LOVING, CARING FOR AND UNDERSTANDING YOUR PET

WAIFS AND STRAYS: Where You Can Adopt a Pet

Maybe you don’t go in for status symbols. Maybe you don’t need to show off that special look of a certain breed. Maybe you just don’t have the extra money for purebreds. Or maybe it’s just in you to rescue an orphaned cat or dog from almost certain death at the animal shelter.

Occasionally a “free kitten” ad shows up in the newspaper. And there are places with wide selections of lovable, cheap pets. Almost every city in the area has a municipal animal shelter (formerly called “the pound”) where a nominal fee will fetch a mixed breed cat or dog – sometimes even a purebred.

Animal lover organizations also operate adoption services:

Dallas City Animal Shelter, 525 Shelter Place (near Marsalis Zoo). Open 9-4 daily. Actual fee is the cost for mandatory sterilization at the city’s new spay-neuter clinic. A female dog or cat costs $19.50, a male dog is $12, a male cat $9. Call 943-2471.

Fort Worth Municipal Animal Shelter, 920 Woodward. Open Monday through Friday 9-11:30 a.m. and 2-7 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Charges are $12 for a grown dog, $5 for a dog under three months old. There is no sterilization agreement. All stray cats picked up by the city go to the Tarrant County Humane Society. Call (817) 335-7211.

Tarrant County Humane Society, 1840 E. Lancaster in Fort Worth. Open 12-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 2-4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Charges cover cost of shots and sterilization. Surgery is performed before you take your pet home. If it’s too young for sterilization, you must sign an agreement to bring it back at a later date. The price is $51 for a large dog, $26 for a smaller dog, and $21 for cats. (817) 332-5367.

Richardson Municipal Animal Shelter, 521 N. Piano Road. Open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. and from 4-6 p.m. Saturday hours are 8 a.m.-12 noon. There is no alteration agreement and, according to animal control official Bob Galvan, there are no hard and fast fees. He says a grown dog costs approximately $8 and puppies and kittens go for as little as $2. A purebred dog costs more. And a Siamese cat, for instance, might cost $5. Call 238-0709.

Lewisville Municipal Animal Shelter, 1318 S. Stemmons Freeway. Open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Friday only. There is no alteration agreement imposed.

Price is based on impoundment fees – $5 for the first day a dog or cat is in the shelter, plus $1 for each additional day. Call 436-6722.

Dallas chapter of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), 362 S. Industrial. Open 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 1 p.m.-4:45 p.m. on Sunday. Alteration is not imposed, but their facility houses the new Dallas municipal spay-neuter clinic and sterilization is easily arranged. Flat fees are $10 for a puppy, $20 to $30 (depending on size) for a grown dog, $5 for a kitten, and $10 for a grown cat. Call 651-9611.



BEST VETS: How to Choose Your Pet’s Doctor

Choosing a pet and selecting a vet should go hand-in-hand. In fact, you might want to choose a vet first and take advantage of his advice.

We asked a vet how to choose a vet. Dr. Roy Dimon, president of the Dallas County Veterinary Medicine Society, offered the following points of advice:

Ask your local veterinary medicine society for a recommendation. (Such groups presumably have checked out their members to make sure they are bonafide graduates of accredited schools.)

Select a vet who regularly treats your breed. Veterinarians often concentrate on exclusive treatment of either large or small animals. Don’t select a vet who works primarily with large farm animals to treat your house cat.

Choose a vet with an office near your home. In case of an emergency, proximity can be more than a convenience.

Consider how a vet operates his or her office. Are patients seen by appointment only, or can you go and wait? Is the office open Saturdays or other days fitting your schedule?

Pet owners are more than willing to give you recommendations. Ask friends to evaluate their veterinarians, but keep in mind that what’s good for a mynah bird is not necessarily right for your Great Dane.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, you can expect to pay an average of $5 to $8 for a basic office call. Any extra service the vet provides – such as ear cleaning, nail clipping or administering of shots or other forms of drugs – will cost extra.

If a veterinarian contributes time to an emergency pet clinic it may be an indication he cares. There are three such clinics in this area, each stressing emergency care only. The basic fee is $20 at each clinic. In case of an emergency, call your own vet first. He will offer to see your pet himself or send you to a clinic. The Dallas clinic operates under a director. Member vets pay a fee or donate time. The Arlington and Fort Worth clinics are staffed by members who donate time on a rotating basis.

