POLITICS FOR PET OWNERS

Pet-positions of your Presidents, Senators and Representatives; mask mandates, dogs in the White House and how Politics affect all animal owners.

NATIONAL PET WEEK

AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION

National Pet Week (May 1-7) turned out to be a huge reminder to the NetPlaces Network staff of how important personal pets are to our everyday lives.

Covid swept through our offices like a viral storm, laying waste to publishing schedules. First time in 22 years we’ve missed our deadline but the AMVA message reminded us how much our pets mean to us and how they motivate us to “get up and get moving.”

So, those of us who could, did. For a couple of us, it took a little longer but taking care of the dogs was more important than sitting at a keyboard feeling sorry for ourselves. Just one of the many things that dogs do for us, make us get up when all we want to do is wallow in self-pity misery…

Pets, even goldfish, keep us active when we would rather just “watch tv.” Pets have to be cared for and those who are too ill to do so will have friends or family to ensure that our animals are fed and reassured.

When your dog connects with you just as you’re dozing off in boredom, you need to ask yourself how that happens? Does your pet actually “know” that you need to get up? That you’ve been watching too much television? Or does he hate TV dinners and he’s trying to tell you to get up and make a hamburger…?

Dr. Jose Arce, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says “That’s why, in addition to celebrating the bond between us and our pets, National Pet Week encourages pet owners to be certain to provide their best friends with everything needed for a happy, healthy life.”

You might find it fun to mark your calendar or tell your smartphone what you want to do each day to help you and your pets feel better. Hopefully you selected a dog that keeps you involved and physically active.

Here’s #1 on your list for overall health for you and your dog. Daily walks make your dog happiest of all because he smells new things which to a dog is like you reading a newspaper or watching TV. You note how nice your neighbor’s lawn looks. Your dog inspects where the ground hog dug in the wet soil by the new plants. You admire the flower garden across the street as your dog picks up the scent of a new cat in the neighborhood. He tugs at the leash and you scold him, not knowing that his instinct says “Chase!” He’s chastised but imagine for a moment that he must wonder what is wrong with you!

If luck is with your dog that day, you will meet a neighbor also out walking their dogs. As you stop to say hello and perhaps share a recipe or the results of last nights football game, your dogs do likewise. Sure they do! Where the new squirrel lives is big news between the canine crowd…

So let National Pet Week stay with you through the seasons. You can’t really get a feel of the leaves turning from green to gold… You have to see them, note that the big tree on the corner looks suddenly bare. Winter snow should not deter you from enjoying your dog’s delight in what stepped where along the path. Now you can see what he’s reading!

The point is that National Pet Week can last all year if you let it. Your dog will show you new things and encourage engagement with your neighbors.

So mark your calendar and celebrate your health, your dog, your ability to enjoy where you live even if it means taking the car and riding around a different route. For TheDogPlace.org members, National Pet Week comes 52 times a year and every day is a new one when you greet it with your dog.

Visit the AVMA’s special page for senior pets to find out what is ‘normal’ and what may signal a reason for concern about an aging pet. Contrary to popular belief, dogs do not age at a rate of seven human years for each year in dog years.

View AVMA’s “Lifetime of care for a lifetime of love” VIDEO and take advantage of the health benefits that come with pet ownership.

TheDogPlace.org EST 1998 © May 2022 https://www.thedogplace.org/Politics/National-Pet-Week-AVMA-22051.asp

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