Responsible Pet Owner

Photo from City of Grand Prairie

What does it take to be a responsible animal? For myself, I have two pets a dog and a hamster. 

                                        

                                                 Ice
                                                (Japanese Spitz)

Pancake
(Syrian dwarf)

 
Ice is 7 years old this year and Pancake is 3 months old!

As much I love animals, I know that it has a lot of responsibility to own one. There are many factors to consider as it is a lifelong commitment towards them. Factors are such as the basic needs of the pet and the well being of them. 

How does this affect being a good citizen? Well, it plays a big role in it.

Due to some actions of the pet owner and the pet, it may cause some misunderstanding. For example, owning a dog might cause unhappiness between neighbours if the dog is not well trained. It may be due to the constant barking of the dog that is disturbing the neighbours. 

Residents may get upset with dog's faeces lying around the floor without being cleared as well.
I have seen some dogs that are unleashed and run around the neighbourhood. It might frighten those who are afraid of dogs and also unhappiness to the Muslim. As they are not allowed to have any physical contact with a dog. Even though some Muslims may not be as strict, It would still cause an inconvenience to them.
This is a poster that I recently saw around my house estate. A few days ago, I was chatting with another dog owner named, Derrick. He shared with me that there was a guy who shouted at him " WASH! CLEAN! " when his dog was peeing. Derrick calmly told him that it is not necessary to shout. At the time, Derrick did not have any water to rinse the pee away. Thus, he said he does not have any water to do it and walked away. To my surprise, the guy threatened the owner to kill his dog. This incident really allowed us to reflect and improve ourselves in being better responsible pet owners.

In my opinion,
I think that the guy that shouted who shouted should have talked nicely to Derrick. And also as a pet owner myself, I would only pick up my dog faeces and would not normally clean up his pee. It might seem a little absurd to clean the urine as well. As we do not bring water down with us while walking the dogs. But after some thoughts, a dog's urine might cause unhappiness among the residents as well. However, I feel that it is fine if a dog urine on the grass. Maybe this is something we should discuss when I meet Derrick again. Probably we can bring a small water bottle to rinse the urine away on the floor or the corner of the wall. I feel that Derrick could have explained to the guy why we do not clean our dog's urine as we do not have a habit to that and maybe the guy who shouted will understand.

Being the best pet owner

The first step to being an outstanding pet owner, according to Dr Becker, is taking responsibility. Research on your pet breed knowing what is their characters, the number of walks they need, the portion of food they eat and their maintenance. Knowing the basics of your pet’s upkeep ensures you won’t be caught off guard by troubling behaviour. 

Learning to detect your pet's stress helps too. Major indicators of stress to watch out for include Excessive yawning, licking of lips, shaking dry when not wet, trembling, avoiding or hiding or Hardening of the eyes.

You can reduce their stress by for example If you have a vet visit, “don’t get the carrier out the night before,” give them a few days to get prepared. If they’re nervous alone or travelling, play soothing music, or draw the shades. The fewer stimulus pets receive from the outside world, the less anxiety they’ll have about events outside their control.

Control the pet's reproduction to avoid overpopulation which may lead to them being abandon.  

Some breeds have a harder time socializing than others, but nobody benefits from an antisocial pet. Dr Becker offered these techniques for introducing your pet to strangers:

• Meet on neutral territory, where nobody feels territorial.
• With humans (read: mail carriers), give them the treat to feed your pet.
• With other animals, time and patience are key. Reward calm behaviour

Here are some tips to be a responsible pet owner when walking your dog and make our community a better place!

1. Socialization and appropriate training for your pet to facilitate their well-being and the well-being of other animals and people. 
2. Preventing your pet from negatively impacting other people, animals and the environment. This includes proper waste disposal and noise control.

Objective

As a citizen, we should spare a thought for our neighbour and the people around us that might be affected due to our negligence. Thus, being responsible pet owner would contribute a lot towards the society. And what I have realised is also how I get to know more of the neighbours in my estate whenever I walk my dog, Ice. This is also another way of bonding with them and getting to know them well. As at times, we might need their help one day since they are living the closest among us. I feel that maintaining a good relationship with our neighbours is crucial. It also allowed the neighbourhood to become much more joyful and livelier! As whenever I go to school, I would bump into my neighbour from another block and she would always say have fun in school which did really make my morning.

References

• URLhttps://www.purina.com/about-purina/better-with-pets/11-ways-to-be-the-best-pet-owner
• Website TitlePurina
• Article Title11 Ways to be the Best Pet Owner: Advice from Dr. Marty Becker
• Date AccessedJuly 14, 2018
• URLhttps://www.gptx.org/city-government/city-departments/animal-services/responsible-pet-ownership
• Website TitlePublic Art | City of Grand Prairie
• Article TitleResponsible Pet Ownership
• Date AccessedJuly 14, 2018
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