Fort Worth Small Animal Emergency Clinic, 1424 W. Petersmith, is supported by 26 vets. Open 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays; on weekends open from 12 noon Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday morning. (817) 332-3145.

Emergency Animal Clinic in Dallas, 1331 Coit Plaza, Coit Road, supported by 33 vets. Open 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays, and from 12 noon Saturday to 7 a. m. Monday each weekend. 661-2112.

Arlington Central Animal Emergency Clinic, 929 E. Park Road in Arlington, is operated by 10 vets. Open 6 p.m. to 12 midnight Monday through Friday; 12 midnight to 12 noon on Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 12 midnight Sunday. 469-8611

One Dallas veterinarian says of the clinics, “You don’t know how much the clinic helps. We’d be called into our offices all the time at all hours. With the clinic we all feel better and can do a better job for our patients during regular office hours.”

Besides the emergency clinics, the Dallas-Fort Worth community boasts two nationally certified specialist veterinarians, Dr. Lloyd Reedy who specializes in dermatology, and Dr. Herman F. Diete-rich, a specialist in surgery.

Various unusual surgical procedures have been performed by veterinarians at Texas A&M. These include cataract and tumor surgery and therapy, cardiac surgery and cryosurgery (freezing). Acupuncture has been tested on large animals and may someday be tried on small house pets. The small animal clinic at A&M is used as classroom training ground for vet students, but private patients are accepted for treatment only when referred by a private physician.



PET PEEVES: Health and Behavior Problems

Today, most serious illnesses common among cats and dogs can be prevented or successfully treated. The DHL shot administered to puppies prevents distemper, hepatitis and leptospirosis. When your dog is four months old, it should receive a rabies shot. Worms can infect your pet, especially if it takes its constitutional in an area shared by a great many other pets – an apartment house pet-walk, for instance. Under these circumstances, your pet’s stool should be periodically tested for worms. Heart worms can be prevented with the use of daily pills. Ask your vet’s advice about using them. In a general check-up, your vet should examine your dog’s mouth, ears, eyes, skin, hair, heart and lungs.

Cats need shots for rhino-tracheitis and distemper. If it’s going to be outside much, it will need a rabies shot as well. A cat’s general check-up should resemble a dog’s. However, cats should also be examined for worms, fleas and ear mites. Hair balls can be broken up with a teaspoonful of vegetable oil in their food once a week.

Cat and dog behavior problems can drive you nuts. And, unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find professional help when psychological problems arise. Few of the estimated 20 bona fide animal psychologists in the entire country are veterinarians. In the Dallas area, there are two self-proclaimed “dog psychologists,” W.B. Mason and Mike Stower. If your vet thinks your pet does have a serious psychological-behavior problem, he might refer you to Dr. Bonnie Beaver of the Texas A&M veterinary school.

Dr. Beaver has a master’s degree in animal neurology and is past head of the American Society of Veterinary Ethology (ethology is the scientific study of behavior). The average cat or dog owner knows almost nothing about animal behavior, a fact which is evident to Dr. Beaver. Half of the patients brought to her exhibit normal behavior. It’s just that the pets’ own–ers don’t realize it’s normal animal behavior. Cats in heat, for example, often display sudden changes in temperament including crazy, erratic bursts of energy which are quite normal, though owners often think that kitty has been hit by a car or eaten poison.

If you worry about your sweet, warm puppy turning into an aggressive, barking, furniture-chewing horror, Dr. Beaver suggests you socialize him before he’s 12 weeks old. Expose him to other dogs, and to people outside your own family. Barking, biting, and housebreaking lapses in some large dogs can be linked to inadequate exercise. Be sure to walk your dog often. Try to provide enough room for him to run and work out his frustrations.

In his book Understanding Your Dog, animal psychologist Dr. Michael Fox explains the basis for a lot of what we consider strange dog behavior:

● A dog barks at mailmen, delivery men and paper boys because he’s defending his territory. Dogs are extremely territorial. Try to correct the problem by taking your dog on a leash to meet cooperating deliverers. Have them give the dog a tidbit. Eventually they may become friends.

