If you work with animals or are an animal lover, you’ve probably heard of the phase, “Adopt, Don’t Shop!” It is a catchphrase of a campaign that encourages people to adopt their next pet from a local animal shelter rather than buy them from pet stores.

What Is This Campaign All About?

The people behind the “Adopt, Don’t Shop” campaign recognize that most, if not all, of the puppies and other animals that are sold in stores mostly come from commercial breeding facilities. The focus of these places is not to look after the welfare of the animals but to make a profit.

Most animal mills in the United States are unregulated. This means the conditions in these places may be abhorrent and unethical. To discourage the proliferation of animal mills, people are being encouraged to stop patronizing pet shops. Here are more reasons to adopt your next pet from a shelter.

You Get To Save Lives

Over two million dogs are euthanized in animal shelters. There are just too many of them and very few people who want to adopt. This is why, if you adopt your next pet from a local shelter, you are literally saving lives. You are giving a new life to an abandoned or lost animal and you are creating a space at the shelter so that they can save one more.

You Save A Few Dollars

Our friends from Time for Paws recommend getting rescue animals. These are so much cheaper to get than dogs from a pet store. Most of the time, the dogs that are given up for adoption have already been spayed/neutered and has received all of their vaccinations. Additionally, most animal shelters have very reasonable adoption fees.

You Get To Adopt A Pet That Is Already Trained

Most pets that you can buy from a store are young. Those at the shelter are usually past their puppy or kitten phase. This means you wouldn’t have to deal with biting, inappropriate chewing, or clawing. You also wouldn’t have to worry about housetraining your new pet as most of them are already trained. You might even be able to find a dog that knows a few tricks.

You Will Have More Options

Animal shelters are filled to the rafters with pre-screened animals excited to be brought home. Many shelters care for a variety of animals besides various breeds of dogs and cats. They might have a rabbit, turtle, horse, hamster, or any farm animal that you might wish to adopt.

You Might Help Shut Down An Animal Mill

As mentioned above, many animals sold at pet stores come from mills. These horrid places put their profits ahead of the welfare of the animals that they keep. They keep their animals in poor housing conditions and often neglect to provide them with proper medical care. If more people stop buying from these mills, they might run out of reasons to keep on breeding more animals. If we kill the demand, they might end up being forced to shut down.

Your Health Could Benefit

Studies have proven that people who spend time with animals have lower cholesterol level and blood pressure. Additionally, having a pet could mean you’d have to walk it, bring it to the groomers, and play with it. All these results to more physical activities that could help improve blood circulation and improve cardiovascular health.

You Provide Assistance To A Valuable Institution

When you adopt an animal from a shelter, you give funds to a, more than likely, not-for-profit organization. This means they get a few more dollars that would go to providing shelter and sustenance to the other animals that are still unadopted.

You Might Convince Others To Adopt As Well

When people see that you have a new pet, one of the most common questions they would ask is where did you buy your dog, cat, or another animal. By spreading the word that you have adopted instead of buying a pet from a store, you just might convince one more family to adopt too. This is one reason why many celebrities post about their rescues.

You’ll Probably Be More Social

It is very hard to stay a hermit if you have a pet that requires being entertained, checked up, and fed. If you get a dog, you’d be going to dog parks where you might interact with other dog owners. You’d have to go to the vet once in a while. You will also be going out to buy food, toys, and other necessities for your animal friend. Unless you decide to buy all of your animal supplies online, you will have to go out more and socialize with other people.

You Might Feel Good About Your Decision

While this may sound selfish, deciding to adopt a pet from a shelter is something that you should feel some pride over. You know that you are going to do so much good not just for the animal that you are going to bring home but for the other animals out there that still have no homes. So, go ahead and give yourself that much-needed pat on the back.

Conclusion

Adopting an animal is good for the animal, for you, and for the other animals that are still at the shelter. You will be making a difference in so many lives when you decide to bring home a new pet from the shelter rather than from a store.

More dog owners are becoming more conscious of their pet’s needs and health. One of the things increasing in popularity is the research about pet nutrition, natural food, and homemade treats.

Homemade dog treats may sound challenging or difficult, but making them yourself is one way of keeping your furry babies happy and healthy. There are many natural dog treats in the market like those offered by Barking Good. These treats give your dogs the excitement and anticipation for yummy surprises.

In this article, we’ll tackle the four reasons why you should make homemade dog treats.

1. Healthier Option

One of the myths about pet food and nutrition is that the best kinds are endorsed by veterinarians. While these may be marketed as the premium blends designed for your pets, they can contain more protein from grains compared to protein from meat sources.

By nature, your dogs need protein from meat to achieve optimal health. A few reasons why homemade dog treats are healthier than commercially-manufactured ones are:

— High grain content in commercial dog treats contribute largely to pet allergies and obesity.
— Homemade treats are made with more natural ingredients.
— Some commercial treats that can be found in groceries are made of poultry by-products.
— Homemade treats don’t have additives or preservatives.

