Firstly, a pet like any other animal needs to eat and shit. They have a daily schedule that needs to be attended to. Like for example, my pet dog eats 2 meals a day, once in the morning and once in the night. He gets his shower on Saturdays. So, caring for a pet actually encourages nurturance, responsibility and adherence to a daily schedule. This is especially a solid reason for you to convince your parent to get that pet you’ve been wanting.

Secondly, pets improve a person’s mood. No matter how angry, sad or stressed out you may be, spending time with your pet will put your focus and attention on it. There are actually 2 things that can suddenly improve your mood. One is a pet and the other is a baby. In this case, adopting a pet is easily more attainable than a baby.

Lastly, the third reason why you should own a pet is for accompaniment. This is especially beneficial to the elderly. Pets make you feel accepted every time. For example, my pet dog is usually left hanging around alone in the compound of my house. Even if you leave him alone the whole day, he will still come and lick me whenever I’m around. If that’s not love, then I don’t know what is. Pets are also good listeners. Sharing your burden with it helps to alleviate your mind and put you at peace.

Below is a list of the top 10 pets that are adoptable. If you are still petless, you may want to consider adopting one of the below.

Dogs



The man’s best friend is a highly social animal. They are trainable and playful at the same time. The loyalty and devotion that dogs demonstrate as part of their natural instincts as pack animals closely mimics the human idea of love and friendship which leads many dog owners to view their pets as full-fledged family members. The eagerness to please and worshiping their owners in return for a little food and attention alone is enough be included as a family member.

Cats



Cats are vain, fastidious and proud domestic animals. Having a cat curled up on your lap hits you with a sense of calm. A cat does as it pleases and it is actually an honor when you are chosen as a cat’s friend. More often than not, cats express affection to their owners only if they are already in its memory at a very young age and are treated with consistent affection.

Ferrets



Ferrets are energetic, curious, interested in their surroundings, and have an endearing behaviour to seek to play with humans. Ferrets sleep for 16 hours day and are usually most active during dusk and dawn. However, they are very active when awake and will seek to be released from their cage to exercise and satisfy their abundant curiosity daily.

Due to their nesting instinct, ferrets enjoy carrying small objects to hidden locations. They also like to play tug of war with toys or stuffed animals and explore holes, pipes and enclosed areas.

Hamsters / Gerbils / Guinea Pigs



Hamster – Bites and you need to work with them in order for this to stop. Hamsters prefer to be alone. These are more fun to watch playing in tubes and fancy cages.



Gerbil – Incredibly sweet but nippy at the beginning. They are great fun to watch chew up cardboard but will also chew any plastic they can get their teeth on. A mini theme park cage is a no-no. Tubes can easily become escape pods. They like attention from you and will stand up when you come around. They also enjoy coming out of their cage for some supervised time out on the couch. Oh, and they breed by the thousands!



Guinea Pig – Loving, needs and loves attention from you. Cute, friendly and easy to hold. They are bigger than hamsters and gerbils and that makes them easier to cuddle with. They are quite noisy when they want to be and they do tend to smell a bit. If I had to choose between these 3, I’d go for guinea pigs.

Tortoise / Terrapins



Terrapin – Found in most home tanks. They live mainly on land but need water to wet themselves with. They are both carnivorous and vegetarian, eating small fishes, water weeds and algae.



Tortoise – A land creature that is strictly vegetarian and hibernates through winter. Common tortoise species like the tropical tortoise does not hibernate. They make good garden pets as they eat up the weeds.

Fish



It’s most suitable for pet-loving people who don’t have enough time or money for a more interactive pet like a cat or dog. They are relatively easier to care for. Fish are colourful, intriguing and brings about a soothing presence in the room. Why do you think there is usually a fish tank in dentist offices?

Rabbits



While they are certainly easier to manage than dogs, they still require some attention. As they nib a lot, you may need to protect electric cords with casings or they may get fried. They require exercise to refrain from depression. An owner should be willing to pamper the rabbit with petting and play.

