A SIMPLE TO DO LIST FOR SUMMER

Summer is fast approaching and here is a general check list of items to address for our pets health, safety and well-being: 

• Make sure your pet is spayed or neutered to prevent unwanted litters of puppies or kittens.
• When adopting a new puppy, enroll in training classes to head off behavioral issues.
• Learn how to prevent dog bites and how to train your pet not to bite.
• Educate children on how to interact with dogs and cats.
• Teach children not to tease dogs and cats or chase strays and ferals.
• If your pet does have behavioral problems realize they can be health-related. A complete annual medical exam conducted by your veterinarian will prevent such issues or resolve them quickly.
• Make sure collars are in good shape with up-to-date identification tags to enable your pet's return if lost.
• Consider a microchip as an extra measure of protection.
• Develop and implement a plan that includes your pet's needs in the event of a natural disaster.
• Put together a pet first aid kit for emergencies. 
• Designate a family member or friend to take care of your pet in the event of a personal medical emergency until you are able to resume responsibility for your pet.
• Have your pet included in your will. Set aside money for their care and designate a caretaker willing to care for your pet for the remainder of your pet's life.

Following this simple list will give you peace of mind and provide a good measure of security, safety and care for your pets, family and friends.

TAIWAN STRAYS

My blog has been getting quite a large amount of hits from Taiwan which prompted me to do some surfing to check out the stray animal issue there.

Apparently strays are an issue no matter where in the world big cities are. In the past I've posted about the dogs of Pompeii Italy and strays in Singapore, now Taiwan.

From what I've found on the internet, black dogs and black dog mixes are prized as guard dogs. Their lives are spent tethered by short leases. Dogs that are no longer wanted by their families are let loose to become strays living terribly hard lives.

Cats and dogs are still used for food. There is an old abandoned mining town populated by stray cats that has become a destination for amateur photographers and tourists. The cats there are fed an taken care of to some extent by local people and volunteers.

There are other websites that depict the suffering of animals in ways too upsetting to contemplate. Whomever is reading my blog in Taiwan please do what you can to get others to change their attitudes about animals. We have a long way to go here in the United States but there are many dedicated people doing what they can to improve animal welfare. The Taiwanese people can do it too. All it takes is one person to start and your actions become like a pebble thrown in a quiet lake; the ripples will move into bigger and bigger circles.

Gandhi said the greatness of a country can be judged by the way it treats its animals. All nations need to become more humane in our treatment of animals. Start by alleviating the pain and suffering, make citizens accountable for what they do to animals, institute spay/neuter laws.