● If he’s left home alone all day it’s no wonder your dog barks and tears up the house. Dogs are social animals that don’t like being alone. “Get the pet a pet,” Dr. Fox says. Rather than a second dog, get him a companion cat or even a box turtle. Your problems may be solved overnight.

● Chaining a dog to a tree outside can make him more aggressive. He has a very limited territory and so becomes abnormally intense about protecting it.

● It’s normal for cats and dogs to eat grass.

● Dogs are color blind.

● It’s normal for dogs to roll around in every unmentionable substance in the world. Dogs love odors that make people sick.

● Dogs do dream. That’s why your dog makes those little growls, barks, snorts, whimpers and whines, wags his tail and makes running motions when he’s sound asleep.



BREEDING WILL TELL: How to Buy a Purebred Pet

Mutt vs. purebred. Alley cat vs. purebred. The argument is never-ending. Ask a breeder and he’ll swear by the purebred. Ask your friend with the collie-terrier-dachshund and he’ll tell you mutts are best.

Many dog experts say mutts are as smart as purebreds and sometimes even easier to train. And one Dallas veterinarian says that while he likes purebreds, his Heinz 57 is “just as good a dog – smart and affectionate.”

There are drawbacks, however. That fluffy little waif of an alley kitten may not be such a cute, loving cat. And that darling puppy of mixed parentage could turn into a downright ugly dog.

Regardless of where you buy, ask to see the animal’s mother and, if possible, other members of the litter. Observe how approachable they are. If you take the animal, have it examined by a veterinarian immediately. If a hereditary defect shows up, most reputable breeders will agree to refund your money and may even let you keep the pet.

Linda King of The King’s Pets in Old Town speaks on behalf of pet shops. She insists there are honest, reputable shops and that if you look around, you can find them. She warns that buyers should stay away from franchise shops. Many get their pets from “puppy mills” where dogs are bred again and again, acquiring all possible inherited physical defects.

“By definition, when you buy from a pet shop you’re buying a pet,” says King. “It should be a healthy, good purebred, but it isn’t necessarily a show quality animal. A dog, for instance, is half-grown before you really can tell the quality. You can’t tell with an eight-week-old puppy. So don’t let someone try to charge you show animal prices.”

Be prepared to pay for a purebred animal. Based on American Kennel Club registration totals and estimated figures from area breeders, the breeds listed below represent America’s most sought-after dogs, in order of popularity. The dollar figures represent what you can expect to pay for a healthy, pedigreed animal. (Expect to pay as much as $500 for a show-quality pup).

Poodle $100-$ 150

German shepherd $100-$ 125

Irish setter $100

Doberman pinscher $200

Beagle $100

Dachshund $100

Cocker spaniel $100-$ 125

Miniature schnauzer $150-$200

Labrador retriever $150

Collie $150

Shetland sheepdog $125

Golden retriever $150

St. Bernard $150-$225

Pekingese $100-$ 125

Siberian husky $200

Great Dane $200

Brittany spaniel $100

Yorkshire terrier $200-$250

Lhasa apso $200-$250

Chihuahua $100-$125

English sheepdog $250

Bassett hound $100-$125

English springer spaniel $100-$ 125

Pomeranian $150

German short hair pointer $150

In case you didn’t know, there are several AKC counterpart groups for cats. One is the Cat Fanciers Association based in Red Bank, New Jersey. It recognizes 30 distinct breeds and last year registered approximately 38,000 cats. “Without a doubt,” according to association director Tom Dent, “the alley cat is the most popular cat. But with purebreds, the Persian ranks first.”

Listed here are the most popular cat breeds and their prices on the local market. Prices represent what you can expect to pay for a healthy, purebred animal, not necessarily of show quality.

Persian $75-$ 100

Siamese $50-$75

Abyssinian $100

Burmese $75-$ 100

Himalayan $75-$ 100

Rex $100

Manx $150

If you prefer to buy your pet from a private breeder, consult the list of specialty breed clubs included in this story. Club representatives can direct you to reputable breeders. Or go to a dog or cat show. You’ll make contact with reputable breeders and see their animals in action.



THE CHOW CHOW COLLECTION: A Pet-Owner’s Gift Guide

If Woofer seems fed up with the presents you dotingly buy for him, be assured that the manufacturers of America are continuing their efforts. Trinkets of affection need never be hum-drum – at least not in the eye of the bestower.

