Archive for the ‘Pets’ Category
The Value Of A Dog Leash
August 29th, 2009
Dog Owners must appreciate the significance of keeping their dog on a leash. A leash not only protects others from your dog a leash also protects your dog from the threats of the outside world.
An unrestrained dog can get be a problem, regardless of the training your dog has received. Many pet owners treat their pets like their own children, and just like a child should have boundaries lest they wander off and get hurt, so should dogs.
There are numerous distractions outdoors that will tempt a dog to leave the yard. The roar of large trucks and motorcycles can cause a constant barking, and often times they will chase after the vehicle. This causes a distraction to the driver as well as danger to your dog.
Many other diversions occur that may cause your dog to leave its boundaries are wildlife. Birds, chipmunks, rabbits or deer can make an otherwise obedient canine to desert their manners and chase the taunting animal. Take your eye off your dog for only a moment and they could be gone. If they return unharmed, they may return having rolled in something with a bad odor. If it so happens your dog escapes on garbage day your neighbors might have quite a mess to clean up.
Allowing your dog to freely wander the neighborhood can aggravate your neighbors, particularly if your dog decides to relieve themselves or dig holes on their lawn. Little children may also be afraid. Sometimes a dog will want to play but the young child sees the dog as being aggressive a chase ensues. Even though the dog is being playing, the child does not realize this and may get hurt as they try to run away from the dog.
Even if your dog is not aggressive, a stranger might approach the pet to read a dog tag or a young child sees a cute dog and hugs the dog and the dog nips or bites. This is a devastating situation for everyone: the injured, the owner and the confused dog. The pet owner is responsible.
The ideal solution is to fence your yard. If you do not have a yard, try visiting a Dog Park. Dog Parks are a perfect location for dogs to run and play with other dogs. Dog Parks are popping up all over these days. To find a Dog Park in your area, contact your local veterinarian.
Taking care of your pet is a large responsibility. Dogs must be supervised at all times to keep them safe. A dog on a leash is a simple solution to keep your dog out of harm’s way
Dog Leashes are manufactured in many sizes and styles. 4 foot leashes are great for those who live in the city; hands free dog leashes are great for exercising with your dog, couplers can be purchased for walking multiple dogs; retractable leashes offer a little more freedom; and the standard 6 foot leash is usually accessible in one inch and 5/8 widths to hold most dogs.
Tags: games, men, sports, self motivation
Tags: Dog collars, dog safety, dog supplies, dogs, pet collars, Pets, sports dog collars
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Deciding on an Ideal Chicken Coop to Build
August 28th, 2009
There’s a good chance that you’re battling to make the right decision regarding which type of chicken coop will best suit your needs. Essentially, there are a number of chicken coops you could make, but having a proper understanding as to which type will best fit your needs is crucial for getting the best possible results. If you’re going to be spending your money on a chicken coop, then it should suit your individual needs and as such, getting started on the right foot is vital.
Essentially, there are a few factors which are more important than other and as such, you need to pay careful attention to them. Hopefully, those points which are mentioned in this article will help you to set out on the right foot so that you’ll end up having a coop which is ideal for your needs.
Coop Size
Possibly one of the most important factors that will need to be looked at is the size of chicken coop you want to build. There’s small, medium, and large plans for the chicken coops, each which accommodates a certain number of chickens.
The biggest and also the most common mistake made by those who keep chickens, is that they try to squash too many chickens into a coop. Bear in mind, chicken require an adequate amount of space in order for them to feel comfortable and to lay eggs as they should. For this reason, you really do want to make the right decision with regards to size before you starting building.
Remember, it’s better to build a coop which is too big rather than build one which is too small. If the coop ends up being too big, you’ll at least be able to add in a few more chickens.
Portable Versus Fixed
That’s right, once you’ve decided on the size, you” then have to decide whether you want a fixed coop or a portable one. Of course, both have their advantages and disadvantages. Portable coops for example can be moved around as you see fit, hence the reason for them being popular between those who keep chickens as pets.
Additionally, portable chicken coops also allow for easy maintenance because you can move them to a specific area for cleaning purposes.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for something with a little more structural integrity than you�ll likely be better off choosing a fixed chicken house since these will be built sturdier so that they are able to withstand wear and tear.
Protection
Factor in protection from predators as you make your decision what type of chicken coop to make as well. Ideally you should have a very solid fencing system to keep all varieties of predators out. This will have to be built to match the size of the coop you’re building as well.
Coop Appearance
Finally, think about the overall appearance of what you want your chicken coop to look like. There are a number of different ways you can build the chicken coop which will impact the overall design of the chicken coop. This will also likely influence the cost of the building process, so it’s something to think about and work within your budget.
