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Pets are just animals, should be thrown outside and looked after as cheaply as possible. Life is expensive enough, children cost a fortune, who needs to spend all that money on a damn pet?! Thankfully most humans do not think this way and value the love and genuine benefits that pets such as dogs and cats provide us with.

It's actually quite amazing the effort and amount of money some owners spend on their pets, usually putting off their own needs to provide for their loved ones of the fury kind!

The main expense that comes with pets is the pet food mainly due to being a basic every day necessity. Although some owners are not too fussed and will give their pets dry food, leftovers and not even give them fresh food, there are others who love to give their pets the best food possible.

So which method is right and wrong? Does the quality of freshness of food really matter for a pet? Although you can get away with giving your pet leftovers and unfresh food, it has been proven that the food they eat can effect their health and happiness much in the same way that what us humans consume effects us. So if giving your pet the very best in life is a priority of yours or something you can afford to do, then by all means go for it.

Keeping pet food fresh is simply a matter of storing it in the correct manner. Pet food storage containers are exactly what you need to keep pet food in prestige condition and fresh for your animal for a long period of time.

What many owners do is open the packet of food and either leave it laying around or in a fridge unsealed. It's much better to store your food in air tight plastic storage containers and your pet will love the extra effort you've taken for them.

Most Pet food storage containers are made of plastic as its a long lasting, waterproof material. Most people are not going to fork out extra money for a elegant metal made pet bowl, so plastic is the cheapest practical alternative. For something a little more long lasting and fancy, you can also find some pet food containers made from stone, which also match most home landscapes more closely than plastic.

If you like to buy your pet food in bulk, you will be pleased to know that storing them in containers can save you some money. A lot of owners who buy pet food in large tubs or bags, will often find if opened for a long period of time, the food will start to lose its freshness and may even needed to be thrown out. It's advised that once you open your bag of dry pet food that you store it in a container and then take from it whenever you need to feed your pet.

So where do you buy pet food storage containers? You can either hop in the car, dodge the traffic and hope your local pet shop has some that you like. Otherwise what most do is visit some pet accessories websites online and make a careful selection. You will often find that purchasing online will offer you many discounts too!

Have You Included Your Pet in Your Will?

Have you stopped to think what would happen if your pet outlives you? This is one of the many questions we are probably not ready to answer. We hope we can inspire you to think and take action.

When thinking about your pet's future in case of a tragedy, you can have verbal agreements with friends and family, however, as we know, verbal agreements are not the ones that always get fulfilled. If you really want to make sure your wishes will be followed, you need to treat this as a serious legal matter. There are many ways how you can set this up: You can create a will, a trust or any other estate planning document. The main difference between the will and the trust is that the trust will be effective immediately and can be used not only if you die but also if you become disabled or incapacitated. A will will, on the other hand, will only take place only upon your death.

Regardless of what you choose, the first thing you need to do is select that special caregiver or caregivers who you can trust and know will love your pet as you love him or her. When choosing the caregiver(s) make sure these are people who are familiar and understand the responsibility of taking care of a pet. Preferably think of people who are pet owners themselves. As a rule of thumb and as a cautious move, you should have alternative caregivers in case the first ones become unable or unwilling. Keep in mind that the new owner will have full discretion over your pet's care, so make sure you are selecting a person that is really fit take on this responsibility.

Now that you have your caregivers selected, you need to put a price for the caring of your best friend. The best way to do this is by granting broad discretion to your executor in making decisions about the pet and in spending estate funds on the pet's behalf. By doing it this way, you know that the executor will use the money the best way possible so your pet is comfortable.

If you don't have anybody who you can trust your pet with, there are some organizations that specialize in long term care of pets when the owners die. These organizations will try to find a new home for your pet or take care of him/her until he/she dies. This last option, however, should be the last alternative you should consider.

We know nobody will love our pets as we do, so make sure you do something before it is too late. If you don't do anything, your pet will be taken to the dog shelter and from there the future is extremely uncertain. Do not procrastinate, take action. When setting up your financial goals, retirement dreams, etc; don't forget to set aside some money for that ultimate best friend.

Why a Heated Pet Mat is So Essential to Your Pet's Comfort

Are cats and man's best friend your best friends? You definitely need a heated pet mat. Most pet lovers cannot imagine the sight of an emaciated, shivering dog or cat, which alone is enough to send tears streaming down their cheeks. No need to do that as heated mats will keep your pet warm and comfortable all the times, not necessarily during winters.

Ensuring quality when buying this important product for your pet, is vital. As these products come in different sizes, then you won't have a problem getting the right one for your pet, whether it's a cat or a dog. It is important to check for safety of your pet. Some of the pets just like playing about anything they come across and it is easy for them to make anything their play toy. Since these products use electricity, it's wise to ensure the flexible cords used, are of high quality. Cleaning these mats should also be easy as they are made of waterproof material like rubber.