Most anywhere you can find the garden variety squeaky toys, rawhide bones, fancy pet sweaters and rhinestone collars. But there are bigger and better finds.

At Bark and Purr Pet Shop, North-Park:

Pet-to-pet stationery, 45￠ per card. Buttons- the-cocker can keep up his long distance romance with Fritzy-the-afghan.

Ceiling-high scratching post, $69.95. Kitty can sharpen her claws on it instead of using your furniture. Some come with little houses on top and perches along the climb.

The Grooming Table, Preston and Royal:

High chairs accommodating a small dog or cat. Cheap at $16.98.

Belt-type life-preserver for Rover’s mom-ing swim, $8.50.

Baby-type car seat, $16. Woofer can look out the window and entertain other motorists.

Carpet covered kitty perch, $12.98. It attaches under the window and gives Fluffy better accommodations at the window sill. It keeps her out from under foot and prolongs the life of her tail.

Pet World, Beltline and Coit, Richardson:

A doggie sleeping bag, $10 to $24, depending on size. Cats love these dark, warm hiding places too.

A mood collar, $7.50. If you fear Rover secretly hates your guts, spend the money. A spinoff of the mood ring, color changes in the stones indicate the mood of your dog.

Animal Specialties, Miller Park Drive, Garland:

Black vinyl panties, $3, for bitches in season (other stores carry fancier lacé models in a variety of colors for up to $10).

Cracklin’s pet shop, Northgate Plaza, Irving:

Novelty photos, $1.25 for a 3 X 5 photo. Last Christmas Kitty or Fido could have been photographed with Santa. In February they could have stuck their heads through giant red hearts to capture Valentine’s Day on film. Think how thrilled your animal-hating friends and relatives would be to get one.

The King’s Pets, Old Town, Dallas: Hooded litter box, approximately $20. Kitty gets in by a hole in the top.

Catnip, $1.59. A grow-your-own seed planter for discriminating junkies.

“Beware of Cat” sign, for households where Tiger really is a tiger. Scares off literate dogs. $1.98.

Life-size red fire plug, $12.98. Need we say more?

Plastic rain boots for the immaculate dog, $5.98 per set.

Leather boots, $ 16. (Yes, they come four to a set.) Fashionable and good for hunting dogs whose paws have gone soft.

Beeswax-lined brandy keg, $12.98. It looks better if you really have a St. Bernard.



DOG GONE: The Law and Your Pet

To protect you and your neighbor from each other’s pets, cities have animal control laws. They require rabies vaccinations for dogs – the only shot required by law – to prevent epidemics like the one Laredo recently experienced. Some areas limit the number (and kind) of animals a household may have. And the activity of pets is controlled by enforcement of leash laws.

Leash laws say dogs must be on a leash when outside – unless they’re in a fenced yard. That law protects you from attack or general annoyance by wandering strays. And it helps keep your dog safe from theft. Police and animal groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area say dog theft has reached epidemic proportions. Some stolen dogs turn up at flea markets for resale. Some are rumored to end up in laboratories. Think twice about leaving Spot in the yard all day or in an unlocked car while you’re shopping. Ask your vet’s advice on tattooing the inside of Rover’s ear with your social security number. That way a dognapper might pass him up. A tattooed dog is difficult to resell.

One measure assuring you won’t have a veritable kennel next door is a pet limitation law. Not all cities have such a provision and those that do vary the quota. Dallas has no limitation, but Fort Worth limits you to three adult dogs per household. You can have a litter of puppies too, but when they reach the age of six months, they’re considered adult and you’re over the quota. The following cities have leash laws (where noted, pet limitation laws are also in effect):

Addison – 4 adult dogs

Arlington – no limit (limit pending for 4 adult dogs)

Carrollton – 4 adult dogs

Dallas- no limit

Duncanville – 4 adult dogs, 1 puppy litter

Farmers Branch – 4 adult dogs

Fort Worth – 3 adult dogs

Garland – no limit

Grand Prairie – 2 adult dogs

Irving – 4 adult dogs

Mesquite – 3 adult dogs and 1 puppy litter

Richardson – 4 animals of any kind



Not all cities have pet licensing programs, and even those that do have difficulty enforcing them; dogcatchers are randomly effective at best. Cats almost never are included in licensing programs because it’s too difficult to identify cats and harder still to prove they belong to a particular person.

