Dogs Make Us A Better Person

They say that a man who’s kind to animals is a kind person.  So does it mean I’m kind because I love dogs? Hahaha, well I’ll let my friends answer that. But seriously, I can say that owning and training dogs makes me a better person.  Many people thought that teaching or training dogs is very difficult; imagine communicating to an animal that obviously does not understand human language and then telling that animal to behave or do things that is socially acceptable and human in nature, this may not sound easy and very challenging but not impossible as long as your kind, patient and willing to understand and accept their needs as animals.  Remember that any animal pet such as dogs did not choose to live with us humans and yet we require and insist them to adjust to our human lifestyle & environment. And the sad and cruel part is people would cage them, put them on chains, send them to shelters or worst of all put them to sleep, if they fail to behave right or simply follow the human house rules.

This is exactly the case of a 2yr old mixed breed dog owned by a kid who used to love and play with his dog when it was still a puppy. I was shocked and sadden to find out that dog was put to sleep simply because of his biting behavior. I got a chance to interact with this dog when it was still 6 months old and I admit that the  canine somehow shows disrespect by suddenly snapping and biting but it didn’t took a while for the creature to understand that his conduct was unacceptable, so I was able to correct it immediately. Then I found out what and who causes the behavior, it was the kid and the rest of his companions, sad to say his family who made their pet behave aggressively, they hit and hurt the dog every time it commits a mistake, and sometimes the kid will annoy  him just for fun.  The dog became aggressively defensive and this behavior has become associated with simply people trying to approach him, thinking that humans can’t be trusted. The poor dog was a victim of mishandling, disrespect, cruelty from ignorant owners.

I was in anger knowing these things happen, I said to myself, I wish people can be as passionate as I am, become dog trainers and discover that it’s not always the dogs that we teach that gain knowledge from us, but  most of life’s lesson learned came from the compassion, respect , patience, loyalty, love from our dogs.

A positive reinforcement is not just effective for dogs but strongly for humans. If it’s easy for you to interact with your dogs, show goodness as your dog does the same, what more with humans.

Life is so simple and humans complicate it, a dog’s life is so simple and yet it’s willing to live with us in spite the conflicts of our nature.  I taught my dogs so many things, complex tricks that’s really amusing, but it’s nothing compared to what I learned from them.  I learned that teaching dogs applies to life. Be kind to people just like with your dog and most likely they’ll be kind to you, Be understanding and patient in teaching your dog as well as with everything you do in life and soon good things will come your  way, learn to respect life like you respect your dog and life will respect you.  

No wander, a Dog is a very special creature with a unique name spelled in reverse. 

Dog Facts & Trivia: Take time to know them.

Many people love their dogs but often take for granted the things they should know about their pets. Just the same, I thought I knew everything until these questions came out. Though I got 7 correct answers out of 13. Good thing I passed.

Here are few Dog Facts that every dog lover should know courtesy of Petplace.com

1. How many bones do dogs have in their body?
Dogs have an average of 319 bones in their bodies.

2. Can dogs be sunburned?
Yes they can – and light-colored dogs are especially susceptible.

3. What is the average lifespan of a small breed dog?
The average lifespan of a small breed dog is anywhere from 12 to 18 years.

4. What is the average lifespan of a large breed dog?
The average lifespan of a large breed dog is 7 to 12 years. As a general rule, the larger the breed, the shorter the lifespan.

5. What is the normal temperature of a dog?
Normal body temperature for a dog ranges between 100.5 degrees F to 101.5 degrees F. Normal human temperature is 98.6 degrees F.

6. What is the normal heart rate of a dog? How does that compare to a human heart rate?
The normal heart rate of a dog is anywhere from 80 to 120 beats per minute (depending on the breed/size of the dog). Most humans have a heart rate of approximately 60 to 80 beats per minute. A dog's heart beats twice as fast as a human heart.

7. How many vocal sounds can a dog make and how does that compare to a cat?
Dogs can only make 10 vocal sounds – as compared to a cat that can make about 100 vocal sounds.

8. How old was the oldest living dog?
The oldest living dog on record lived in Australia. He was an Australian Cattle dog named Bluey who worked among cattle and sheep for nearly twenty years. Bluey lived to the age of 29 years, 5 months.

9. How does a dog's sense of smell compare to ours?
Dogs have over 200 million scent receptors in their nasal folds compared to our 5 million.

10. Of all the dog senses, which one does he trust least?
Dogs trust their sense of sight the least.

11. Can dogs see in color?
Dogs do see in color – but mostly in shades of gray. They cannot distinguish between red, orange, yellow or green. They can see some shades of blue but blues are often seen as shades of gray.

12. How does a dog's sense of taste compare to ours?
Humans have six times as many taste buds as dogs. Most of a dog's taste buds are located only on the tip of the tongue. Dogs can detect sweet, sour, bitter and salty tastes. A dog smells rather than tastes.

13. What percentage of dogs are thought to be obese in the United States?
Approximately 25 to 40% of all American household pets are obese or overweight.