THE WOOFINGTON POST

Editor: Mariela Gonzalez

10 Reasons Pets Are Good for Kids
April 2014
There are so many
benefts that pets
provide for kids! Its
easy for kids to get
wrapped up in the
idea of owning a new
pet, but its up to their
parents to make sure
the experience is a
positive one and that
the pets receive the
care they need for their
entire lives Kids tend
to think of all the good,
fun benefts of having a pet. Parents who are
experienced, or even frst-time pet owners,
know there is a lot of patience, time and
efort involved but that the payof of sharing
your home and life is the unconditional love
a well-cared-for pet gives.
Its well worth it. For those parents sitting
on the edge, here are several positive reasons
you might not have thought of to bring a pet
home for your kids: Children who grow up
in homes with pets have
less risk of developing
common allergies and
asthma. Playing with
dogs may help lower
blood pressure. Kids
with pets get outside
more to go for walks,
run and play and enjoy
all the associated health
benefts. Pet owners
require fewer doctors
visits.
Emerging readers often feel more
comfortable reading aloud to a pet. Nurturing
a pet is an acceptable way for boys to parent
play to practice being caregivers. Feeding
and caring for a pet encourages childhood
responsibility. Children with pets display
improved impulse control, social skills and
self-esteem. Sharing the love and care of
a family pet forges an additional common
bond among siblings. Cuddling a pet reduces
stress, loneliness and anxiety.
2014 Austin Amazing Pet Expo
Saturday, Aug 2 10:00am. Palmer Events
Center, Austin
Bring your pet to the 2014 Austin
Amazing Pet Expo! Sat, Saturday, August
2, 2014, from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm,
INDOORS at Palmer Events Center with
FREE Admission!
Go Dance For Good benefting Austin
Pets Alive!
Saturday, May 17 6:00p
Join Go Dance in dancing for good as
we host two Swing lessons (beginner
and intermediate levels) with donations
at the door benefting Austin Pets Alive!
Come meet and mingle, learn about the
or...
Austin Pets Alive! American Pale Ale
Series Launch Party
Thursday, May 8 6:00pm. The ABGB,
Austin
To beneft Austin Pets Alive! and to
promote adoption & care for their long-
stay dogs.
The APA! American Pale Ale Series Launch
Thursday, May 8 6:00pm. The ABGB,
Austin
Come celebrate with us as we launch
a new beer series in partnership with
Austin Pets Alive!
Mighty Texas Dog Walk
Saturday, May 17 9:00am. Palmer Events
Center, Austin
The 16th Annual Mighty Texas Dog Walks
WAG & SWAG is moving indoors! Join us
for a stroll around the beautiful Palmer
Events Center overlooking Auditorium
Shores and lots of exciting entertainment
Thursday, May 15 10:00am. Book People,
Austin
Experience a wonderful educational
animal morning with Tiny Tails to You!
Our playgroups start with an interactive
animal-themed story time
Austin Events
free reign in cars, trucks, RVs, and SUVs. Even
more real is the toll in human life and property
damage caused when an enthusiastic animal
distracts a driver. All excellent ways to keep
your pet (and you) safe when traveling in your
vehicle. Its important to familiarize your
pet with the vehicle restraint of choice weeks
or months before traveling so that they are
comfortable.
Temporary ID Tag: In the unfortunate event
that your pet runs of while youre traveling, a
temporary identifcation tag, along with a photo
of your pet will help ensure their safe return.
Attach a temporary ID tag to your pets collar
in addition to their permanent tag. Include the
address and phone number of where youll be
staying along with your cell phone number
and perhaps your email address. This is one of
the most important aspects of traveling with
your pet, but also one of the most overlooked.
In addition, bring along a current photo of
your pet. A photograph will make it easier for
others to help you fnd your lost pet.
Healthy Start: The last thing you need is a
sick pet when traveling. This means a visit to
the vet for a medical checkup and to ensure
that your pet is up-to-date with all necessary
vaccinations. The veterinarian can also issue
a health certifcate for your pet. If you and
your pet will be traveling across state lines,
you must obtain a recent health certifcate
and a certifcate of rabies vaccination. If
your plans include traveling with your pet
from the United States to Canada, you will
need to bring along a certifcate issued by a
veterinarian that clearly identifes the animal
and certifes that your pet has been vaccinated
against rabies during the preceding 36 month
period. Be sure to contact the government of
the province you plan to visit as each province
has its own requirements.
Plan for Restraint: Have a plan for how
youre going to properly restrain your pet in
your vehicle. This is a crucial element of pet
travel that is not taken seriously enough. The
reality is that hundreds of pets are injured or
even killed each year because they are allowed
Car Traveling with your Pet
Ask anyone on the street whether
theyre a cat or a dog person, and chances
are, theyve got a quick answer. Like the
choice between Coke or Pepsi, or chocolate
or vanilla, how you respond to cats versus
dogs could say a lot about you. Dog people
are a litle more outgoing, a dog owner at
the Westminster Dog Show told ABC News.
Cat people are a litle more aloof, because
thats just how cats are.
