Bring some interest, warmth and love into your life

There is a mountain of evidence suggesting that having a pet enhances our sense of well-being: They provide us with a sense of security, companionship, and bring out the carer in us. They can link us to a community. They teach our children a sense of responsibility and enhance their non verbal communication skills. They give us hours of fun. Sometimes they even force us to get some fresh air and exercise!

Want to know more? here are some interesting writings and books on the topic:

 

Pets and people: The psychology of pet ownership

Gunter, B.   London, Whurr publishers Ltd, 1999.

This book examines the relationship between pets and people, and lists the many psychological benefits animal companionship provide. For example: enhancing self-esteem, security for the anxious, companionship for the lonely and even status symbols for the image-conscious. You will learn about the growing phenomenon of pet ownership and on the importance placed upon the relationships by people today. I

Pets in the Network of Family Relationships

S. Bonas, J. McNicholas et al., Journal/Companion Animals and Us, Cambridge University Press, 2000. 

Over the past 30 years there has been a tremendous growth in interest in the multidisciplinary field of human-companion animal interactions and relationships. Considering that pets are kept in at least half of the households in Western societies, this is not a surprise. This book looks at the uniqueness of the relationships people have with their pets, and asks interesting questions such as:  Are we very different from our ancestors in the ways we feel about animals? What does pet-keeping tell us about ourselves and our relationships with people? Can pets be good for our health? Do they help promote empathy for other humans? The book presents some of the newest research from a wide variety of disciplines including anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, human and veterinary medicine.

Health enhancement and companion animal ownership

Beck, A. M., and N. M. Meyers.  Annual Review of Public Health, v. 17, p. 247-57. 1996.

While the relationship between people and  pets explains the bites and zoonotic diseases that occur among those who own them , at the same time this very relationship  appears to enhance the psychological and physiological well-being of many people. 56% of households in the USA currently have animals, a figure typical of developed countries worldwide. We all read much about the fact that people denied human contact do not thrive well, but now all indications are that companion animals play the role of a family member, often a member with the most desired attributes. Animals play a special role with children, assisting in teaching  nurturing behavior and with the appreciation of nonverbal communication. Regular normal interactions with animals can reduce blood pressure and even increase survival rates after a heart attack! For some, pets increase the opportunities to meet people, while they permit others to be alone without feeling lonely.

Companion animals and human health: an overview

Edney, A. T.    Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, v. 88, p. 704p-8p. 1995.

Domestic animals share our environment in a number of manners. One of these is as companions in (or around) our homes. Although there are various species of pets, the large majority are dogs and cats. Sharing our environment with pets has a profound effect on our health. And since about 50% of all households in the Western world have some sort of animal, the effects are far reaching.

This is Hipolito – a darling, adorable little puppy. Needs a loving family!

NEW Arrival: this lovely, adorable tricolor boasts a lovely light gray with salmon and white. She needs a stable and loving home. She eats Baby Cat (by Royal Canine).
Please contact us soon!
Estela:

estelatornquist@gmail.com 011-4773-5858 or 15 44953057.

dog life jacket | Ali Does It Herself

We didn’t have much of a summer in Newfoundland, so when the Pie and I were visiting family in Ottawa we took advantage of the proximity to our cousin’s cottage and decided to teach Grenadier how to swim.

Now, some dogs, like labs, goldens, duck tollers, and PWDs, are born swimmers.  Other dogs, especially those whose front ends are significantly heavier than their back ends, like pugs, bulldogs, daschunds, and yes, corgis, are not.

Even so, it was something we wanted to get Gren used to doing, just so he would have some options on a hot summer day.  Aside from some wading about and a briefly traumatic fall into a turtle pond, Gren was a land-lubber.

For safety’s sake, and because corgis are not natural swimmers, we got Gren a dog’s life jacket.  Make sure when you are looking for a life jacket that the seams are tightly sewn and the workmanship looks good.  Ensure that the fit is correct for your dog’s weight, as well as his length.

You should be able to comfortably lift the dog up by the handle of the jacket when the jacket is properly secured. This handle is especially useful when your dog falls off your boat and you can just haul him back on.

This Outward Hound version is widely available and nicely affordable at around thirty bucks retail.  I like the additional flotation under the chin, which helps keep the dog’s head above the water — this is a plus (and a must) with brachiocephalic dogs like pugs and bulldogs, who don’t have the long snouts of other dogs.  And remember that even with a life jacket, you should never leave your dogs unsupervised in the water!

Gren likes to paddle in the water, but he’ll never be a big swimmer.  Whenever we had him out over his head his first move was to head for shore.

He did swim out to “rescue” the Pie at one point, because he was too far away, but that was the only time he left the shore of his own will.

He was really not a big fan.

Related articles

• 
  Can Your Dog Swim? (dogsden.wordpress.com)