Chew toys are a good idea. Puppies chew almost anything. A grown dog if left alone gets bored and could do the same. I got an Irish Setter puppy many years ago. We both worked long hours. At first, I left the dog in the house to roam free. That was a mistake. She chewed my sofa cushions the first day. Luckily the couch was only $25.00 but still it was my couch.
The dog soiled my living room floor many times over while we were away. So, I put her in the bathroom, cause they say a dog wont soil if confined in a small area. Dont believe that, the bathroom was totally a mess. She also chewed my last roll of toilet paper. Anyway, the next day, I tied her out. She broke loose. The dog was an escape artist. We put up a fence. She climbed the fence. We tied her out as well. She broke loose again. We finally ended up giving the dog to a family who had a farm in the country and a lot of kids to play. She never looked back. After thought, we never had time to walk the dog. Irish Setters are a high energy dog and needs lots of exercise. She was just doing what came natural to her.
There are several reason many people prefer cats to dogs for house pets. You dont need to exercise cats. Cats use a litterbox and dont have to be let outside to use the bathroom. They also train themselves where dogs have to be housetrained. Cats dont bark or make loud noises. They dont need grooming cause cats groom themselves. They are less aggressive than dogs. Cats dont need your constant attention. They eat less. They dont chew and destroy things like dogs. Cats are not as dependent yet they are hard to train. They will come to you when you call them only when on their terms.
'It is not a good idea to leave food out for your cat or dog. This tends to lead to an overweight pet cause when the pet eats all the food you fill the bowl up again. If I did that with my beagle, he would finish the bowl everytime meaning he 'd eat as much as I 'd give him. Its best to read the back of the pet food bag, find your pets healthy weight and feed accordingly. You can feed your pet several times a day if you divide its recommended daily serving by the amount of times you feed the pet. If your pet is already overweight, buy pet food that is made for overweight pets. My beagle eats it without any trouble but thats not saying much. I believe he 'd eat anything if given the opportunity. The weight loss pet food is a bit more expensive cause the better brand pet food companies are the only ones I know of that offer that kind of food. In the long run, you will say money on vet bills cause a healthy pet doesn't need to go to the vet as often. An overweight pet is prone to diabetes and other diseases that will cost quite a lot for you in pet meds and vet bills.'
'If you are away from home for long periods of the day for work or other reasons, it may be a good idea to get two pets instead of just one. They can keep each other company and play together instead of one pet tearing your house apart to amuse itself. Birds can benefit from having a partner too. They preen one another and sing. But, birds can holler to the birds outside too.
Pet owner responsibility - neutering your pet
Always have your cat or dog neutered. Dogs and cats have about 4-6 babies in their litters. Its hard to give puppies or kittens away cause not everyone wants one. You 'll end up taking them to the animal shelter where most likely they will be destroyed. I once knew a person who couldn't afford to get their cat neutered. I dont think she would have if she could have afforded it. Anyways, the cat had kittens, the kittens had kittens and so forth till she had over 50 cats. At this point, she would call animal control sending all but one cat to the pound. That cat always was a female. The cycle repeated itself over and over. They claimed they needed a cat to take care of their mice problem. This is cruel so always get your pets neutered.
Fleas
fleas can spread disease and cause health problems. They bite, then suck blood which causes itching and irritation. They can cause flea allergy dermatitis or FAD. This is a very common allergic skin disease in both dogs and cats. Fleas can infect your cat or dog with tapeworms. Advantage Flea killer kills fleas within 12 hours of use and keeps fleas off all month long. Any new fleas that may jump on your pet is killed within 2 hours. fleas stop biting in 3-5 minutes and fleas start dying within an hour of application. It also kills the flea larvae. Like frontline, you apply advantage flea medication to the back of the pet's neck next to the skin once a month.
Getting a pet for a child
Be sure your child is responsible enough to care for a pet. Monitor the pet's well-being - check to see if the child fed and water the pet.
I bought my child a ferret many years ago with the understanding that she would take care of the animal fully. What a joke! From the beginning, I was cleaning the cage, feeding and watering it. My daughter would occasionally let the ferret out of its cage to play. I paid about $400 dollars for the pet. Taking care of the ferret and working full time grew old very quickly for me. The cage had to be cleaned daily to keep it from smelling however I was only able to clean it once a week. I finally got fed up one day. I called a local pet store and asked them if they would take the ferret off my hands for free, cage and all. They agreed. My daughter didn't notice the ferret gone for about 2-3 days later. She finally asked me about it and had the nerve to protest.