Karen Hessel, the proud mama to
3-year-old Ripley, a golden retriever, said,
They say that cats are very intelligent
but I havent seen that yet in a cat, but I
know my dog is brilliant. Over at the Black
Diamond Cat Show in Kimberton, Pa., cat
owners were telling a diferent story, saying
intelligence is the key diference between
dog and cat owners. Cat people, they say,
are simply smarter.
Cats are more independent and so are
their owners, Martha Auspitz said. She has
been showing cats for nearly 40 years and
even met her husband, Norman, at a cat
show. I was into Abyssinians, he said, and
when I saw Marthas Abyssinians, I knew
I needed them and when I saw Martha, I
said, Oh. So, in 1982 we were married.
According to the American Pet Products
Associaton, 62 percent of U.S. households
have a pet. Dogs win in the popularity race,
with 39 percent of U.S. households owning
at least one dog, compared with 33 percent
of U.S. households owning at least one cat.
The nature of why people prefer cats
or dogs is a topic that has been getng
increased research in recent years.
Scientsts at major academic insttutons have
devoted tme and resources to understanding
why people become one or the other. On a
practcal level, research shows that we tend
to gravitate toward the animal with which we
were raised. Another big factor is living space
and age. Apartment dwellers in urban areas
are more likely to have cats or small dogs,
while families living in the suburbs are more
apt to have larger dogs like retrievers or bull
mastfs.
Parents with young children
generally have energetc dogs the
kids can play with outside, while
single people or older people are
more inclined to have the more
low-key cat. Whether youre a cat
or dog person is ofen an accident
of geography. If you were born in
Saudi Arabia, youre more likely to
be a cat person, said Harold Herzog,
an anthrozoologist studying human-
animal relatonships at Western
Carolina University in Cullowhee,
N.C. Dogs there are very rarely pets because
theyre considered vermin. Going deeper
than geography or our upbringing, though,
scientsts believe the selecton of species can
say a lot about people.
A major study at the University of Texas
shows that there really is a diference
between dog people and cat people.
Those who defne themselves as dog people
are more extroverted, more agreeable and
more conscientous than self-described cat
people. Those who love felines, though, were
found to be less traditonal, more creatve
and more neurotc. Dr. Stephen Zawistowski,
a science adviser with the American Society
for the Preventon of Cruelty to Animals,
said research tends to fall in line with the
stereotypes people have already established
for themselves. We think of dog people as
being the guy at the beach, with his Labrador
[retriever], and throwing the Frisbee and
talking to everybody; and the cat lady who
sits in her apartment alone with her cats,
he said.
Some guys like to hang out with the guys
and then there are the guys that are the
loners, you know, Bob Stephanos said. I
bet you the loners are going to be cat guys.
But a quick look of famous pet-owners
shows a lot of cat-loving macho
men. Ernest Hemingway had a
six-toed cat named Snowball.
Winston Churchills cat Jock was
one of his favorite pets, ofen
sitng on his knee. Bill Clinton
brought his adopted stray cat
Socks with him when he moved to
the White House in 1992. And in
the movies, theres Don Corleone
and Dr. Evil.
But for even more support,
theres Jackson Galaxy, a 6-foot-
2, 275-pound tatooed, guitar-
playing dude with a weakness for cats.
Jackson said that cats are the perfectly
designed killing machine. Recognizing cats
as one of natures perfect predators is key,
and caters to the masculine. Jackson loves
cats so much that he became a professional
cat behaviorist. He now stars on the Animal
Planet show My Cat From Hell, where he
transforms demonic felines into purring lap
cats.
So, is it possible to love both cats and
dogs? The obvious answer is -- yes, of
course its possible -- and it even has a
name. We have to stop this ridiculousness
of classifying ourselves, said Jackson, who
has a dog in additon to his three cats. Im a
cat guy, Im a dog guy. Im bi-petual.
Dog People
vs
Cat People
Is it
possible
to love
both
cats and
dogs?
Jade the German Shepherd Dog was out
for a walk on Thursday when she snifed out
an abandoned newborn baby. Jade and her
guardian, Roger Wilday, were in Stechfords
Malborough House Community Park in
England when she began to excitedly snif and
pace around some undergrowth in the far end
of the park. Roger went to look at what Jade
was alerting him to and found an abandoned
newborn baby inside a plastic carrier bag.
The 6-pound baby girl still had her umbilical
cord attached and is thought to be only a day
old.Roger, 68, said Jade loves babies. He
told the Mirror UK, Jade has grown up with
children around her, she loves babies, shes a
hero, if it wasnt for her that baby could have
died. Roger immediately called the police
and the little baby was rushed to hospital
where she is said to be doing well. Medical
staf named her Jade, after her savior. Police
believe the baby was probably outside for less
than an hour and said it was lucky the baby
was discovered by Jade when she was, as a
few more hours exposed to the elements could
have had fatal consequences. West Midlands
Police are now desperately searching for the
babys mother as they are concerned she may
need urgent medical attention and to ensure
she is OK.
Dog
Saves
Newborn Baby