matter where I am headed, I make sure to stop. Those are some of our special moments!
We absolutely make our pets part of the family! We make every foster a part of that mix too. We foster for 2 rescues, IN Sheltie Rescue and Dachshund Rescue of N America. We do photography and of course they are great models for us and love the treat part of the sessions of course! Anything for a treat..
We also train them to be social, loving and respectful. We are working on additional training and Lucky Steve the Wonderdog is our host Sheltiethat goes to nursing homes as a companion Sheltie and is a great mentor to our fosters that come in. We provide traditional and holistic medical care.. Spay and neuter 100% of them if not yet don.
Grooming, including spa days.. Massage from yours truly, which they appreciate and this helps them relax as well as any muscle soreness they may be experiencing. Great Holistic kibble (Fromm) and for and for our seniors we use holistic joint supplements. Arthritic aches that come along get traumeel (a great holistic anti inflammatory that helps with pain and swelling of the joints). We brush their teeth at least once every 3 days. We only give “healthy” treats.. NO Rawhide! No table food!
We use “Healthy coat” supplement liquid on their measured food twice daily.
Safety: All our pets are micro chipped, also wear 24pet watch tags you can scan with an iphone and a regular tag with their name and my #.
In a nutshell.. we love them as if they were human but realize they are pets and are in tune with them, they communicate with us even though they don’t talk! We understand what they desire.
We are mindful of their overall health and well being.
They are happy and a bit spoiled, but are respectful and loving too.
A nice balance for all!
We also spend alot of time helping other rescues with auctions, rummage sales and photography events to help fund pets in need, or our latest event will be to help build a dog park in a nearby city!
I feel like we are pretty good pet owners as well as advocates for other pets in need!
Sincerely,
Kim Washburn & Ken Chambers
Noblesville, IN
I just read my post and would love to be able to fix my typos.. Sorry! You can only see a bit of what you’re typing since the comment box is small.
A good dog owner trains their dogs and the relationship shows in the happy interaction between the two. A good dog owner socializes their dogs so they realize the world is not a scary place. As previously mentioned, a good pet owner keeps their animals at a healthy weight and fitness level, feeding quality food (not just the cheapest food to be found). A good dog owner puts as much thought and effort into the relationship with their pets as they do with the humans in their life.
Yes I an the “BEST” pet . I have three Daytona, Nevaeh and Ciara. What makes me the best…l live my life around them. They get to go for their walks, fed and all the LOVE they need. I adopted Ciara she was out of time and days before the shelter was going to euthanize her. She was from Florida transported to Gaylord Michigan.
Who can say they give their dogs kisses all day long??? I can 😉