The links are listed below should aid you in finding all sorts of pet care and training tips.

Welcome to Dog Owner's Guide! ----Very comprehensive guide with great information.

AAHA Pet Care Library ---- Information provided by Veterinarians.

Information and Tips - Denver Dumb Friends League ---- Dogs, cats and parakeets.

Caring For Your New Bird ---- Just birds.

Cat Fanciers Web Site ---- Just cats.

Reptile Forums ---- For the reptile lover

International League for the Protection of Horses ---- Help for Horses

Looking for a fun place to exercise your dog?

Check out the Lansing Dog Park!

Lansing Dog Park Web Site

Make sure your dog is wearing it's license, it's required!

IS YOUR DOG HOUSE LEGAL?

The law requires provision of "sufficient" shelter in order to maintain an animal in a state of good health.

• Use hard plastic or painted wood (metal rusts and conducts heat and cold). Make sure it does not leak and it faces south in winter, north in summer.
• Raise the house off the ground several inches.
• Put a flap over the door (old rug or rubber mat with strips cut vertically).
• The roof should extend 8" over the door to help keep the rain out.
• Use straw, newspaper or cedar shavings for bedding; nail a strip of wood at the bottom of the doghouse door to keep them from spilling out. Don't use rags or rugs, they absorb water and can freeze.
• Put water in a sturdy, tip resistant bowl or bucket  inside a rubber tire to prevent tipping, and check for freezing several times a day during winter.

The Outside-Only Dog - Things to Consider

A lonely life for a social animal

Dogs, by instinct, are very social animals. When in the wild, dogs run together with other dogs as members of a pack. Over many years, dogs were gradually domesticated and came to rely on people for care and companionship. You could say people became the dogs' "pack members". When a dog is kept alone outside and never allowed inside with the rest of the pack members, behavioral problems will develop and the dog's safety and health will be jeopardized.

Most of the behavioral problems incurred by dogs stem from boredom and lack of human companionship. Chronic barking, digging, licking of feet, legs and underside, running away, and eating foreign debris are all examples of common problems which occur when a dog is kept entirely outside. Every day, animal shelters like ours receive countless numbers of stray dogs who have wandered away from their homes. They also receive dogs relinquished by their owners because of behavioral problems caused by neglect. A good number of these dogs must be euthanized because we can not place animals with such severe behavioral problems, or simply because people are not as likely to adopt a dog that has not been properly socialized with humans.

Generally, an owner that keeps their dog inside is more observant of that dog, therefore, being more in tune with their dog's health, temperament, and whereabouts. A dog kept strictly outside is more prone to medical problems. These dogs are at a much greater risk for parasitic infection such as fleas, tapeworm, hookworm, whipworm, and roundworm. There is also the potential to pick up such diseases as rabies, parvo, and distemper because they come into contact with unvaccinated, stray, or wild animals. Digging in soil exposes the dog to fungal infections. Outside-only dogs are also more prone to ear problems such as fly bites, ear mites and infection.

Extreme temperatures also affect the dog's health. Dogs that are kept outside in the extreme cold can experience hypothermia which can lead to frost bite, upper respiratory infection, dehydration (if water is unavailable or frozen), stress (which causes the dog's organs to work harder), and even death. Exposure to extreme heat can cause hypothermia which can lead to dehydration, weight loss (due to loss of appetite), stress and death. Dogs kept outside are also exposed to the wind and rain which leads to upper respiratory infections such as kennel cough and pneumonia. In addition, moist environments can cause skin infections, hair loss and fungal infections.

Dogs that are kept outside all the time may cause harm to themselves when trying to escape the yard. Broken bones, abrasions, hanging, mouth injuries, intestinal problems and infection can all occur when trying to break a chain or jump over, chew through, or dig under a fence. If the dog does make it out of the fence, they can face other dangers, such as being hit by a vehicle, poisoned, or harmed by another animal or human. They may also be stolen or picked up and taken to a local animal control facility. Or they may just disappear.

So, you see how the controlled environment of an inside dog helps improve the dog's health, well-being, and life span. Face it, we as humans domesticated the canine to work alongside us to provide for them, protect them, and be a friend to them. Keep your dog inside where she can be a part of your family "pack".

From the Virginia Beach ASPCA

Recipes for Emergency Kitten Fomula

The pet store is closed, and you have hungry kittens that need formula! Never fear!

In a pinch, the Cornell Book of Cats says that human baby formula can be used if made up to double the normal strength (human baby formula is normally not nutritious enough for kittens). As with the below formulas, please remember that any emergency formula should only be used until regular Feline Replacement Formula (such as KMR or Just Born) can be purchased at the pet store. None of these are nutritionally complete for the long term health of a kitten.

Formula #1
1 quart whole goat's milk
1 teaspoon light Karo syrup
1 tablespoon nonfat plain yogurt (goat's milk preferred)
1 egg yolk
Knox unflavored gelatin:
  Newborn-1 week 1 pkg
  2nd week 1 1/2 - 2 pkgs
  3rd week 2 1/2 - 3 pkgs
  4th week 4 pkgs
Put goat's milk in saucepan, add gelatin in the amount above depending on the kitten's age. Heat goat's milk/gelatin mixture just until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat. Mix in remaining ingredients and refrigerate. It will keep up to one week. Heat to skin test temperature and feed kittens.

Formula #2
8 ounces homogenized whole milk
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salad oil
1 drop liquid pediatric vitamins (optional)

Mix well and warm before using. Keep refrigerated.

Formula #3
1 part boiled water to 5 parts evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon bone meal per 16 oz fluid

Mix well, refrigerate, warm before using .

Formula #4
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons Karo syrup

All three mixed well and kept in tightly sealed jar in fridge.
At feeding time mix 1/2 of the estimated feeding amount with:
Equal amount of boiling water
(once a day mix 1 drop of human infant liquid vitamins in each kitties formula)

If constipation occurrs: add 1 drop of vegetable oil to each kitties formula no more than once daily till problem is eased. Test temperature before feeding (the combination of boiling water and chilled formula should be just about right).