If you are having a problem getting your pet off your couch or bed, then you need to figure the reason why. May be the floor is too cold for them or the place where they sleep is not warm enough. Heated pet mats could help you keep the dog or cat in its place without feeling disconnected to the pet owner. They offer a warm and comfortable atmosphere just like a warm couch. With temperatures dropping during winter, your pet needs a lot of protection. Heated mats offer your pets a place where they can feel comfortable and warm as they sleep.

How about the pets that lives outdoors? There is an answer to their problem during the biting cold season. Apart from raising the doghouse from the frozen grounds, putting on beddings, the place may not be comfortable and warm enough for your best friend to enjoy its stay in the place he or she calls home. The cold may force the dog to curl itself at a corner searching for a warm place to sleep. The heated mats are a quick solution to the problem.

The heated floor mats are great to warm up the pets. Your pet may also enjoy your company while sitting or lying on the heated mat next to you giving it a feeling of self worth, love and appreciation. They are also easy to maintain, as they do not require a lot of energy. The mats can be carried to other places and if you wish to take your pet outdoor it's so easy to connect it to the cigarette lighter of your car keeping your dog safe from cold. There are other purposes for using mats besides warming pets so their application is not limited thus you will never regret spending money on them. Lastly they are affordable, efficient and user friendly. If you love pets, no need to worry about the incoming of winter if you are already prepared with the wonderful for your best friend.

All My Pets

Some days I feel like the "Old woman who lived in the shoe". It is not because I have so many children I do not know what do, but rather that I have so many pets, six to be exact. My husband claims that he left for work one morning and returned home to find a rescue shelter in place of our living room.

According to studies, pets do not judge or criticize us. Really? I have been a pet owner for most of my life and I beg to differ. I have certainly detected disapproval on my pets' faces. This usually comes after a particularly amorous evening with my husband that they have been witness to (as if I invited them to watch). In the morning when I step out of the shower and into the bedroom, they are all lined up outside the bathroom door. They watch in amazement as I try to get dressed for the day. I know that I have heard the sound "eww" when my back was turned. Why do I feel the need to apologize to them anyway? It is not my fault I do not have the rock hard body of a 20 year old anymore.

Yet another study suggests that pets offer us unconditional love. I believe they were speaking of dogs. Have you ever known a cat that did not have a list of conditions?

Our lone dog Buddy is surrounded everywhere he goes by cats he pretends not to see. He exercises his dominance by placing his milk bone in the middle of the room and daring the others to go near it. He eats whatever I put in front of him but the cats make their particular food choices on an hourly basis. If I took all of the cat food I have thrown away in the past 19 years and placed the cans end to end they would circle around the world 92 times.

There are water bowls everywhere, yet they prefer to drink out of the sink. I have spent a fortune on cat trees and pet beds but they choose to sleep with us instead. The first thing we do in the morning is pull the cat hair out of our mouths. In lieu of a scarf and belt, my current choice of accessories has become a cat brush and a sticky roller.

Despite all of this, I could not imagine life without them. They offer us hours of joy and entertainment. Besides, unlike children, my pets will never grow up and call me a lousy mother (their mouths move, they just haven't learned how to form words yet). They will never put me in an old folks' home and then ignore me (even if they could, years of cat ownership have already primed me for that one).

Just recently, I have had to seriously ask myself if any of them will actually outlive us. As I write this story, my husband is currently in the kitchen teaching several of them how to use a can opener, just in case.

Do I Really Need to Spay or Neuter My Dog or Cat?

I get this question so often that it saddens me. Many people wonder if it's "better" for a dog to have a litter or so of puppies. Or they have such a cute dog that they want to breed her just once. Or they wait too long to get their pup spayed or neutered and an accidental litter happens! Spaying and neutering your dog is 100% the right thing to do! Yes, spay or neuter your puppy!

Fixing your dog early is better for their health, makes training easier, and allows them to socialize in dog parks without problems.

The number of homeless dogs is astronomical. The ASPCA states that it is impossible to determine exactly how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States, but the estimate for cats alone ranges up to 70 million. Do your part to help control this problem by having your dog (and cat!) spayed or neutered. I had no problem with getting my female dog spayed. However, some people project their own issues onto their dogs, and feel they would not want to be spayed or neutered themselves. O.k. this I have to say is ridiculous and really kind of hilarious. It's a really easy, simple surgery. Ask your vet.

Having puppies is a lot of work. If you don't believe me, go read a book on how to breed your dog: it isn't pretty. I also suggest going to your local shelter to see some of the thousands of homeless dogs and cats waiting to be killed, due to humans' lack of responsibility. The figures are staggering. Approximately 6-8 million animals enter shelters across the nation each year, and 3-4 million of these are destroyed.

These numbers are driven by puppy mills and backyard breeding, but are mainly driven by owner irresponsibility and a lack of education. If you're still not convinced about neutering, ask your vet about the many health risks, such as testicular cancers and a host of behavioral issues, including potential dog aggression, which can develop in unneutered dogs.

Many people have also asked me if spaying or neutering will make their dog fat and lazy or change his/her personality. I would like you to look at my lean, 110 pound German Shepherd Dog (who was neutered at the age of six months) in the eye and tell him that he is fat or lazy. The only things that will make your dog fat are overfeeding and lack of exercise.

