The Costs and Responsibility of a Dog.

Our Newest Foster Boy Tiny

It seems that lately I find myself quite frequently in conversations with people about the cost and responsibility of having a dog as a member of your family. I therefore consider it prudent to discuss it a little here on this blog.

Critten at Work

In the paragraph above I describe the dog as a "member of your family". I think this is important because this is truly the manner in which you need to consider your little canine buddies. When we take on the responsibility of adoption, we assume the responsibility for this beautiful creature for its entire lifetime. This is something that should never be taken lightly! These little guys are God's creatures and it is our responsibility as their guardians to care for them to the best of our ability. This is what we agree to when we adopt one of these guys.

Food is expensive, but this is not the only monetary cost that needs careful consideration. It has been said that time is money. Well regardless of the breed or age, your dog requires a considerable amount of your time. You can not just leave the little guy at home by himself for 12 hours a day. It is not fair to him and will absolutely ultimately lead to behavioral issues!

Here are a few monetary costs ( remember this is not an all inclusive list feel free to comment with additions):

• Food
• Grooming
• Heartworm tests and preventive medication
• Pet Sitter for vacation
• Crate
• Bedding
• Toys
• Treats
• Training
• Medication
• Vaccinations
• Flea/Tick control
• Collar, Leash,Harness, Pet Tag, Microchip
• Fence for yard
• Pet Gates for home
• Dog proofing (Beagle Proofing) the home.
• Misc.Supplies

I mentioned time. It is important that you walk your dog frequently. Take them with you whenever possible on errands, etc. This is important for their continued social development. Also do not underestimate the amount of time required to feed, water, and let out for exercise. You also need to take sufficient time for ongoing training.

I am not telling you any of this to discourage you from having dogs. It is just really important to realize and understand the costs and responsibility before your welcome a new dog into your pack!

The Lovely Shane and Cuddles

That being expressed, there are some really great advantages to living with dogs! A dog never judges you and us generally always happy to see you! They really do become emotionally attached to their people! For instance, the Lovely Shane got a really bad stomach virus from our grandson who was also sick. She spent the night away from the dog training shack to be with our grandson and to attempt not to spread the virus to me (I am eternally grateful for this particular gesture! It was a really nasty bug). Our newest adopted dog, Trigger the Dachshund, was not happy about this at all. He looked for his mommy all night. He was visibly anxious. When she returned the next day, she got a very enthusiastic greeting from the entire pack! By far, the most enthusiastic was little Trigger! She also got an enthusiastic greeting from the Dog Trainer .... I miss that awesome lady when she is away!

A few of our happy pack

Sleepy Copper

The point I am attempting to convey here is that dogs are a responsibility. We must care for them. This is not just a responsibility when they are convenient or fun. It is a responsibility that lasts for their entire life! It is a wonderfully rewarding responsibility! I must admit that I get much more out of my relationship with the dogs in my pack than I put into it. But, I do put a great deal of effort into my dogs. If you are considering bringing a dog into your home, you will have to put in effort as well.

If you are looking for a new dog for your pack, please let me know. Our Foster Boy Biscuit the Basset Mix is available for immediate adoption. We also have a new foster Beagle named Tiny. He is a very small Beagle. We just got him from the Fayette County Shelter. We are treating him for what we think is a respiratory infection. So he will likely not be available for adoption for a couple of weeks. He is a cute little guy. He seems to be an adult but a young one. Probably around a year old.

If you have questions regarding the responsibility and cost of dogs, or If you have any training questions, please contact me at any time!

Also, If you need a fence for your back yard, I own a handyman business and would be happy to provide you with an estimate!

Till Next Time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training

678-702-4791

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

Copper at Work

William Moore Lawn and Handyman Services

678-702-4791

fayettelawnmoore@gmail.com
http://fayettelawnmoore.blogspot.com

Trigger

Biscuit

Corn as an ingredient in dog food

Several minutes of internet research reveals that former presidents and rock singers consume at least some quantity of corn. So why do we make such an issue of it being in Dog Food?

Well, the real truth of the matter is that corn is used in the making of most of the more inexpensive kibble because it is a relatively cheap and very available source of carbohydrates.  A carbohydrate source appears to be essential in the manufacture of kibble.

Mike Sagman wrote an interesting article for Dog Food Advisor. Here is a link to it http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dog-food-corn/. Here he claims to dispel many of the myths regarding the use of corn. I think he makes some pretty good points though it appears that he may have a bit of a bias against the use of corn in dog food.

As I stated in a previous post, I do not really see a major issue with the use of corn if the dog does not have an allergy to it. While arguably foods containing a large amount of corn may not be the most nutritionally balanced, if the dog is healthy and having no allergic reaction to the food I don't really feel the need to fix something that may not be broken here.

Purina actually does a really good job of explaining some of the health benefits of corn on its web site here: http://www.purina.com/meet-purina/nutrition/power-of-grain#/power-of-corn. Both Purina and Eukanuba state that corn provides antioxidants, carbohydrates and fiber. The fiber is important because it aids in digestion.

Blue Buffalo makes an interesting statement regarding corn on it's website. It reads, "And of course, BLUE never uses corn, wheat, or soy.  These are considered by many veterinary nutritionists to be lower quality ingredients used as fillers and are often associated with pet allergies." You can see this at : http://bluebuffalo.com/nutrition. I have a couple of issues with the statement Blue makes here:

1. What exactly is a "filler"?  Well the dictionary definition of the word "filler" is : "filler  plural of fill·er (Noun)

Noun

A thing put in a space or container to fill it: "these plants are attractive gap-fillers".

A monetary unit of Hungary, equal to one hundredth of a forint.

Synonyms

stuffing - filling

Okay, I presume we are not discussing Hungarian money here so filler used in regard to corn would mean that it is simply used to fill the bag and has no other value. I think that is overstated. Obviously corn does provide some nutritional value. So, I don't understand where our friends at Blue Buffalo are coming from here.

2. Why did they not quote some percentage of dogs affected by these "pet allergies" to corn, wheat, and soy?

The quote simply says that corn is "often" associated with allergies. I have been around dogs for a long time. I don't think I have ever run into one that had a known allergy to corn. Based upon my experience I think Purina make a more believable statement when they put the percentage of dogs with corn allergies at about 1%.

 Our friends and Iams also have some good information about corn on their website. Find it here: http://www.iams.com/pet-health/dog-article/corn-ingredients-and-their-use-in-our-foods.

Our friends and Hills (the makers of Science Diet) also have some interesting information on corn. They actually call it "An amazing grain". I think Hills may also be overstating here but read for yourself at : http://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/corn-an-amazing-grain-mature-adult-cat.html. I know it says cat in the link but they reference dog food too.

So, dear reader, you really sort of have to weigh all this stuff and decide for yourself. I have nothing against my friends at Blue Buffalo or some of the other high end food manufacturers who do not use corn. There is certainly nothing wrong with their product. In fact many of them are very good even if they are very expensive. Again, I simply do not feel the need to fix something that may not be broken in regard to corn.

If I may be of any help to you while selecting a food for your dog. Please do not hesitate contacting me.

Till next time

-William-

William Moore

William Moore Canine Training

fayettedogtrainer@gmail.com

678-702-4791