Owning a Dog may be an Expensive Hobby, But…

Owning a dog is not an experience for the faint of wallet. Think of everything that you would need to spend on if you were taking care of an elderly person or a very small baby – there are toilet duties, that you need to be on top of, there are feeding duties, you have to take care of the dog’s exercise needs, you have to make sure that you dog gets his meds when he isn't well, you have to play with him so he isn’t bored – you need to all of these with a dog. Not to mention, owning a dog can be a very expensive affair.

There's no need to concentrate on the other side of the balance sheet. Just take a look at all that owning a dog can do to make your life better and save you money.

There was an article in the New York Times recently called “Forget the Treadmill. Get a Dog” about how owning a dog to most people can mean a great way to force yourself to get exercise. Unless you want to spend money on a dog walker, you simply have to take your dog out for a nice run twice a day. It'll just help you lose weight quickly, save on your own health bills, and save on a gym membership.


In another article in the New York Times called “By Helping a Girl Testify at a Rape Trial, a Dog Ignites a Legal Debate”, they speak about how the presence of a good, friendly dog can be so calming to people, in New York, they use specially trained dogs to help crime victims who are very vulnerable and stressed out , testify in court with confidence.

If this is what a dog can do for someone in such a high-stress situation, just think what it can do for you everyday, just being there for you. There's just something spiritually elevating about being in touch with our animal friends. And caring for them.

In this day and age, when you mention entertainment to people, they usually think of a device that begins with the letter “i”. But truth be told, dogs can be a great deal of fun. Having a dog in the house is like having a small active child in the house.

There's always something funny going on. For people who want to make friends, a dog can be such a great way to start a conversation. You just have to take the dog out to the park, and you have a reason to talk to other dog owners.

Owning a dog may cost money. But you're paid back many times over in other ways.

You Need to Keep Your Pet Cool. Even If It Takes a Haircut

Halfway through every summer, in the midst of a heatwave, you never fail to hear a few horrifying stories in the news about how an athlete somewhere has died because of the heat and not enough hydration. It isn't uncommon to hear about how the elderly die by the dozen in France and Britain too, because the houses they live in were never built with heat waves in mind the way you get them these days. And you can't help wonder about how much you should worry about keeping your pet cool.

Your dog for instance, has his own special built-in cooling mechanisms. He doesn't sweat for the most part. Instead, he tries to lose excess heat by hanging his tongue out and panting. And here you were, thinking that he just drooled on your carpet to annoy you.

Basically, every dog owner has to have some kind of plan in mind for how to keep their pet cool. Dogs are especially vulnerable to heat stroke. They aren't quiet animals the way they love to go out and play in the sun, either. When they do that though, they overheat.

Now you're probably wondering about why they would even want to go out and play if they weren't able to handle the heat.

It's just that we get different kinds of dog for how cute they look. We get thin-skinned dogs in North Dakota and we get big furry huskies in Florida. We just want the dogs that we want. They area they are local to is the last thing we look for. And so, the dogs we get are completely unsuited for the place we make them live in often. Our dogs are so mixed up about what they're supposed to do because we have all kinds of mixed breeds in the wrong places. It is entirely our responsibility to make sure that they are comfortable and safe.

Whatever breed of dog you have, you need to look up how suited to the heat he is. Large dogs and ones with heavy coats are usually the most in danger when the weather turns warm. A good way to keep your pet cool would be to give him a great haircut every summer. You have to realize that that their fur can be really warm. How would you like to wear a fur coat in the summer?

But it isn't just about how thick a coat he has or how large a dog he is. Certain shapes of skull can make it hard for a dog to cool himself properly. Bulldogs and other such dogs with pushed-up snouts can have a very hard time. You need to pay particular attention to keeping your pet cool then.