When you work for a company that does grooming, you meet and talk to people who are often from out of state. These people sometimes call in for appointments for baths or hair cuts, and get mad when we tell them that we need to see proof of rabies information before we can do anything with their pet. The most common response we get to that statement is anger and annoyance.

The gist is, how dare we ask for proof that their pets are responsibly vaccinated against disease before we put them in an area that has a high pet traffic volume. They are out of town, and just wanted to get their dogs bathed.

As a grooming salon that is run by a corporate company, Petco requires proof of Rabies vaccination before taking a dog into the back areas of their salons.

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An owner’s bond with their dog is one of the most amazing things to see.

The bond is subtle, and quiet, but you can see it between owner and dog when you look at them interacting with one another, when you see them reacting to each other in every environment.

For the dog, when their owner is a true companion, they have trust in their owner’s reactions and judgment. You can see that trust in how they come when called, running with a tail wagging and excitement in their step toward you. They respond to their owner more than others, though a dog with a well established relationship to humans in general will respond to everyone with some degree.

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There is a lot of debate about crate training among dog owners, much of it caused by concern for the safety of the dog, both physical and mental.

The mental side of the debate is summed up in one sentence: Some people believe that crate training is cruel to the dog because it is locking them in a little cage for the day.

The truth is that to a dog, having a crate can be comforting. This is because it gives the dog somewhere all their own to go when they are stressed and need to be alone, separate from other dogs, humans, or anything else in the house. Since no one else goes in their crate but them, it is somewhat like their own home inside their house.

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Why should you spay or neuter your animal?

It’s a good question, and one that has a really good answer.

If you are a responsible dog owner, you should consider spaying or neutering your animal because it is better for their health, and better for the future of animals in general.

Every day thousands of dogs, cats, and other animals are euthanized by shelters across the world because they don’t have the funds to feed and take care of the animals they have in their facilities. They get hundreds of calls from around their area to go pick up an animal that has gotten loose or was born in the wild, and there’s no possible way to take them all in. The shelters are always short on money, volunteers, and official people, and the animals in shelters suffer for it.

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So, you want a puppy! That’s a wonderful idea, and a new puppy (or fully grown adult dog) can be a perfect addition to a new household.

Keep in mind though, that dogs are a handful, and they require a lot of attention. These needs don’t go away when they grow up, or if they’re already grown up when you get them, like what happens with kids. I’m not saying kids don’t still need attention when they’re grown, I’m just pointing out that the puppy won’t start paying its own medical bills when it grows up, which is what most kids have to do, especially once they’re out of their parent’s house. On the other hand, a puppy won’t move away, like most kids do, so there’s an upside.

To the end that many people don’t consider just how much work a puppy is, some of those responsibilities are listed here, at the risk of you deciding you don’t want a puppy after all.

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