When you are looking to get a pet from a shelter you need to take extra precautions. You need to be caring and loving towards this animal because they are going to need some time and attention in order to feel loved. You have to understand the reason why the pet is in the shelter in the first place. They were probably abandoned or mistreated and then dropped off at the shelter.
Shelters are a great place to take pets that are found abused or abandoned. They are going to be safe there and find the help and the love that they need. However, they cannot stay at the shelter forever. They need to be adopted out and found a new and loving family that will take them home. Once the pet is placed with a new family, they will be better able to start their social skills and learn how to be around other people and even other animals in the home.
The pet shelters are going to give care for the animal and hopefully found a new and loving home. The different people that care for the animals at the shelter will make sure that the animals have good meals, are given baths and given love that they deserve.
The one thing that you should do when you get a pet from a shelter is taking them to the veterinarian. You need to do this so that you can determine if they are hurt or sick in any way. The vet should also be able to let you know what type of diet the animal should be on in order to get them healthy and ready for their new lifestyle. You should also make sure your pet is microchipped so it can be returned if lost.
When you are trying to figure out a plan to socialize the new pet with others around them you will have to take some time to figure this one out. You have to be careful because you do not want to rush things too much with the pet. You have to be considerate of their feelings and be able to give them the love and the attention that they require in order to feel safe and secure.
Once you get the animal home, you should give them time. You have to let them roam around the house and figure out where they are. Give them time to understand their surroundings and get used to the idea of being somewhere new. You will find that if you give the animal some time to get familiar with the home they will be more comfortable and give you more feedback.
Take time to get down with the animal and play with them. You want to touch them as much as you can without making them upset and be very cautious. You need to give them attention and love so that they can feel that they are safe with you. Play with them and maybe even give them a toy to toss around. When the animal has something to familiarize with, they will be more inclined to have fun and be more interactive with the people around them.
Be patient and allow your new pet to get comfortable with everything that is going on around them. Do not push them or force them to do anything. You want to make sure that they have what they need and that you are gradually bringing more people and other pets into their life. You want to take it one day at a time but with some patience and love you will find that your new friend will feel right at home and be glad they are no longer stuck in the shelter.
Filed under Animal Welfare, Pets at Home by 
In my position as the Health Science lecturer in a college in N.Ireland I lecture in Human Health and Animal Health. The Human Health Diploma course is vocational and entails the students working in Residential homes throughout the year. The Animal Health focuses on the health of animals and also their behavior.
When I visit the students it is usually to asses how they are settling into the home and interacting with the clients. Some weeks ago I happened to visit a home in a residential suburb of middle class Belfast.This home was a new one on my list and one that I had not visited before. It was a very attractive old redbrick Georgian house hidden down a side street off a busy road.
Each home has its own atmosphere and as I entered this one it immediately felt different. I really could not put my finger on the reason why until I knocked on the Managers door and entered her office. There on the carpet in front of me was a 6 inch high arching back hissing feline monster puffed up to three times its size and rather humorous in its display!
" Oh never mind Molly" says the manager, "she is one of our residents new kittens and a bit wild!" At that moment Molly took off across the floor,jumped onto the seat,from the seat to the table and behind the curtains. Wonderful I thought a residential home that has a pet!
Not one pet it seems, as I observed several pairs of eyes fixed on me from different corners of the room. Cages were on the floor against the wall and each cage had its own little blanket and water bowl. I could not believe my luck at coming across this home and this amazing lady who could see the benefits of pet ownership for her residents. A lady who also went against the grain.
Given that around 140,000 people a year in the UK are forced to give up their pets with 40,000 pets a year being put to sleep because their owners are going into care homes,having pets in a care home is something that rarely happens. It is actually a fact that I am totally appalled at.
For many older people a dog or a cat is what makes their home. Their pet is more than just a pet, he or she is their friend,a member of the family and a companion that is always there. Their pet is often a reason to get up in the morning and for many it can become their whole life.The Health benefits of owning a dog are known and for older people it is especially true. As well as lowering blood pressure and promoting exercise they also promote a feeling of well being that comes from loving and being loved in return. Dogs help people by listening to them by giving affection and by being a distraction.
It is therefore heartbreaking to know that in the UK most older people who enter homes not only have to give up their homes and their freedom but they have to give up their pets as well. So why if the Health benefits of owning pets is known do old age homes not allow the pets?
It boils down to concerns over disease and litigation if injury or illness occurred as a result of having animal contact. On researching this issue in my position in the college I have found this to be unfounded and in fact in the small percent of homes that allow dogs there have been few if any problems. In fact by allowing pets in the home huge benefits are passed to the residents creating a positive atmosphere in the home and greater social interaction between the staff and the residents. Growing older should focus on what a person can still do and not on what they cannot do. It should focus on what an older person can retain and for many of them it is their pet.
Here in the UK we are known as an animal loving nation,we care and spent a lot of money on our pets, Isn't it now time we start to demand that we keep them?
Look to other countries and you will find many that allow pets into homes. Countries such as France, Spain, Greece and USA have recognized the benefits of pet ownership and have enacted legislation demonstrating the rights of older people to keep their pets in sheltered or public housing.They have recognized that it becomes crucial for older people to retain as much normality and stability as possible.Their pet is their family and surely given the benefits of this relationship we could manage to facilitate and support these relationships?
Take one manager of a sheltered housing complex in Arizona, he went so far as to actively encourage the residents to adopt pets.He even drove them to the nearest animal shelter himself. A win win situation for the shelter and the home residents and maybe a possible outlet for all those abandoned animals that are looking for a home?
Filed under Pets at Home by
Regular grooming is alas often overlooked as an important and necessary aspect of pet ownership that should not be ignored. On the other hand, you may want to start a grooming business yourself. Pet grooming is an alternative pet business opportunity that is widely popular today, as more and more pet owners spend a lot of money to pamper their pets.
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