License costs vary. Fort Worth and Richardson charge $ 1 a year per dog. The Dallas system is more elaborate. It was designed to encourage alteration, thus cutting down on pet over-population. Cost is $8 per year for an unaltered dog and $3 for a spayed or neutered dog, $3 for a dog owned by a city resident 65 years of age or older.



If the man with the big net snatches up your wandering cat or dog, it will cost you to spring him from the clinker. Dallas charges $20 to pardon your pet. And for good measure you’ll get a citation for breaking the leash law (unless you can prove it wasn’t your fault he was wandering). If you can prove Fido has a license and a rabies vaccination, the Fort Worth city animal shelter will let you have your pet back for $5. No proof and you pay $12 which includes a due bill for a rabies shot. If the culprit is picked up in Richardson it will cost $1.75 for each day of his stay to spring him. A Mesquite pardon costs $1 per day.

Should your dog manage to escape the catcher, Pet Detectives (272-3125, 24 hours a day) offers a search and listing service. An ad in the paper will cost you $10 for three months. Street searches run $25 for 16 blocks, $35 for 24 blocks. Door-to-door checks (every other door) are $65 for 16 blocks, $85 for 24. Five hundred flyers, with a picture of your dog and pertinent information, will be distributed throughout the area for $125. There is an additional charge of $5 if the animal is located.



IT PAYS TO SPAY: Pet Population Control



In towns throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area, thousands of animals are destroyed each year. In Dallas alone, 22,969 cats and dogs were destroyed under direction of the Dallas animal control department. They were given overdose injections of barbiturates, as painless a method as is possible. You can gently call it “putting them to sleep” or refer to it as “euthanasia.” Nevertheless they were killed, and ended up in garbage landfills. And most often because people cruelly abandoned their pets or allowed them to run free, breeding again and again.

It costs the city of Dallas an estimated $16 to pick up each stray cat or dog. And of the many thousands picked up last year, only 3,755 were adopted through the city animal shelter.

Those facts and figures prompted organization of the city’s new spay-neuter animal clinic. Since November of 1976, the facility has been in operation at the Dallas Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Industrial Boulevard. As many as 600 cats and dogs have been sterilized since the facility’s opening.



More than 60 local veterinarians contribute their time and skills free of charge to the new clinic. Rates are $19.50 to spay a female cat or dog; $12.50 to neuter a male dog and $9 to neuter a male cat. The prices average about half what a private vet would charge. The only drawback seems to be the waiting list: at first the wait was six weeks but now it has been cut down to four weeks. Definite appointments are arranged between patient and clinic two weeks in advance of surgery.

Despite the new drugs, most vets recommend spaying and neutering as the safest permanent method of dog and cat birth control. If you’re interested in having your pet sterilized at the Dallas clinic, phone 651-9700. The Humane Society of Dallas County also has a sterilization program, with 20 vets contributing their services. Fees are $25 for female dogs under 40 pounds; $35 for larger female dogs; $18 for female cats; $12.50 for male dogs and $10 for male cats. There is no waiting list. For more information, phone Humane Society member Pat Thompson, 469-7370, or member Donna Snyder, 337-1509.

CATECHISMS AND DOGMAS: The Pet-Owner’s Basic Books



If you really want to carry out your new-found resolve to be a more responsible, educated pet owner, books about your pet can help you reach your goal. Or, if you just want to know more about what’s going on in the head of your “normal” cat or dog, books on animal behavior can provide educational amusement.

The Official Dog Book (Howell Book House) is the official American Kennel Club (AKC) book. It includes historical background in addition to official standards for all AKC recognized breeds. Hints on selection, training, breeding, and feeding are also included. (The book is frequently revised.)

To broaden your historical perspective of cats, read Cristine Metcalf’s Cats – History, Care, Breed (Grosset and Dunlap, 1970). Specific breeds are identified, along with advice on their treatment.

The Cat Catalog (Workman Publishing) offers everything – and possibly more – than you ever wanted to know about cats. Novices and fanatics alike will enjoy this cat book.



