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Don't Skimp On Tools For Your New Dog!
So today is the big day, your new dog or puppy is coming to his
new home! Getting a new dog means you'll need a few more
accessories to go with him. In order to properly care for your
new pet, you'll have to abide by certain local laws and make
some additional purchases. Some of these items are necessities;
some just make life with your new dog more convenient.
The necessities; Most of the truly necessary items for dog care
are obvious. If you've got a dog you'll need bowls for the dog's
food and water. Mid size to large dogs have a habit of moving
their food bowl around the room as they eat. Buying heavy
weighted bowls will avoid the noise and frustration of having to
hunt for the bowl at feeding time. I have large German Shepard
that likes to carry his bowl over to me whenever he's ready to
eat! A sturdy plastic bowl with a rubber lining on the bottom
can be useful as well. The rubber on the bottom keeps the bowl
from sliding around as Fido enjoys his dinner.
Unless you have a fenced in backyard, you'll be needing a leash
and collar for walks. Even if your yard is fenced in, you may
want these anyway for training purposes. These can be as simple
or as elaborate as you would like, but of course, you'll want to
take the size and strength of your dog into account when
selecting them. The collar can (and should) be adorned with a
license tag or at least an ID tag that provides your name and
contact information in case your dog is lost.
If you live in a city environment, you'll need to purchase that
miracle of modern doggie convenience the "pooper scooper." Most
cities have laws against owners simply allowing their dogs to
"foul the footpath" or leave little all over the city park. In
some cities, there is a hefty fine for such crappy behavior.
Optional; There are literally thousands of optional items
available for people to purchase for use with their dogs. Some
of these items, like the gravity refillable water dishes and
food bowls, serve a very useful purpose; others - the dog
bandana comes to mind - serve no real purpose and are just plain
fun.
One item that some owners do find very useful, especially those
that live in a hot climate, are "doggie booties." While they may
seem like a relatively useless item, they do a good job of
protecting the sensitive pads of a dog's feet from rough
terrain, rocky areas, and hot pavement. Stepping on hot sticky
asphalt can be very painful for your dog. Those in cooler
climates may not understand, but in some places, particularly
the desert environments of cities like Phoenix, Las Vegas, and
Albuquerque, the summer pavement can literally become hot enough
to fry an egg. You wouldn't walk barefoot on such a surface and
neither should your dog.
So before you bring Fido home, make sure you have all the
accessories you need to make his and your life easier.
About the author:
Waylon Harvey shares more of his dog knowledge at his
informative site, http://www.just-dog.com/
Written by: Waylon Harvey
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