2. Safer for Them

When you look at the ingredients on the back of dog treat bags in the grocery store, you can find some of the main ingredients that you are looking for. At the same time, there are contents that you probably haven’t heard of or don’t know all about…

Homemade dog treats are safer because you know and have control over what ingredients should be in them. Other reasons why homemade is safer include:

— Some preservatives and chemicals — like food coloring, flavoring, and others — can harm your dogs or affect their behavior as shown by conducted research.
— The expiration date or “best before” labels are proof that these commercial treats have a certain shelf-life and feeding them to your dogs after the specified dates could pose adverse effects.
— Chemicals like BHT, BHA, Sodium Metabisulfite, TBHQ, and Ethoxyquin can cause kidney and liver problems, brain damage, and asthma.

One thing that you must be sure to do when making homemade treats is exclude ingredients that can harm your dogs. The following food are a no, no, to feed your dogs or include in their treats:

Alcohol
Apple Seeds
Apricot Pits
Avocado
Cherry Pits
Peach Pits
Persimmon Seeds
Plum Pits
Tea
Xylitol (found in commercial treats)
Candy
Chocolate
Coffee/caffeine
Grapes
Raisins
Yeast Dough
Potato Skins
Peach Pits
Onions and chives
Nutmeg
Macadamia nuts/butter

3. Tastes Better

Homemade dog treats are obviously made from common ingredients which you can find in your home, so you won’t need to enhance flavorings as those in commercial treats. Since they aren’t pre-packed, they are also fresher. A few tips to make homemade treats more appealing for your dogs are:

— Tailor your treats according to the flavors your dog likes and according to their health needs.
— Make smaller treats while training your dogs, feel free to experiment with ingredients, and observe what they like best. Also, take note of their allergies and ensure these aren’t in your treats.
— Most dogs like pumpkin, which is healthy and low in calories. This can be helpful for overweight dogs.
— Peanut butter is high in protein for muscles and energy, and dogs like the taste too.

4. Economical

One of the advantages of homemade treats is that you can save money. You don’t need complex and expensive ingredients to make them. In addition, there are other ways you can reduce costs with homemade treats:

— Buy ingredients, especially repetitive ones, in bulk.
— Plan the kind of treats you want to make ahead of time so you can anticipate your needs.
— Use ingredients that you already have in your pantry or kitchen.
— Make treats in batches so you save on energy bills.
— Look for recipes that allow for freezing to preserve them longer since you won’t be using preservatives.

The pet culture is continually growing and pet owners are spending more to make sure that their boys and girls get the best care and nutrition. While homemade treats may take more time to prepare and more effort to research, it surely has benefits for your dogs.

Homemade treats are healthier, safer, tastier, and cheaper compared to commercially-manufactured, pre-packed treats. These facts will surely make you and your pet happier.

(Read more about what to do if your pet consumes coffee on Coffee-Channel)

When your dog puts his or her head on your lap and gives you those wide, begging eyes, it can be hard to resist sneaking them that extra serving of food.

Unfortunately, we dog owners have a tendency to do this too often, and vets estimate that up to 40% of the world’s pet dogs are overweight or obese. While many owners realize it is unhealthy for their dog to be overweight, few realize when their own dog has become obese. That is because it can sometimes be hard to notice. According to pet nutrition experts, James Wellbeloved, the difference between a dog with a healthy weight and being overweight can be just a few pounds.

With so many dogs at an unhealthy weight, it is important owners not only know how to recognize if and when their dog has become overweight, but how to help them return to and maintain a normal, healthy size.

The dangers of being overweight

Just like in humans, being overweight can lead to short and long-term health problems in dogs. Hypertension and respiratory problems create more pressure on the heart and can lead to cardiac issues, while diabetes and liver disease can also impact quality and length of life. There is also an increased risk of cancer with obesity, while some problems, like osteoarthritis, can confound the problem by restricting movement, making it harder for your dog to exercise and return to their ideal weight.

Ways to check your dog’s weight

Before you can know if your dog is at their ideal weight, you need to know what that weight should be. There are a number of online weight charts which give estimates for how much a dog should weigh as an adult according to their breed and sex. However, for a more accurate weight range for your own dog, you should speak to your vet.

Once you know how heavy your dog should be, weigh them on scales once a month to keep track. Ensure you stay up to date on your dog’s health by scheduling a full health check with your vet twice a year.

Finally, if you don’t have any scales at home to weigh your dog, you can do a basic check just by looking and feeling. Generally, you should not be able to see your dog’s spine or ribs just by looking at them, but you should be able to easily feel them below a thin layer of muscle and fat. Equally, your dog’s waist should taper inwards slightly at the hips; if it doesn’t, they might be overweight.

How to maintain your dog’s ideal weight

The best way to maintain your dog’s weight and, therefore, their good health, is to balance the right amount of exercise with a consistent and suitable diet. Most dog food that can be purchased in a supermarket is purpose-made according to the size and age of the dog for which it is intended, and comes with recommended daily servings. Following these guidelines is the best way to ensure your dog gets all the food they need without eating to excess.

Balance the diet with at least two walks a day and plenty of play. Different breeds need different amounts of exercise to burn off their energy and food, so speak with your vet about what is right for your dog.

Once your dog has reached their ideal weight, weigh them regularly and keep a diary to keep from straying outside their perfect range. We understand it can be difficult to resist feeding your dog some occasional treats, but it is what is best for your dog’s health, and if you substitute snacks for play, we guarantee your dog will still show you lots of love.