The bottom line is; there are a number of ways to build a cheap chicken coop so it’s important that you understand the various options and how they will affect the total cost.
So, be sure you’re factoring these points in as you decide which type of chicken coop you wish to build. Getting the information up front before you start to build will help save you hundreds of dollars over the long run.
Tags: Self Improvement, advice, recreation, happiness
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Dog Food Ingredients: What Kind Of Meat Is That?
August 28th, 2009
So many of the dog foods available to us today try to lure you in by telling us about the great quality of the meat, grains, and vegetables they use. Can you believe them? To find out, you have to read the dog food ingredients list. But beware, they are tricky to navigate.
How do you know what is a healthy dog food though? In reality, what is healthy for one pet isn’t necessarily healthy for another. Certain dogs may have different levels of activity or be in different stages of their life. Others may have a food intolerance or be diabetic. Take all of these into consideration when determining the type of dog food best for your pet.
Independent of the type of dog food, the actual ingredients need to be understood. Are you really feeding nutritious ingredients to your dog or not? A great source of confusion comes when trying to decipher the meats - the main source of protein - as they can be stated as a type of meat, meal, or by-product.
What is the difference between a Meat, Meal, and By-Product? An identified animal meat, chicken for example, means the clean flesh from a chicken. Meal is simply the ingredient that has be dehydrated and ground. So chicken meal is dehydrated, ground up chicken meat. By-product is what is left over after all the usable meat has been removed (like the neck, feet, intestines, etc.) Chicken by-product would be processed and ground up chicken necks, feet, and who really knows what else.
Do You Want an Animal Meat or an Animal Meat Meal? So let’s further confuse things now. You have two bags in front of you. The first one has lamb as the first ingredient. The second has lamb meal. Which is a better dog food, protein-wise? The one with lamb meal.
All dog food ingredients must be listed in order of weight. Since a meat still has all of its moisture, it will be heavier than a meat meal. To put it another way, take two pieces of meat that weigh the same. Now dehydrate one. Which one will weigh more - the meat will. The tricky part is that once the dog food is made, all meat is first processed and made into meat meal.
What Does a Generic ‘Meat’ Mean? All animal meats must be identified on the label. If the food is from a specific animal, such as salmon, it will be stated as ’salmon’. If the food is from an animal class, like fish, then more than one type of that animal could be in the meat - like salmon, tuna, cod - and will labeled as ‘fish’. A generic ‘meat’ or ‘meat meal’ is the absolute worse - it means the actual animal meat cannot be even identified. You could have some cow, goat, fish, geese, etc.
A general rule of thumb for a healthy dog food is if the animal source can’t be identified, this is usually a good indicator to stay away from that dog food. ‘Meat’ is a definite clue for stay away! A class of meat, like poultry, although not as bad as just ‘meat’, still makes one question the source of the meat. A specific animal meat is best.
Tags: recreation, general, self help, Self Improvement
Tags: dog food ingredients, healthy dog food, Pets
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Keep Costs Down When Building a Chicken Coop
August 27th, 2009
Because building materials can have such a significant impact with regards to the amount of money you’ll spend on building a chicken coop, I’d like to discuss this specifically in this article.
Many individuals do have a tendency to think you need a lot of expensive materials to successfully build a chicken coop, however this is not the case at all. Chicken coops can be made from a variety of different materials including such things as an old shed, scrap lumber, PVC pipes, 50 gallon barrels, or other recycled materials you may have around the house already.
Of course as you may well know, timber is the most popular and most commonly used material. Ironically, timber is also the most expensive choice of material but of course, if you want your chicken coop to last many years without being damaged by the elements, then perhaps it would be worth your while to invest in a quality wooden chicken coop.
Of course if you decide to go with a wooden chicken coop then it’s important to bear in mind that different varieties of wood vary in price, hence the importance of considering the different varieties of timber available.
If you only intend building a small chicken coop then you could even consider using some recycled timber. You could also simply ask around for old bits of scrap timber but be prepared, because you may find yourself having to remove many nails before the timber can be used. Also, because you’ll be using different types of wood, different sections of the chicken coop may not match up in the end. However, if your primary concern is to use the most cost effective method there is, then you may want to consider this option.
Many times you can save over half the price of the coop just by looking carefully for building materials that will meet your needs effectively.
So, before you rush out to buy whatever you think you need for building supplies, give some careful consideration to this first. It’s important that you have a firm understanding about building materials for your chicken house before you even get going. In some cases it can get hard to start with a certain type of material and then switch over halfway through, even between the different types of woods, therefore getting it all figured out before you begin will be your best bet.
Tags: advice, Self Improvement, self motivation, games
Tags: animals, chickens, farm, farm animals, Pets, raising chickens
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