There are a number of basic things you should know about your pet dog. Here are the top ten:

1. First of all, a dog is not a human in disguise. A dog is a dog and he will never change his dog behavior because you don’t treat him like a dog. A dog’s psyche is hardly comparable to a human’s psyche. Also, he is not a baby and he won’t understand you if you tell him in all details that he has to stay in the car while you are going into the store andyou will be back in about five minutes.

2. A dog has an extremely sensitive nose. He can even smell the chemistry in your body. You sure know the phrase that a dog can smell your fear. That is very close to the truth because he can smell even smallest concentrations of butyric acid in your perspiration. And if you are in fear of something, you will inevitably have amounts of butyric acid in your sweat and a canine will inevitably smell that.

3. Running and exercising is the favorite pastime of every healthy dog. So walk your dog as long as you can – he will love you!

4. Most of the day – at least 12 hours – the common dog spends sleeping. So don’t wonder if you see your dog almost all of the day snoozing on his bed. But hey.. if no one decides to play with him or let him herd some sheep.. what should he do all day long?

5. As you know, there are many different breeds of dogs that have been created over thousands of years. Every single breed has its own unique abilities and physical appearance. For example, the German Shepherd is built for herding sheep and similar animals. His power, speed and intelligence are oriented on the needs of herding. In the same way, the dachshund’s physique is ideal for getting into foxes’ dens and drive the foxes out straight into the arms of the awaiting hunters.

6. What a dog definitely needs to maintain a healthy body and mind, is a pack and especially a leader. I wil lexplain to you how to act as the pack leader in another article in the near future – you will find it here on the site!

7. Don’t feed your dog bones of chicken or other poultry bones as it is possible that this type of bone can – due to their physical attributes – easily splinter and these splinters can damage the canine esophagus. These injuries can be very serious, so don’t risk it!

8. Also, don’t give a dog your table scraps. First, it is not your personal garbage can. Second, this behavior makes sure your dog will get bad teeth and will grow fat. And you don’t want to have a fat dog with yellow teeth, do you? It’s for his and your own good if you resist his health and good looks.

9. Chocolate is poison for dogs! But still it is as tasty to them as it is for you. As a caring dog owner, don’t let your dog come close to chocolate! Also, onions, grapes and raisins should never be fed to a dog. The reason of the toxicity of these foods is the chemical theobromine, that is similar to caffeine which most animals can only hardly and slow digest.

10. This is the last and most important hint for dog owners. Reward your dog instead of punishing it. Neither you nor your dog will improve in any way, if you begin to shout at him, beat him or lock him into somewhere for punishment. Instead, you should reward him when he has done something right. BUT that does not mean you should let your dog do everything. Show him the limits with determination and conviction, not with scared or angry screaming.

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Try to gather the following information before submitting a report of animal cruelty:

A concise, written, factual statement of what you observed—giving dates and approximate times whenever possible—to provide to law enforcement.

Photographs of the location, the animals in question and the surrounding area. However, please do not put yourself in danger! Do not enter another person’s property without permission, and exercise great caution around unfamiliar animals who may be frightened or in pain.

If you can, provide law enforcement with the names and contact information of other people who have firsthand information about the abusive situation.

Remember, never give away a document without making a copy for yourself!

 
Can I remain anonymous when I file a complaint about animal cruelty?

Yes, you can, and it is better to file an anonymous report than to do nothing—but please consider providing your information to the agency taking the complaint. These agencies have limited resources, and the case is more likely to be pursued when there are credible witnesses willing to stand behind the report and, if necessary, testify in court about what they may have witnessed.

 
If I report my suspicions that a neighbor is committing animal cruelty, and that person’s animal is taken away and put in a shelter, isn’t the animal worse off?

It’s important to understand that reporting cruelty is always the right thing to do. Because of the burden it places on the system, animal control officers do not want to remove an animal from a home unless absolutely necessary. If an animal is taken from his or her owner, there was a substantial problem. A seized animal will have the chance to get the necessary help, whether that help is nutritional, medical or behavioral. Also, if an intervention by law enforcement leads to a conviction, you may inadvertently have helped spare other animals from the same abuse: in many states, convicted animal abusers are barred from owning pets.

 
Is there anything specific I can say when I make a report of animal cruelty to persuade law enforcement to take it seriously?

Yes—let them know that you are taking the incident seriously. Make it clear that you are very interested in pursuing the case and that you are willing to lend assistance however you can. Although law enforcement agencies must pay attention to anonymous reports of serious crimes, including animal cruelty, they are more likely to follow up on cases where there are credible witnesses willing to stand behind the report and, if necessary, testify in court about what they may have witnessed.

Provide law enforcement with a concise, written statement of what you observed, giving dates and approximate times whenever possible. If you can do so without entering another person’s property without their permission, you may wish to photograph the location, the animals and the surrounding area. If you can, provide law enforcement with the names and contact information for other people who have firsthand information about the situation.

How should I follow up on my report of animal cruelty?

When you report animal cruelty, it’s a good idea to keep a careful record of exactly whom you contacted, the date of the contacts, copies of any documents you provided to law enforcement or animal control, and the content and outcome of your discussion. This will make following up much easier.

