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005. What are My Responsibilities? |
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This article is from the rec.pets.dogs: Getting A Dog FAQ, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
There are responsibilities that go along with being a good dog owner. A dog will live from 10 to 20 years, depending on its breed, size and general health. This is a long term commitment, and you must be ready to provide the dog with a home for that duration. You must make provisions for it when you go on vacation. It needs attention, love, and respect from you: feeding and watering it are not enough. Consider it part of your family: this is no joke as that is exactly what the dog thinks YOU are: its pack, its family.
* _You are responsible for its health_. An essential part of owning a dog is making sure that it gets good medical care. Check the vets in your area and pick out one before you even get your dog. Take your dog in to the vet immediately after acquiring it and take it in regularly thereafter. You will have expenses for yearly shots and, in many areas, heart-worm preventive. Puppies and dogs routinely die without adequate veterinary care.
* _If you get your dog for protection, you are obligated to make sure that it is safe, reliable, and trustworthy around people_. Never chain it up in the back yard, or encourage it to snarl and bite other people. Never try to make a dog "vicious." Such irresponsible treatment results in tragic stories of children and adults being mauled or even killed, the dog being put down, and various dog bans being enacted. A dog can protect you just fine by barking at suspicious noises and allowing you to investigate. It does not have to be vicious. A good protection dog is always well trained, properly socialized, and has a relationship with its owner that encourages it to be protective. Higher levels of protection (such as attack dogs) require considerable training and experienced handling and are most definitely not for everyone.
* _You are responsible for your dog's reproduction_. You must either get it neutered, or make provisions for keeping your bitch away from dogs when in heat. If your male is intact, you must keep him under control when he smells a bitch in heat. If you breed, you are responsible for making sure that your dog or bitch is suitable for breeding (i.e., good health, good temperament, good specimen of the breed, and free of genetic defects), and making sure that all resulting puppies are placed in good homes. The millions of dogs that must be put down annually in the US are the result of owner irresponsibility about their pet's reproduction.
* _You are responsible for your pet's behavior_. This means keeping your dog under control. Do not let it roam; do not let it become a nuisance to others in your neighborhood. Keep it on a leash when walking so that it does not run up to other people or dogs and bother them. Clean up after it or curb it (make it go in the gutter) when it eliminates, *especially* in public areas. Many parks, beaches, and lakes are closed to dogs because of irresponsible owners in this regard.
* _You are still responsible for the dog when you "get one for your kid_." Unless your child is old enough, at least 13 (and highly variable at that), she or he will not have the sufficient maturity to take responsibility for the dog. A dog can be a good way to teach children about responsibility, but the dog is still *your* main responsibility. Dogs acquired for this reason often wind up in the shelters when the parents find out that they are the dog's primary caretaker.
* _You are responsible for becoming more knowledgeable about dogs_. Find some good books and read up. Enroll in puppy and dog classes where you can learn much from the instructor; attend them even before you get a dog or puppy for first hand knowledge of what you can expect. Many dogs are in animal shelters with a note that says "couldn't be housebroken" or "couldn't be trained."
* _You are responsible for being prepared for the new dog_. Never get one as a "surprise gift." All members of your family must agree on having a dog. Have food, water and food dishes, bedding, collars and leashes, chew toys, and a veterinarian lined up before you pick up your dog. Many "Christmas puppies" are found in the shelters by New Year's Day.
Some books to try:
Milani, Myrna M., DVM. _The Weekend Dog_. Signet (Penguin Books USA, Inc.) (1985). ISBN: 0-451-15731-1 (paperback).
This book outlines practical solutions for working people with dogs. It has excellent suggestions for understanding dog behavior, particularly destructive or unwanted behavior. Gives all kinds of practical solutions to the problems of adequate exercise, adequate training, housetraining, and so forth.
Miller, Harry. _The Common Sense Book of Puppy and Dog Care_. Bantam Books, Third Edition (revised) (1987). ISBN: 0-553-27789-8 (paperback).
This small book provides a surprising amount of useful information. A little on the "lightweight" side, nevertheless, it gives a good outline of what you should know about your puppy or dog. You can use this to decide how much you do know and where you need to brush up on what you don't. Besides sections on how to select the right dog, it covers basic puppy needs (housetraining, feeding, illnesses), basic training, basic pet care, and a complete list of AKC breeds.
Monks of New Skete, The. _How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend_. Little, Brown & Company. 1978. ISBN: 0-316-60491-7 (hardback).
A monastery in upstate New York breeds, raises, and trains German Shepherd Dogs. On the basis of their considerable experience, they offer troubleshooting guides, discuss discipline, environmental restrictions, basic and puppy training, and much more. Extensive bibliography. The emphasis is on understanding the dog in order to communicate with it or to solve problem behavior. An excellent, well written classic, although becoming a little dated.
Spadafori, Gina. _Dogs for Dummies_, IDE Press, 1996.
This book is my current favorite and most up-to-date volume on dog ownership, especially for the novice owner, although there is something for everyone here. The author writes a newspaper column and has been answering basic questions every day for years, the same type that show up in rec.pets.dogs. This experience and helpful advice comes through in every page on this book.
Taylor, David. _You and Your Dog_. Alfred A. Knopf, New York (1991). ISBN:0-394-72983-8 (trade paperback).
This useful book is an overall guide to the health and care of dogs. It includes a basic listing of dog breeds (AKC). This is a good general purpose book that gives you an idea of what all is involved in owning and caring for a dog.
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