pet connection

Every dog and cat owner knows it’s true: a tired pet is a good pet. And to that end we buy balls and laser pointers, stuff cheese inside of Kong balls, and put the empty grocery bags on the floor. But what about pet birds? From this week’s Pet Connection newspaper feature:

(A)s important as toys are for dogs and cats, they’re even more essential to those who spend a great deal of time in cages that can never be big enough for a pet whose ancestors had the sky as their home.

No parrot can ever be happy, in other words, without toys.

Playthings are essential to maintaining the physical and mental well-being of parrots large and small. They help keep pet birds fit while fighting the boredom that can contribute to behavioral and health problems such as feather-picking.

Although you can buy toys by major manufacturers from the big chain stores, it’s also nice to choose from the variety of playthings lovingly made by a cottage industry of bird lovers and available from independent bird shops, through catalogs and on the Internet. You can even make your own!

The Labrador retriever continues to dominate the American Kennel Club’s list of top ten dog breeds:

1. Labrador retriever
2. Yorkshire terrier
3. German shepherd
4. Golden retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Dachshund
8. Bulldog
9. Poodle
10. Shih tzu

Susan Tripp, MS, and Rolan Tripp DVM consider the effect of neutering on canine aggression problems, and share tips on training your dog to come when called. Then Gina asks, are you sure an active dog breed is right for your family?

Your dog barks non-stop. Your dog digs, ruining your yard. Your dog chews anything he can get his teeth on. What’s missing from this picture? Chances are, it’s exercise.

While environmental management (such as removing barking triggers or giving a dog something acceptable to chew) and training your dog are important, these strategies are only part of the solution. When dogs don’t get the exercise they need, it causes problems.

If you’re thinking of getting a dog, think very seriously about what breed you want and whether you can provide an active dog with the exercise it needs. If you can’t honestly say that your dog will get 30 minutes of heart-thumping aerobic exercise at least three to four days a week — daily is better — then you really ought to reconsider getting an active breed.

Instead, consider the alternatives.

Dr. Marty Becker and Mikkel Becker Shannon warn that forensic science may be used in the future to nail dog poop scofflaws:

People can now can now walk without worrying about dog poop in the streets of Petah Tikva, Israel, now that they’re using science to pick up where the dogs left off. Veterinary Economics magazine reports that the city has launched a six-month trial that asks residents to take their dogs to a veterinarian to collect DNA. The information is then used in a database aimed at matching feces to dogs and identifying each dog’s owner. Owners who pick up their dog droppings and deposit them in specially marked bins will be eligible for rewards of pet food coupons and dog toys. Droppings left in the street could earn the dog’s owner a fine. The city is considering requiring DNA samples from all dogs if the trial run is successful.

All this and more, in our Pet Connection newspaper feature, which you can read right here.

You can also see it exactly the way we send it to our client newspapers here. (PDF)

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