Hundreds if not thousands of stray dogs are found each year around the world with no one in sight and nowhere to go. These dogs are often in great danger whether it’s because of neglect on the owners’ behalf, or because of unforeseen circumstances causing the dog to become lost and scared.

What can be done in these situations can be a tricky choice, and a choice that will need to be done quickly. Simply driving past a suspected stray dog on the side of the road could end in the death of the dog minutes later.

What to do when you find a stray dog is different in almost every case, but there are guidelines to follow to help save the life of a scared stray, and put the mind of the loving owner at ease.

Helping Stray Dogs

To begin you should always be aware that the dog in question may be very aggressive due to being scared, lost, and possibly very hungry, so approach with care. If you feel the dog is not a violent one then you should still be very careful not to startle or scare the dog in any way, a scared dog could easily run onto a busy road or dangerous area.

A good way to reassure the dog you are not there to harm them and to get them close is to use a strong smelling food such as tuna or other dog favourites as well as speaking gently and calmly to the dog.

When you finally get the dog under control and have no fears of aggressive behavior, reassuring the dog by stroking and talking to them will make it easier for others to deal with them. If you have leash or any other form of dog control with you then try and secure the dog with them, still being careful not to scare the dog.

When you have successfully captured the dog or if you have had other problems making it difficult to capture then you should phone for help from the local animal care or control authority to ensue the correct procedures are met and the safety of the animal will be secure.

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For more information visit our dog training website at this link… Dog Training

Many pet parents are known to select a random date to celebrate their adopted dog’s birthday, such as a significant occasion, a family member’s birthday, a special holiday that reflects the dog’s personality, or in many cases, the date on which they adopted the animal. Now, pet owners can truly designate a celebratory canine holiday, DOGust the 1st.

To engage all dog lovers nationwide in the celebration, North Shore Animal League America is offering DOGust the 1st online greeting cards at www.AnimalLeague.org featuring an original song, “Happy Birthday, Doggie Dear,” created exclusively for DOGust the 1st by Academy and Tony Awards-nominated composer Henry Krieger and lyricist Willie Reale. Mr. Krieger, who recently adopted his dog Freddie from the Animal League, has written the music for several Broadway shows, including Dreamgirls, The Tap Dance Kid and Side Show and won a 2007 Grammy Award.

Celebrants can also order a creatively-themed doggie gift box from sponsor ARFdog www.arfdog.com that says “I love you” in a unique way, or coax a big kiss from their best friend with a birthday bouquet from www.1800flowers.com . Save 10% by ordering with Promotion Code NSAL with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Animal League. In addition, online visitors to www.AnimalLeague.org can cast their vote for the 2009 King or Queen DOGust the 1st.

At DOGust the 1st national headquarters in Port Washington, NY the Animal League is celebrating the occasion as a family fun day, with a Pet Health Fair, kids’ activities, adoptable animals and a special DOGust the 1st birthday cake under a country-fair tent. The Animal League, the world’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption organization, will be offering canine health and wellness information through demonstrations, “Ask the Experts” sessions, and special services at its own Pet Health Center. Among the experts who will be on hand will be celebrity dentist Dr.Jennifer Jablow and dog stylist Jorge Bendersky, from Animal Planet’s Groomer Has It. 

To learn more about DOGust the 1st and the Animal League and its mission to rescue, nurture and adopt approximately 20,000 animals annually visit, www.AnimalLeague.org.

Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center online to email your representative now.

Typical dog farm conditions: young dogs crammed into wire cages all their lives.

Recently, a high school student in South Korea contacted KARA (Korea Animal Rights Advocates) about a dog farm next to his school. Students can see the dog farm, hear dogs barking all day, and hear louder cries once every 3 days (most likely when the slaughtering of dogs is taking place). An awful smell reaches the school playground from the dog farm.

You can read the whole story and see pictures by following this link: http://animalrightskorea.org/actions/dog-farm-near-high-school.html

This is only one example of the abuse of animals out of hundreds of cases: dogs of different breeds are kept on farms across Korea in horrible conditions, without proper food or clean water and in filthy steel cages. KARA has

A mother with pups born into a dog hell. This beagle once again proves that dog meat supporters are lying when they say that only "special" kinds of dogs are raised and killed in the dog meat industry.

reported this farm to the officials. The farmer can be penalized if he does not have a permit for his dog farm.

*Download and distribute flyers to people in your local community. Get them at: http://www.uniteddogs.com/stopkillingdogs/get-involved

*Join Stop Killing Dogs support page on Facebook to keep yourself updated with the latest news: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-Killing-Dogs-supporters-page/235848430651

KARA and other organizations are fighting for a better life for dogs in Korea every day. But they need more than local efforts to ensure proper legal protection for these animals and make dog farms illegal. The government of Korea tries to ignore the problem, so to help Korean dogs

A scared tiny dog that was perhaps once someone's pet. The same is true of the poor Maltese in horrific circumstances below.

we need international pressure.

The petition at www.uniteddogs.com/stopkillingdogs has already collected over 350,000 signatures.

If all of you find 1 person to sign, there will be 700,000 signatures by tomorrow.

Thank you for spreading the word