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The Responsibilty of Owning a Dog

Perhaps you'd better stop and think.

Dog ownership has many joys but also comes with very important RESPONSIBILITIES. Puppies are not toys which can be discarded when we grow tired of them. Make sure you are fully aware of the following before you buy a pup.

Your dog will live about 12 to 14 years, perhaps longer, and will become firmly entrenched as part of the family.

Find out what breed the dog is and how big he will grow, how much he will eat and any characteristics of the breed such as excitability, aggression, compatibility with people and other animals.

Pups need a course of 2 or 3 vaccinations initially then annual boosters. All dogs have to be registered, desexed, fed, groomed, walked, wormed, de-fleaed, housed, trained, occasionally boarded out and at all times LOVED.

Once you have thought these things through, talked it over with the family and decided you are prepared for the responsibility of dog ownership:

• Give the dog a warm comfortable sleeping place, preferably a basket or a kennel with a blanket.
• Let your dog have plenty of human contact, don't just keep it out in the yard or ignore it.
• Make sure your dog receives regular vaccinations, worming and flea control.
• Register your dog with the local council at 6 months of age and give it an identity disc with your address and phone number.
• Feed your dog a balanced, healthy diet at regular times each day.
• Groom your dog regularly. Longhaired dogs need daily grooming and if you live in tick areas then you must hunt for ticks every day. Apply flea control products regularly.
• Have your dog desexed.
• Ensure the dog cannot wander from your property. Beware of fence-leapers and diggers!
• If your dog does get out you are responsible for any damage he does (if your dog is run over and killed you are responsible for any damage done to the car which hit him). If he is impounded then you will be up for a fine.
• Obedience classes are beneficial for all dogs.

State and federal laws now exist which enforce special restrictions on some breeds of dogs. This includes Pit Bull Terriers, which must now be desexed or risk being seized and destroyed by local government. In some states, such as South Australia or Queensland , these breeds of dogs are banned all together and it is illegal to own them.

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