August, 2019 | SMF-Animal

Animal lovers are naturally inclined to pass down the love of animals to their children, but this isn’t always the case. Perhaps you don’t own pets, or you have adopted a child who is not accustomed to the company of animals. Either way, you can still foster a love of animals in your child or children by doing simple things that help encourage respect and admiration within your family.

How to Instill a Love of Pets within Your Child

image source

Instilling a love for pets within the youth is important as it teaches them to be kind, thoughtful and establish a respect for all life on earth. The respect of animals can also sway violent and illegal behavior towards animals as well as impress on them a sense of community and charity. There are many more reasons to introduce and instill a love for animals and pets within your child, but let us start with the basics.

Education

Often, due to living arrangements or location, families are not able to own pets, and this can be difficult as they cannot set good examples for children to learn by. Luckily, you don’t have to own an animal to set a good example!

Arranging trips to aquariums, conservation centers or zoos can be the first step in teaching your child about animals and why they should be revered. Educational camps and animal welfare societies often offer programs to schools and families to assist in the understanding and conservation of domestic and wildlife.

Wildlife and pet videos are available online which are of educational value to the entire family which also doubles up as a night of entertainment occasionally. Make a bowl of popcorn, find an animal-centered series and binge watch it together.

Volunteer at a Shelter

Volunteering once or twice a year at an animal rescue center or shelter is also …

Pet

What Is Pet Insurance And Why You Should Invest In One?

August 19, 2019August 15, 2020 - by Jarrod Marcelino

We all realize how unpredictable life has the potential to get. Where one minute you are living your quiet, everyday life, the next you can find yourself in the middle of one the most complex messes you have ever witnessed. Life has the tendency to hand us lemons when we are least expecting them.

So, what do you do when your precious dog needs a knee cap dislocation surgery because he fell into a ditch playing fetch and you do not have the money to pay for it?

In such unfortunate scenarios, if you’re lucky, you will have a pet insurance that you can file a claim to. However, the prospect of getting your pets insured is not as common as it should be. In this article, we will discuss what really is pet insurance and if it is really worth it. Let’s begin.

What is pet insurance?

Like health insurance is for humans, pet insurance is for your little furry friends. It is an insurance policy that can be bought by pet owners to have a financial cover when it comes to expensive veterinary treatments. In case of any unforeseen incident with your pet that requires medical attention, you can file a claim with your chosen pet insurance service provider to cover the damage and the costs.

Before you decide on any one insurance company, we recommend comparing the costs and services of several pet insurance companies in the area so you can make an educated and informed decision.

Should I be getting a pet insurance?

Short answer – if you have a pet then yes, you should. The following paragraphs will explain exactly why it is so important and what benefits you can get out of investing into an insurance policy for your darling pet.

1. Your pet

Dog Beds

Taking Responsibility For a Child’s Pet

August 18, 2019September 18, 2019 - by Jarrod Marcelino

Okay, so your child was the one who wanted the new pet. Your child was also the one who chose the new pet. However, this does not mean the sole responsibility of the pet lies with the child. The new pet has become part of the family, so it is the whole family’s responsibility.

Taking Responsibility For a Child's Pet — image source

Before you get your new pet, sit down with your child and make clear the rules and obligations that are expected of the child. Make sure the child is aware of how much food the pet will need. Give the child rewards for meeting those obligations, and punishments if the child neglects the new pet, for example no more TV.

However, you must also remember that there are going to be times when the child is simply unable to take care of the pet. For example, if the child is ill then they won’t be able to take care of it. Also, if they have a lot of homework to do, you can cut them a bit of slack then too, and this will be the time for you to step in and help out with the care of the pet.

But it doesn’t matter how much the child takes the pet care responsibilities seriously, you have to accept that the financial obligations will rest with you. You will need to pay for the food, the vet’s bills, and any other costs which may need to be met. That is, of course, unless you plan to send your child out to get themselves a job!…

Animals

Toilet Train Cats The Easy Way With These 4 Starter Tips

August 2, 2019November 8, 2019 - by Jarrod Marcelino

Are you frustrated with your kitty messing up your home with her excrement? The good news is that you are not alone! Cat soiling is one of the most common problems for pet owners today and thankfully there are solutions available for this cat behavior problem.

When you set out to train your cat to use her new litter tray, it is really important to use the right approach. Not carrying this out right, or doing it poorly, is sure to bring on terrible results. You could potentially end up with your house soiled with cat poop, or maybe even discovering unpleasant surprises on your carpet!

This article presents 4 tips to avoid that kind of failure, and hopefully help you succeed in minimising the mess in your house caused by cat excrement.

1) Always get a cat litter box with the most practical and convenient design. When it comes to litter boxes, most of the time the best boxes are the most simple to use.

You will want to consider properly if you require boxes with funky designs or loads of features since that will help avoid problems if your cat gets confused or turned off by the additional functions. Failure to get this done might actually cost you an additional trip to the pet store to get a new litter box. So do not make the mistake of ignoring this crucial step!

2) This may sound funny, but try to choose a cat litter box that is deep enough. Believe it or not, cats actually want to bury their poop and a shallow box will not satisfy her natural instincts at all.

3) You will also want to get a cat litter box that is large and wide. Unlike humans, your kitty will want to totally entire the …