Archive for the ‘Cartoon’ Category

$1,000 Fines for Walking Dogs Off-Leash or Failing to Pick Up After Their Mess

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

People who walk their dogs off of a leash or forget to pick up after them in Baltimore will now receive $1,000 fines. While this will no doubt decrease the amount of violators in the city, it’s a very harsh punishment that some could argue is even a bit cruel to dog owners.

The increased fine equates dog walking violations to those of dog fighting and animal abuse. It’s tough to justify such an increase, especially in a time when people are pinching pennies during a rough economy.The new law wasn’t voted on by the people, and there was little to no press about the law before violators started getting fined.

To charge a fine like this to average people will hurt their finances and make it so they can’t afford basic necessities. The fine is a month or two of rent for a lot of people, so charging this much for such a minor offense is ridiculous.

It’s important to keep your dog on a leash when you take it for a walk. It keeps everyone (including your dog) safer, but it’s not a major crime. Picking up after your dog is also important, but the results of the minor infraction don’t have any real effect on society. While walking your dog without a leash can result in your dog biting someone and getting in a fight with another dog, what does not picking up after your pet do?

To charge $1,000 for not picking up after your pet doesn’t make any sense. This just looks like a city’s way to try and gain extra income, but they’re doing it wrong. To take away so much money from pet owners for minor offenses is a terrible way for a city to make money.

The law went into effect on April 1, and citizens who have a problem with it are told to notify their city council members. People who receive the gigantic fine can appeal it in the Environmental Court. Howard being walked on a leash

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Howard Huge on Family Guy

Monday, March 30th, 2009

I was watching the new episode of Family Guy last night and heard Peter Griffin talking about something very interesting. Peter was discussing getting a new dog, because Brian wasn’t behaving like Peter thought he should. This led to Peter suggesting the family get a new dog. First, Peter mentioned getting some other giant dog, but then brought up Howard Huge!

It’s very exciting to know that, in the event something happens to Brian, the Griffin family (or at least Peter) would be open to having Howard Huge in the house.

Family Guy is a little racy for Howard’s taste, but anyone who shows Mr. Huge some love is much appreciated :-)

You can see the reference to Howard Huge on Family Guy below. It isn’t that long, but still pretty cool!

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Humans Fall for Pets, Especially Dogs

Friday, March 27th, 2009

About 86,000 people a year suffer injuries because pets cause their owners to fall. Only about one seventh of the accidents involve cats, while most of the rest involve dogs.

A lot of the accidents involve children and people around middle-age, but severe injuries happen to the elderly. This only amounts to about one percent of the total falling accidents that occur, but people who own pets should still be aware of the risk.

Your pets are walking tripwires. Most of them a small, low to the ground, and love being around your feet. It would be easy to see that you’re about to step on your pet, then lose your balance and crack your head open on the side of a table. It sounds gruesome, but it does happen.

Some of the falling accidents occur on walks while your dog is on a leash. These falling accidents can be prevented as long as your dog is well trained. Don’t let your dog pull you around. If you’re in control, it’ll be easier to keep your balance and make sure you’re safe.

The Howard dog causing his owner to fallAs long as you take precautions, there won’t be a big chance that you’ll trip over your pet. While pets can cause you to fall, if you’re aware of your surroundings, it would be tough for one to sneak under you. Combine that with proper leash training, and you shouldn’t have much to worry about.

Also, if your dog is massive, make sure he doens’t try to jump on you or give you his paw while you’re in a chair. This can cause serious injury as you fly back and smack your head on the floor. It’s a dangerous situation, and may be comical to onlookers.

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How to Keep Your Dog During the Bad Ecomony

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Times are getting tough for almost everyone, and that includes pets. It’s tough to know how to cut your pet budget without hurting your dog, but there are ways to scrimp and save.

The easiest way to cut down on your pet budget is to stop buying you dog new toys and accessories all the time. If you’re one of those owners that loves to go shopping for your dog and buy him new collars and clothes, you might want to stop for a while.

If you really don’t want to deprive your dog of new toys, there are ways to make toys at home. That way the money can be better spent in other ways, like when you need to take your animal to the vet.

Howard Huge goes to the vet

It’s important to learn when to take your dog to the vet. If you can tell the difference between a common doggy cold and something more serious, you may be able to save the money that you would’ve spent on a hefty vet bill.

Still, if you’re unsure at all, go to the vet sooner rather than later, and all your dog might need is an antibiotic. If you end up at the vet with a huge bill, ask your vet if you can go on a payment plan. That way the hit isn’t as hard on your wallet.

You can also avoid going to the vet more often if you keep up on the shots and vaccines for your dog. Spending a little money now may save you a bunch later.

Howard Huge doesn't feel well, so his friend come to check up on him

When things are getting too expensive and you can’t provide everything you need to for your pet, some people recommend a “petcation.” Have someone you know take care of your animal for a while. It doesn’t need to be permanent, and could be a good way to help you get back on your feet.

Whatever you do, don’t just abandon your animal. This is happening more since the recession and isn’t the right way to handle the situation.

If you need to give up your pet for good, you can take it to an animal shelter instead of letting it starve in an empty house.

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More Employers Allowing Pets on the Job

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

From small businesses to large corporations, employers are taking a harder look at whether or not they should allow pets to come to work with their employees.

