Saturday, January 16, 2016

Do dog and cat owners have realistic expectations?

What are your expectations around the companion animals in your life?
One of the most common reasons for animals to be surrendered, relinquished or euthanased is a fundamental mismatch between the expectations of the owner and the reality of having a pet.

The Future Pet Parent Guide, a North American website, is designed to try to identify those expectations and avert the disappointment, heartache and tragedy that can follow.

  • Future cat owners can identify their own expectations via a checklist here.
  • While future dog owners can identify theirs here.

There are also tools to allow potential pet owners to plan a budget for their pet, which is important given the costs of companion animal ownership are increasing.

The website is sponsored by Nestle Purina Pet Care in Canada.

In other news:

The journal Animal Sentience has been launched and is open for submissions.
Some people believe animals are incapable of feelings and use this to justify harming them. To correct this obvious falsehood, the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy is launching a new, open-access journal, Animal Sentience.
The first journal of its kind, it focuses on an animal’s ability to experience feelings, and tries to bridge the gap between science and animal advocacy. 
Animal Sentience is open for public submissions and is peer-reviewed by a multinational editorial board. As a forum for physiological, psychological, philosophical and even legal discussions, this journal will appeal to a wide array of readers including yours.
“The study of animal emotions and feelings is a fast growing academic domain with enormous implications for animals and humans alike,” writes cognitive scientist and Editor in Chief, Stevan Harnad, who founded the influential journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences.

And on a lighter note:
Does your dog look away just as you snap a selfie? Here’s an innovative solution. It wouldn’t work for Phil but I know quite a few other dogs who would be charmed by this device.