Hopeful Henry: Be a responsible pet owner

Ask Henry:

It’s Responsible Pet Owners Month so I wanted to share my top ten things you need to do to be a responsible pet owner.

1) Being a responsible pet owner starts before you even get a pet. Make sure you pick a breed that fits with your lifestyle. Do you live in an apartment? If so I wouldn’t rush out and get a Great Dane. Always consider adopting from a shelter, there are so many animals looking for their forever homes. If you must go with a breeder make sure they are reputable!

2) Know the cost of owning a pet. Most people don’t truly know the cost of owning a pet, if you own a cat the cost of first year averages at $1,100 while a dog will run you about $1,800. These are conservative numbers and do not account for emergencies or major illness. Pets under the age of one-year-old are 2.5 times more likely to suffer an unexpected accident or injury than older pets. Get pet medical insurance, check with your Veterinarian for a suggestion of who to go with as they will have the best idea based on having to deal all the various company’s.

3) Responsible pet owners take their pets health seriously, bring your pets in for an annual health exams (or every 6 months for senior pets). Keep up with your oral pet’s health, just like with people dental health can make a huge difference to overall health. Since February is also Pet Dental Health Month, it is a great time to schedule that teeth cleaning for Fluffy and Fido. Don’t skip your pet’s annual medical exam. It is the only way you can catch problems early keeping your furry family member as healthy as possible.

4) Feed your pet a healthy, balanced, age appropriate diet. And don’t overfeed! Obesity is a big problem with pets and can lead to major health issues such as diabetes.

5) February 23rd is National Spay Day, make sure your pet is spayed (female) or Neutered (male). Not only are your helping save shelter pets lives by not letting your pet reproduce you are decreasing their odds of getting mammary or testicular cancer as well as other health issues (watch for my article “The Truth about Neutering” later this month for lots of great information on this topic).

6) Keep identification on your pets, check to see if the tags are legible and the phone numbers are current. There is nothing more frustrating than finding a lost animal with tags and a bad phone number. Microchip your pet, collars come off and many times this is the only way a shelter can find owner when they are turned in.

7) Be prepared. Have a pet first aid kit accessible at home and in the car when you are traveling with your pet. The Lake Tahoe Humane Society provides the community with free pet emergency preparedness kits, if you don’t have one stop by and pick one up.

8) Train your dog. Training is important in preventing behavior problems - unsocialized dogs can become nervous or aggressive around people. I strongly believe in positive reinforcement training and would urge people interested to call the Lake Tahoe Humane Society for recommendations in trainers that use this method.

9) Set a good example when you are in public with your pet, clean up after them! Leaving waste annoys other people, is unhealthy and here it is against the law!

10) Lastly, tell other people about Responsible Pet Owner Month, and encourage your friends to be responsible pet owners, too!

You can submit your questions or letters via e-mail to AskHenry@LakeTahoeHumaneSociety.org or by mail to P.O. Box PET South Lake Tahoe CA 96158. Follow us on FaceBook at www.FaceBook.com/LakeTahoeHumaneSocietySPCA you can also become a FaceBook friend of HopefulHenry at www.Facebook.com/Hopeful.Henry or follow us on Twitter @LtHumaneSociety