Parakeets



Parakeets are usually most active at dawn and dusk and their sweet voices are usually heard during those times. If they are kept in an aviary, these are the times they usually fly. During other parts of the day they remain relatively sedentary. They may also give a sharp high-pitched alarm call if they are startled, and also twitter cutely when they eat. Caring for a parakeet is easy.

Sugar Gliders



They are small, relatively easy to care for, and have a cute appearance. They make very good social, playful and entertaining pets. Sugar gliders are fairly clean, healthy and can live up to 14 years. However, their nails are sharp and require trimming. It may be a little painful when they land on you. All sugar gliders require a proper diet or they may face a potential problem stemming from a phosphorus / calcium imbalance.

Ground Squirrels



These cute and furry animals are inquisitive and very intelligent. Though they require a great deal of attention, they are relatively easy to domesticate and seem to enjoy being around humans. Ground squirrels are highly social pets. As they are susceptible to internal and external parasites, they have to visit the vet regularly. Do check whether if it is legal to own one in your state first before considering one.

1. Start training your puppy early on. While old dogs can be taught new tricks, what’s learned earliest, is often learned quickest and easiest. Moreover, the older the dog, the more bad habits will likely need to be “un-learned”. When it comes to raising and training a dog, an ounce of problem prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure!




2. Train your dog gently and humanely, and whenever possible, teach him using positive, motivational methods. Keep obedience sessions upbeat so that the training process is enjoyable for all parties involved. If training your pooch is a drudgery, rev things up a bit, and try the “playtraining” approach: incorporate constructive, non-adversarial games (such as “Go Find”, “Hide ‘n’ Seek”, retrieving, etc.) into your training sessions.




3. Does your dog treat you like “hired help” at home? Does he treat you like a human gymnasium when you’re sitting on the furniture? Does he beg at the table? Jump up on visitors? Demand your attention by annoying you to death? Ignore your commands? How well your dog responds to you at home affects his behavior outdoors as well. If your dog doesn’t respond reliably to commands at home (where distractions are relatively minimal), he certainly won’t respond to you properly outdoors where he’s tempted by other dogs, pigeons, passersby, sidewalk food scraps, etc.




4. Avoid giving your dog commands that you know you cannot enforce. Every time you give a command that is neither complied with nor enforced your dog learns that commands are optional.




5. One command should equal one response, so give your dog only one command (twice max!), then gently enforce it. Repeating commands tunes your dog out (as does nagging) and teaches your dog that the first several commands are a “bluff ‘. For instance, telling your dog to “Sit, sit, sit, sit!”, is neither an efficient nor effective way to issue commands. Simply give your dog a single “Sit” command and gently place or lure your dog into the sit position, then praise/reward.




6. Avoid giving your dog combined commands which are incompatible. Combined commands such as “sit-down” can confuse your dog. Using this example, say either “sit” or “down”. The command “sit-down” simply doesn’t exist.




7. When giving your dog a command, avoid using a loud voice. Even if your dog is especially independent/unresponsive, your tone of voice when issuing an obedience command such as “sit”,”down” or “”stay”, should be calm and authoritative, rather than harsh or loud.

   NOTE: Many owners complain that their dogs are “stubborn”, and that they “refuse to listen” when given a command. Before blaming the dog when he doesn’t respond to a command, one must determine whether or not: a) the dog knows what the owner wants, b) he knows how to comply, c) he is not simply being unresponsive due to fear, stress or confusion.




8. Whenever possible, use your dog’s name positively, rather than using it in conjunction to reprimands, warnings or punishment. Your dog should trust that when it hears its name or is called to you, good things happen. His name should always be a word he responds to with enthusiasm, never hesitancy or fear.




9. Correct or, better yet, prevent the (mis)behavior, don’t punish the dog. Teaching and communication is what it’s all about, not getting even with your dog. If you’re taking an “it’s-you-against-your dog, whip ‘em into shape” approach, you’ll undermine your relationship, while missing out on all the fun that a motivational training approach can offer. Additionally, after-the-fact discipline does NOT work.




10. When training one’s dog, whether praising or correcting, good timing is essential. Take the following example: You’ve prepared a platter of hors d’oeuvres for a small dinner party, which you’ve left on your kitchen counter. Your dog walks into the room and smells the hors d’oeuvres. He air-sniffs, then eyes the food, and is poised to jump up. This is the best, easiest and most effective time to correct your dog: before he’s misbehaved, while he’s thinking about jumping up to get the food.




