Keeping our children happy and germs free especially around our pets, sometimes becomes a head ace of most parents. This does not have to be the case

We have set out easy guides that you as a proud mom and dad can follow to keep your child save, happy and germ free:

1. Explain to the child that your pet plays in dirt and with other animals and eats different things from humans. Because of this your child must wash his/her hands after touching, stroking or playing with your pet. Alot of parents prefer anti-bacterial soaps, but this is up to you
2. Make sure that there is a healthy relationship between your child and your pet. If you observe that your child thats fearing your pet, or that your pet sees your child as a threat, be careful. If you do observe that your child fears the pet, try and find out why. If the pet perhaps bit the child it might be that your child was in your pet’s territory, perhaps during feeding time.
3. If your child has been bitten by a pet, find make sure to tend to the wound immediately to prevent any infection.
4. If you suspect that your pet feels threatened by your child, make sure that you spend enough time with your pet, and your child together. The aim of this so the pet can see that your child is part of your family.
5. Make sure you are always in control of the situation and your pet, in a loving and caring, but assertive way. Especially if your child’s safety is at stake.
6. Make sure that your child understands that your pet should not be played with during feeding time or when asserting his or her territory.
7. Make sure your child does not have any allergies around your pet.

We hope you’ve found this post useful and that these hints inspire you to be more cautious. For Baby Accessories  check out the Baby Accessorize website.

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The Pets Rock Blog would like to wish all our readers a Merry Christmas. To those who don’t celebrate Christmas we wish a Happy Festive Season.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

If you are celebrating do it in a responsible manner.
If you are driving, be careful, the roads are dangerous this time of year.
If you have pets please take extra care of their safety and happiness.
Remember that animals have sensitive hearing and that the sound of fireworks and fire crackers can be very traumatic for them.

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Are you thinking of buying a pet as a gift for a loved-one this Christmas?

That is a STUPID idea!

I’m sure you mean well. Giving someone a pet as a present is perhaps a sweet sentiment, but it’s not really fair to the gift pet.

If you give someone a pet you absolutely have to be 100% sure:

• They want a pet
• They are allowed to get a pet where they live
• A member of their family/housemate isn’t allergic to that pet
• They want that specific species
• They want that specific breed
• They can afford to care for the pet
• They have actually TOLD you they want to get that pet.

… And even then I wouldn’t recommend it.

Many unwanted (or perhaps just unaffordable) gift pets end up abandoned and/or in shelters. During the festive season there is also an increase of people just abandoning their pets when they go on holiday or simply leave them at home, alone and unattended. Animal Rescue shelters reach crisis time during the December holidays, due to the shear number of inmates. Many of them run out of food and space.

This festive season, if you’re thinking about getting a pet, rather adopt than buy. Go to your local shelter and find a friend who will love you forever for giving them a new home.

Don’t however adopt a pet as a gift for someone else. You don’t want the poor animal to be recycled and simply end up back at the shelter.

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I think burning books is sacrilegious, smelly and polluting… but the concept of this book has me really annoyed.

I read an article about a study done that says that dogs have a bigger carbon footprint than SUVs. The study was published under the shock-value title, Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living.

The book was written by Brenda and Robert Vale, professors at Victoria University. Perhaps I should read the book before I can judge, but I refuse to give even one cent of my money to these idiots.

The book suggests that people keep pets that they can eat like for instance chickens and rabbits.

“In a study published in New Scientist, they calculated a medium dog eats 164 kilograms of meat and 95kg of cereals every year. It takes 43.3 square metres of land to produce 1kg of chicken a year. This means it takes 0.84 hectares to feed Fido.”

~Quote from the source article

As one of the comments on the articles said, dogs consume renewable resources, but the fossil fuels used to create petrol are not.

(Source: Article on The Dominion Post by Tanya Kattern.)… But I’m not done.

Dogs are awesome!

The concept of this book  ridiculous. Substituting dogs and cats with animals we could eat would be pointless. More meat-producing animals aren’t going to help at all! Raising an animal as a pet and then killing it for meat is psychopathic behaviour. It’s like killing and eating your human child because it is an economic burden and a source of pollution.

The meat industry has a far greater carbon footprint than the auto industry. Why? Because meat is mass-produced. Cattle are fed large amounts of crops and steroids in order to pump up production.

The meat industry wastes land, food, and energy. It creates animal suffering. Apart from CO2 it produces methane gas and nitrous oxide.

“A 2006 United Nations report found that the meat industry produces more greenhouse gases than all the SUVs, cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the world combined.”

~H. Steinfeld et al., Livestock’s Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options, Livestock, Environment and Development (2006).

“According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than a half-million cars off U.S. roads.”

~Source*

*Read more about: How the meat industry pollutes the environment.)

I’m not sure what the numbers would be in SA, but you get the idea. You’re probably thinking but happens to all the animals if we’re not going to eat them? I’m not saying elliminate existing animals or let them become extinct, I’m just saying let’s stop mass producing them to beyond natural numbers for our own personal gain.  If you can’t see yourself giving up meat try substituting just one weekly meal of flesh for a plantt based meal.

Owning dogs give both humans and dogs happiness (if dogs are treated fairly). I wouldn’t want to live on a planet without dogs, no matter how cool my car was.

To the authors of the book I say a giant: F*** You!

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How to give pills to cats:

1. Gently pick kitty up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if  holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat’s mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle kitty in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, holding front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cats head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat’s throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing back together  later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with its head just visible from below spouse’s armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat’s mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check lable to make sure pill not harmful to humans, dring glass of water to take taste away. Apply band-aid to spouse’s forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbour’s garden shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Call fire-department to get cat down from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie cat’s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Force cat’s mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and 1 cup of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to emergency room.  Sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.

How to give pills to dogs:

1.Wrap pill in food. Give food to dog.

Dislaimer:
I have seen this joke (or a variation thereof)  on several websites, so the source is unknown. However, I found it funny and wanted to share it with you all.

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