Nov 27 2000

This article is about a subject that can be very sensitive with some people: pet responsibility. What makes a responsible pet owner? One may say they feed, water and love their pet, and that's all that's required. But what about things like spaying/neutering, exercising and providing a safe environment for your pet?

These things are important if you are to become a responsible pet owner. I know many people who feed and water their pets, but anyone can do that. And although this is very important it doesn't necessarily make you a responsible owner.

Let me start with a recent incident that took place in my neighborhood. The other night, as my husband and I were enjoying a peaceful evening at home, our doorbell rang (at about 10pm). It was one of our neighbors desperately looking for help. A small white dog about a half mile away had just been hit by a car. Unfortunately, the driver did not stop and some others neighbors discovered the dog on the road shortly thereafter. One of the people who stopped had a cell phone and started calling around looking for some facility to help with this dilemma. The dog was hurt very bad but still alive. As we returned with our neighbor to move the dog into our van and rush to the emergency clinic, the little guy took his last breath. Now we were faced with the decision of what to do with the dog's body. We decided to first try to locate the owners. If we were unable to find them, then we'd take the body to the animal clinic. Fortunately, we were able to locate the owners, only to find it was their 13 year old dog and they were new in the area.

My heart goes out to this family. They seemed to love their dog very much. It was emotionally difficult for all of us who tried to save this dog's life. Now for the BUT part. But had they not let their dog run loose he would still be alive today.

What we need to realize is this is a busy world and no place for family pets to be running free at will. Pets need to be kept safe by all of us, especially in the cities. If you chose to allow your cats and dogs to run free, you must be prepared for your animal to have a shortened life. There are many hazards out there for our pets. Getting hit by a vehicle is only one of them. You must take into consideration that other animals, antifreeze poisoning, and people who don't like animals could all cause your little fluffy to meet an early demise.

That being said, I also want to point out that I live in an acreage community and many people are of the mind that animals should run free in the country. I understand the importance of barn cats and farm dogs, but acreage communities are not farms. You have many different households on 2 or 4 acre parcels, which creates a higher volume of traffic than your average farm. There are no barns for cats to hide in when being chased by coyotes or other animals. If dogs are allow to run free, they begin forming packs and pack-like habits. Dogs still need to be in a dog run, or a fenced area.

There are many more safety issues I could go into including hazards in the household, but I think you have the picture by now. Please be a responsible pet owner whether you live in the city or the county. And don’t wait for me or someone like me to show up on your doorstep with your pet injured or killed in the back of our vehicle before you get the message.

On a side note this week; please check out an organization close to my heart. It is called “Wolf Awareness” and can be found at www.wolfawareness.ca This organization has a "sponsor a wolf" program. This program helps them to radio collar and study wolves in the wild. Their main objective is conservation and education.

Please send me your comments on this article.