There are pros and cons to each side of the debate, but some of the benefits to bringing your pets to work aren’t that obvious. In addition to making the employees happier, pets can also do a lot of good for employers.

When pets are allowed to come to work with their owners, the stress level in the work place is reduced, employees are more willing to work long hours, and their work output increases, since they don’t want to lose their pet privileges.

Some corporations are going so far as to discuss installing pet pens and dog walking trails for employees who want to take their dogs out at lunch.

This is a great idea for both sides of the corporate coin. Everyone wins, even the pets! The only setback would be if some of the employees were allergic to pets or were uncomfortable around them. If that’s the case, then the pet pens would take care of the problem pretty easily.

Howard goes to show and tell

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Retractable Dog Leashes Cause Serious Injury

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

People are losing their limbs and their vision because of retractable dog leashes, according to some reports.

Some of the leashes have metal pieces that break off and fly up to hit dog owners in the face, while others are causing cuts and, in some cases, loss of limbs because of the material that the leash is made out of. A thinner-than-average material is required to be able to retract into the device, and this can cause injury to humans and dogs that get tangled in the leash.

Some of the victims in these cases have settled out of court, and others are still in the process of suing the companies who made the allegedly faulty products.

Companies are defending themselves by saying the leashes were misused, because dog owners were using the leashes on dogs that were too big for the product. Some companies also said injuries were caused when a dog had behavioral problems, tried to run and snapped off a piece of the leash.

First of all, dogs are going to try and run off of the leash, that’s what they do, and that’s what the leash is made for. If a dog didn’t try to run off while on walks, there wouldn’t really be a reason for the dog to wear a leash. For a leash maker to blame his leash breaking due to a dog’s behavior doesn’t work.

That would be like a seat belt maker blaming his belt breaking on the person who crashed. When the car crashes, it’s the belt’s job NOT to break. The same can be said about a leash that snaps when a dog tries to run after something.

It looks like retractable leashes are a bad idea dog owners should stay away from. There are plenty of leashes out there that are a lot safer and won’t break as easily. Please don’t be cheap when it comes to something that’s so important.

Howard goes to the vet while on a leash

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Learn About Dog Depression

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

Dogs that hang around the house all day can get depressed. If they aren’t getting enough mental and physical activity, they become bored and need something to cheer them up. One effective tool to help your dog can be food puzzles.

Food puzzles are dog toys that force dogs to work for their food. Instead of pouring food in a bowl and having the dog chow it down within minutes, the puzzles keep dogs occupied for hours. This can help with dogs that are bored or depressed due to lack of mental and physical stimulation.

In the wild, dogs spend hours hunting food. This is dramatically different from the simple lives pets have now where they don’t have to work for their food. The puzzles can help with that by forcing the dogs to figure out how to obtain food inside the toy.

Not all dogs are a good match for the puzzles. If your dog is skinny, sick, or is having trouble eating already, this might not be the right toy. Puzzles are for dogs who are energetic and need something to do during that day.

If your dog is tearing up the house while you’re gone, this might be the product for you. Your dog is probably messing up the house because it has more energy than it knows what to do with. A puzzle will expend that energy while you’re at work, leaving your house in the same shape you left it (hopefully).

If your dog seems depressed, and the dog toy isn’t doing the trick, it’s possible that something more serious is wrong. Sometimes, dogs that are in pain act depressed, so if you can’t seem to cheer up your pooch, it might be time for a vet visit.

Howard Huge laying around the house

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Pet Microchips: The Information You Need

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie or Big Brother, but it’s actually a good way to find your pets if they ever get lost.

Microchips are small scannable objects that are implanted under an animal’s skin. These chips store an identification number that can be traced back to the owner and how to contact him or her. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice, so it’s relatively unobtrusive to the animal.

At first, it seems like implanting anything in your pet could cause some damage, and it is possible. Although some people claim that it’s possible for tumors to form around the site of the implantation, other studies say this is extremely unlikely, and this might happen in one in a million cases.

Any pet can be microchipped, but that doesn’t mean every pet should be:

If microchipping isn’t for you, there other routes to take besides hoping a collar and tag will stay on. It’s possible to tattoo information on your pet that can be traced back to you. This procedure is a little controversial, but can be effective if you don’t want to inject anything in your animal.

A lot of pets that run away or get lost aren’t recovered. It’s a sad fact, but if you believe your pet is at a high risk of getting lost, the rewards of a microchip can outweigh the risk.

A way to make sure Howard doesn't run away

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National Pet First-Aid Awareness Month in April

Tuesday, March 24th, 2009

In case you haven’t heard, April is National Pet First-Aid Awareness Month! This is a time when people are encouraged to learn how to take care of there pets in other ways besides rushing them to the vet.

Howard leaves the vet in better shape than the vet

It’s possible to administer first-aid to your pet without having to use the service of a vet, as long as you know what you’re doing. There are plenty of sites that can help you learn about pet first-aid, and in some cases, it’s not as hard to prepare as you might think. You can also take pet first-aid training classes that can help save your pet’s life in an emergency.

Don’t try to do everything for your pet. Part of knowing first-aid is knowing when the symptoms are so serious that you should see a professional. While a lot fo minor things can be taken care of at home, not everything can, and pretending you’re a vet can result in a worse situation than you were in to begin with.

How To Put A Pet First-Aid Kit Together:

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