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What kind of pet do you have?  Americans have been keeping pets ever since the Mayflower landed.  Preferences have changed over time, and new species added, but the list is familiar. Dogs, birds, fish, cats, and rodents were the most common pets.

 

There were some differences, however. Caged birds were more popular than they are today. Dogs and cats were sometimes both pets and workers. Exotic-animal pets were rare, often souvenirs of foreign travel. Like today, small-animal pets were most common when children were present, but some, such as the hamster and the gerbil, were not in our part of the world until many years later and were not introduced until the mid-1900s. One important change came with the new interest in "purebred" animals beginning in the 1840s. Some Americans became involved in animal "fancies," reshaping their pets through selective breeding and showing them in competitions.  Home and office fish aquariums are also big these days.  From exotic fish to plain old gold fish.  Tests have proven that brightly colored fish can do a lot for lifting our spirits, giving us an emotional boost and adding to the decor in our home and the well-being of our family.  Pets are great friends.  That's why we here at Welcome Home have a warm heart for a wet nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cats are among the first to be domesticated. They were thought to be domesticated from the African wild cat. The cat is a predator and very intelligent. They supposedly hunt over 1,000 species. Cats have been domestic pets since Ancient Egypt times. They were around in circa 4000 b.c. and their job was keeping mice and rats away. Although this was what they were initially kept for, cats are trainable and obey simple commands, so after a while they became a companion.

 

The dog was domesticated from Wolves as recent as 15,000 years ago or possibly as early as 100,000 years ago. Domestication is the way we as humans biologically altered a mammal to live with us in our families. The dog was thought to have been from East Asia. The early settlers brought domestic dogs over to North America with them. The first were the Chow, Shar Pei, Akita Inu, Shiba Inu and the Basenji. These breeds are associated with China, which seems to be behind the theory of domestic dogs originating in East Asia. Dogs are very social animals, which is probably why we brought them into our households. They are trainable, playful and lovable. Most dogs are “pack” oriented. They treat the human owner as one of their pack or as their pack leader as they would another dog.  Dogs were initially used for work and protection and then in time became more like a part of the family.  Today in fact, they are fed in the same room as their owners.  To make sure their mealtime stays as neat for them asi it is for you, check out the Neater Feeder, we came across them at the Pet Expo in Blatimore this past month.  Click above to view.

Healthiest Cities For Pets
A new study reveals which U.S. cities are top dogs when it comes to pet health.

The study ranked those cities that exemplify superior care, services and legislation for pets' health and well-being. It analyzed 30 different criteria ranging from veterinarian-to-pet ratios to incidence of obesity to rabies legislation. The top five Pet Healthiest Cities are:

1. Denver, Colo.
2. Oakland, Calif.
3. Portland, Ore.
4. Anaheim, Calif.
5. San Francisco, Calif.

    
The data revealed that pet obesity/body condition and preventative care are major issues. According to veterinarians surveyed, more than half of the nation's cats and dogs are overfed, which can lead to health problems. An unprecedented 14-year Purina study proved that feeding dogs properly throughout their lifetime to maintain ideal body condition can significantly extend their healthy years. 

 

• Cats and dogs in San Francisco can claim clean lungs-the city has the lowest cigarette usage in the report and boasts zero annual ozone alert days.

• New York City and Oakland scored highest for percentage of dogs neutered (83 percent) and New York City tied with San Jose for highest percentage of cats neutered (86 percent).

• In the body condition category, New Orleans scored highest for percentage of dogs at ideal body weight (50 percent) and Nashville took top score for percentage of cats at ideal body weight (50 percent).

• Columbus, Ohio leads the country in the veterinarian-to-pet ratio with one veterinarian for every 745 pets.

 

While it is important to understand the environmental elements that affect a pet's health-such as the availability of qualified care, the prevalence of fleas or the requirements of licensing-there are many things individual pet owners can do to help improve their pet's health.

The things pet owners control -obesity, preventative care, spaying and neutering-can literally add, or detract, healthy years from a pet's life. 

Pets may prevent allergies
Recently, doctors have concluded that the very clean environments we try to achieve for babies and young children may leave them susceptible to allergies as they grow older. Now, doctors at Ford Hospital in Detroit say their 10-year study shows that kids who were regularly exposed to pets during their first year of life (when the immune system is still developing) are less likely to be allergic to grass, dust, and mold, as well as to dogs and cats.

The doctors theorize that exposure to animals' bacteria helps children lower their susceptibility to allergens. Though allergies run in families, even kids whose parents had them were less likely to be allergic themselves if there was a pet in the home.

 

Aquatica
There are hundreds of different kinds of fish that can be kept as pets.    Goldfish are the most commonly kept pet fish because they live in cold water. They are freshwater fish and are a good fish to have if you are starting out. You can keep them in an aquarium or outside in a pond.

 

Other good freshwater fish for beginners are platties, sword tails, guppies and mollies.  Tropical fish need to be kept in an aquarium with a filter to keep the water clean. Some tropical fish need heated water and lights. Some tropical fish need to be kept in salt water, not freshwater. Saltwater tanks are more difficult to manage because you have to add salt to fresh water and you must test the water with a special test kit to make sure you have the saltiness just right.

Whatever kind of fish you decide to keep, when you buy fish, get advice about the size of tank to buy and whatever other equipment you need, such as filter or heater. Get advice also about how to feed and care for the kind of fish you choose. Buy the fish food they recommend for the kind of fish you get.

Learning how to set up a fish tank is not all that difficult, but there are some steps you should follow. First, you must realize a few things about an aquarium setup. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful freshwater tropical fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your fish at least once a day. Setting up and running a fish tank does cost money. There are recurring expenses such as replacing filter media, buying food, etc.

 

Decide on an aquarium size.
It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches or more in length! Knowing what kind of fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, it may be a good idea to start with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium setup for now and stock it with some smaller and hardier species.

 

Decide on the aquarium's location.
Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. Sunlight that enters the room through an unshaded window could affect the temperature of your tank. This could also lead to green algae problems for your tank down the road. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. You also want to be sure that the floor is able to support the total weight of the aquarium and stand. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!