Dog Blog

The age old question of whether I should insure my dog or not, is addressed by Dr. Rob Sharp in an article in the May issue of Country Magazine.

In it he mentions how on a daily routine he handles numerous cases involving spaying and neutering dogs, cleaning teeth,vaccines, heartworm medication, flea repellent products and behavioural problems none of which is covered by most insurance policies.

In the same day he could routinely refer cases to specialists for treatments that could run into thousands of dollars, which could be covered by insurance.

Bear in mind that the figures he is quoting is based on US fees, as he mentions you have to weigh the odds, considering that a basic plan costs $50.00. The average life span for a Labrador is 12 years, so his annual cost would be $ 600.00 a year or $ 7.200 over a lifetime.

As I said this is a hard question, are you the type of owner who would pursue all possible avenues to save a beloved dog.

He goes on to mention that in his practice of over 4.500 clients, he can only find only one insured dog

Read more ……

In fact I would argue that none of them are but the press would make you think otherwise. That is of course, except for The Holland Sentinel - an online news publication out of Holland, Michigan USA – who recently published an article about “Blitz” a 2 year old purebred pitbull who not long ago came to the rescue of a woman being abused by her ex-husband.

This was a story that caught my eye because it was refreshing to hear a positive story about a breed that continues to get bad press. Apparently, the husband broke into his ex-wife’s home armed with a knife and hammer and was heard later dragging her across a nearby street when she screamed “He is going to kill me”. First of all, I can’t imagine what it would have been like to hear this let alone be close enough to respond. I am the type where I would have to do something! Thankfully, that’s exactly what the owner of Blitz did, eyewitnesses say they saw, “Blitz run at the couple, barking, giving the woman an opportunity to get away”. By letting the dog run outside the owner effectively prevented what was most certainly going to be a tragic event. Blitz was described by the victim – a single mom of two – as a “sweet-tempered dog who jumps up to sniff and lick visitors, but was fierce when it counted”.

Pit-bulls are not always tearing people apart or aggressively terrorizing other dogs, there are many positive stories that don’t get shared that are worth noting and Blitz is one of them. If you are an owner and/or have a positive pit-bull experience worth sharing then please let us know by commenting on this blog.

Just like it is for Humans, I strongly believe that housing for pets is an indisputable right. There should be “homes” for everyone on this planet not just shelter. Shelters are important buffers to homelessness and provide a vital service to society, but they are temporary resources that are often stretched to capacity. When we put home in this perspective it makes us think about what it means to be “homeless” or alternatively, how we define a home?

I think the common perception of being homeless is not having a fixed address or a roof over one's head. I think it is much more complicated than that. The first thing we should think about is what a home means to you or me. For me and my dogs, it is not just four walls and a roof but a place we consider to be safe, stable, and warm, with lots of love and freedom of space. It is an affordable sanctuary...my/our happy place.

Think about those cold, windy, rainy nights in the middle of winter in say Vancouver and how nice it is to be curled up under a blanket enjoying that tropical micro-climate. So, the moral of this blog is to always be responsible with your pets. Make sure that you not only have the proper resources to afford your pet(s) a good home but also the dedication necessary to make sure that even under the worst of circumstances they will always have this right.