11. Often, dog owners inadvertently reinforce their dogs’ misbehavior, by giving their dogs lots of attention (albeit negative attention) when they misbehave. Needless to say, if your dog receives lots of attention and handling when he jumps up on you, that behavior is being reinforced, and is therefor likely to be repeated.




12. Keep a lid on your anger. Never train your dog when you’re feeling grouchy or impatient. Earning your dog’s respect is never accomplished by yelling, hitting, or handling your dog in a harsh manner. Moreover, studies have shown that fear and stress inhibit the learning process.

Train Your Dog Correctly
Tips for a well behaved dog

Talking Dogs
‘I love you mama’

Alcohol



During weekends, I enjoy mixing my own cocktail of ‘Kahlua’, ‘Bailey’s’ and milk while watching football games. Sometimes, out of curiosity, I would pour a little into my dog’s bowl and see if it can get drunk. Now I know that alchohol can lead to injury, disorientation, sickness, urination problems or even coma or death from alcohol poisoning. Some dogs may be attracted to alcoholic drinks so don’t leave one setting where a dog can reach it.

Bones



I feed my dog once a day. Usually after lunch, I will give all the leftover chicken bones to it. I thought it would be safe because he is still alive today. Now I know that cooked bones can be very hazardous for your dog. Bones become brittle when cooked which causes them to splinter when broken. The splinters have sharp edges that have been known to become stuck in the teeth, caused choking when caught in the throat or caused a rupture or puncture of the stomach lining or intestinal tract. Exceptionally bad bones are turkey and chicken legs, ham, pork chop and veal.

Cat Food



I don’t have cats but know that cat food is not formulated for canine consumption. It is generally too high in protein and fats and is not a balanced diet for a dog.

Chocolate



My house has a lot of chocolates given by relatives and friends in their travels. Sometimes, when a chocolate is near expiry, I will feed my dog again. Luckily, he is still alive. =) Now I know that, cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are the most toxic forms. These forms of chocolate contain ten times more theobromine than milk chocolate. Even licking a substantial part of the chocolate icing from a cake can make a dog sick. The next most dangerous forms are semi-sweet chocolate and dark chocolate, with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. A dog needs to eat more than a 250gm block of milk chocolate, however the high amount of fat found in milk chocolate can lead to an attack of pancreatitis.

Raw Eggs



After gym, I’ll usually eat all the boiled egg whites and give my dog the yolk. It is only the raw eggs that should not be given to a dog.

Onions



All forms of onion can be a problem including dehydrated onions, raw onions, cooked onions and table scraps containing cooked onions and/or garlic. Left over pizza, Chinese dishes and commercial baby food containing onion, sometimes fed as a supplement to young pets, can cause illness.

Salt



Too much salt is bad too. Mainly, iodized salt and salty foods can cause stomach ailments and pancreatitis. Some dogs, especially large breeds, have been known to gulp too much water after eating salty foods and developed a life threatening condition called bloat during which the stomach fills with gas and twists, leading to a painful death unless emergency treatment is received immediately.

Tobacco Products



No one in my house smokes so I’m not really concerned about tobacco products. Anyways cigarette butts, cigars, pipe tobacco, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and chewing tobacco can be fatal to dogs if ingested. Signs of nicotine poisoning can appear within an hour and include hyperactivity, salivation, panting, vomiting and diarrhea. Advanced signs include muscle weakness, twitching, collapse, coma, increased heart rate and cardiac arrest.

Tomatoes



There were a few times where I caught my mum feeding the dog a whole tomato. Little did she know that these contain atropine which can cause dilated pupils, tremors and irregular heartbeat. The highest concentration of atropine is found in the leaves and stems of tomato plants, next is the unripe (green) tomatoes and then the ripe tomato.

“Yum yum. *Licks tongue*. I like.”

“Thirsty. Thirsty. waterrrr…”

“Damn! Can’t I shit in peace!?”

After a walk in the park, playing catch, chasing birds and 1 hour of tv.