I urge you to please take responsibility and get your dog fixed. Do research and educate yourself! Leave breeding to professionals.

Should You Spay or Neuter Your Animal?

It's a good question, and one that has a really good answer.

If you are a responsible dog owner, you should consider spaying or neutering your animal because it is better for their health, and better for the future of animals in general.

Every day thousands of dogs, cats, and other animals are euthanized by shelters across the world because they don't have the funds to feed and take care of the animals they have in their facilities. They get hundreds of calls from around their area to go pick up an animal that has gotten loose or was born in the wild, and there's no possible way to take them all in. The shelters are always short on money, volunteers, and official people, and the animals in shelters suffer for it.

Animals in shelters commonly get Kennel Cough, and they usually develop behavioral problems, especially if they've been there a while. Being locked in a cage all of the time with few people to walk them or interact with them can turn them violent or neurotic, and sometimes they never recover.

Many of the animals in shelters are puppies that were strays born in the wild. Some were dropped off in boxes along with the rest of their litter because a dog got pregnant and the owners don't want the puppies. I can't count how many times I've been in a shelter where there are puppies still being nursed by the volunteers and staff of the shelter because they were left in a box or bag on the shelter's doorstep as harmless, vulnerable puppies.

Whenever you have a dog in heat, or a mature, intact male dog, you run the risk of them getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant, and you have to deal with the consequences. You have to decide to either sell them, give them away, or keep them. If you sell them, and they don't all get sold, do you give them away to people, or take them to the pound? If they go to the pound, will they get put to sleep? The sad truth is, probably. And to be honest, they may be better off getting euthanized than having a life spent in a cage or with a bad owner.

Dog who are not spayed or neutered have double the risk of getting cancer, especially ovarian or testicular cancer, which are very common among mammals. They're often more violent (in the case of male dogs), and have more territory marking and defending behaviors than dogs that were spayed/neutered as a puppy.

Mature male dogs will develop mounting behaviors with female or male dogs near them, and some of them go as far to attempt to mount humans. This behavior can be dangerous because if they're very determined to mate, they may get violent with other people or dogs near their target, or even violent with their target.

Intact females and males develop more territory-marking tendencies, and are more likely to mark up the house they live in. This marking is very smelly, and lasts a very long time. Once they learn to mark their living area, they won't unlearn it. This habit is nearly impossible to break. They may also generalize to marking their owners and guests the owners have in their houses.

Not neutering or spaying your animal, be they dog, cat, ferret, or other, can damage their health and well-being, as well as other animals or people that encounter them. It is something that every responsible pet owner should consider doing.

Morgan Clemens currently owns and runs "The Mutt Squad, LLC", a business that provides pet sitting, dog walking, and dog socialization services to Phoenix, AZ, and it's surrounding cities. Her passion is and always has been the proper treatment of all animals, both wild and domestic. According to her, this proper treatment includes both mental and physical health, and is a necessary part of owning or interacting with any animal.

Have You Included Your Pet in Your Will?

Have you stopped to think what would happen if your pet outlives you? This is one of the many questions we are probably not ready to answer. We hope we can inspire you to think and take action.

When thinking about your pet's future in case of a tragedy, you can have verbal agreements with friends and family, however, as we know, verbal agreements are not the ones that always get fulfilled. If you really want to make sure your wishes will be followed, you need to treat this as a serious legal matter. There are many ways how you can set this up: You can create a will, a trust or any other estate planning document. The main difference between the will and the trust is that the trust will be effective immediately and can be used not only if you die but also if you become disabled or incapacitated. A will will, on the other hand, will only take place only upon your death.

Regardless of what you choose, the first thing you need to do is select that special caregiver or caregivers who you can trust and know will love your pet as you love him or her. When choosing the caregiver(s) make sure these are people who are familiar and understand the responsibility of taking care of a pet. Preferably think of people who are pet owners themselves. As a rule of thumb and as a cautious move, you should have alternative caregivers in case the first ones become unable or unwilling. Keep in mind that the new owner will have full discretion over your pet's care, so make sure you are selecting a person that is really fit take on this responsibility.

Now that you have your caregivers selected, you need to put a price for the caring of your best friend. The best way to do this is by granting broad discretion to your executor in making decisions about the pet and in spending estate funds on the pet's behalf. By doing it this way, you know that the executor will use the money the best way possible so your pet is comfortable.

If you don't have anybody who you can trust your pet with, there are some organizations that specialize in long term care of pets when the owners die. These organizations will try to find a new home for your pet or take care of him/her until he/she dies. This last option, however, should be the last alternative you should consider.

We know nobody will love our pets as we do, so make sure you do something before it is too late. If you don't do anything, your pet will be taken to the dog shelter and from there the future is extremely uncertain. Do not procrastinate, take action. When setting up your financial goals, retirement dreams, etc; don't forget to set aside some money for that ultimate best friend.