To prepare yourself for the nearly inevitable animal illness, purchase, read, and keep handy a book on animal health. The Complete Home Medical Guide for Cats by Stephen Schnneck (Stein and Day, 1976) will prepare you to recognize symptoms of illness in your cat. The Well Dog Book by veterinarian Terri McGinnis (Random House, 1974) tells you how to understand a healthy dog so you can cope with a sick dog. The Well Cat Book is also available. Both are easy to read, with good indexes and straightforward answers. For a complete guide to animal health, get Donal McKeown and Earl Strimple’s Your Pet’s Health from A to Z (Dell Books, 1973). Both authors are vets, and their book has been touted as the pet owner’s Dr. Spock. It’s a pet-rearing guide covering teething, bowel training, and everything in between. Can’t get your finicky snake to eat his meatballs? This is your book.

If you have a friend who swears by the advice of Paul Loeb, you’ll probably want to get Loeb’s advice firsthand – just to make sure your friend is serious. Read Paul Loeb’s Complete Book of Dog Training (Prentice-Hall). You’ll see your friend wasn’t kidding about the noisy balloons, tossed phone books and tabasco sauce. Students of Loeb’s methods worship this book. For a more traditional method of training, read the Koehler Method of Dog Training by William Koehler (Howell Book House). Koehler was chief trainer for Walt Disney studios and an instructor in the Army K-9 Corps. His step-by-step approach will fill you in on the universally known choke-chain, long line and throw chain methods.

And then there’s Dr. Michael Fox, author of several books on animal behavior and frequent guest of Johnny Carson. Fox’s Behavior of Wolves, Dogs and Related Canids covers the behavior and evolution of the dog family. Understanding Your Dog and Understanding Your Cat (Bantam paperbacks) tell how to choose your pet, train it and live with it. IQ, body language, and the psychological and physiological roots of animal behavior are explained.

Finally, there is a book for the literate dog lover: The Dog Lover’s Reader, edited by Timothy T. Clarke (Hart Publishing Co.). Contributors to this storehouse of canine fact and fiction include John Steinbeck, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling and James Thurber. This is a delightful book for those who enjoy reading as much as they enjoy doggery.



CARE AND FEEDING: Your Pet’s Diet

Pet food is claimed by some marketing experts to be the single largest-selling item on grocery store shelves today. It’s not hard to believe after noting the number of brands, forms and flavors lining the aisles.

Reputable brands of cat and dog food are the product of months of research – sometimes as much as 18 months goes into development of a new brand. The Alpo Center for Advanced Pet Study in Allentown, Pennsylvania, runs a kennel of 150 dogs used in testing and research. (Beagles are used in Allentown because of their size, disposition, and cleanness.)Virtually every well-known brand of dog or cat food has resulted from careful nutrition studies like those done in Allentown.

Research has shown that all breeds have the same tastes. The most popular flavors are beef, horsemeat and chicken. The preferred texture is canned, followed by moist (burgers fall in this category), and dry. While all recipes contain nearly the same nutritional value, pet owners should provide variety for their pets. Your dog enjoys a change of taste and texture as much as you do.

Most dog foods list protein, fat, fiber and water as ingredients. The meat (protein) in dog food often includes lungs, spleen, brain, liver, blood, bone and stomach. Canned chicken dinners sometimes contain whole chicken. The chicken is in your dog’s food instead of on your table because it is slightly imperfect – for instance, it may have been scalded during defeathering.

One of the newest products on me mar-ket is Science Diet, designed to be digested more efficiently, causing less excrement. It is most readily available in pet stores and comes in designated formulas for puppies, full-grown dogs, and cats. The varieties for dogs may be purchased in Dallas at The Grooming Table, Alcon Pet Shop, Boutique Pet Shop, Lakewood Pet Shop, and The King’s Pets. The cat food is available at Alcon, Lakewood and The King’s Pets.

Inspired by the human natural food movement, many pet owners are serving homemade meals to their cats and dogs. Concoctions of kibble, liver, kidney, heart, brains and tripe for cats; kibble, grain meal, cooked egg, hamburger, cottage cheese, and cooked vegetables and fruits for dogs. Chances are your veterinarian would caution you to stick with commercial foods made for your pet. A local vet has this advice: “You’re taking a chance when you try to make your own food. The average person doesn’t know enough about balanced nutrition. Pet food companies have done a lot of nutrition research. It’s safer and easier. But avoid the all-meat canned foods. Some dogs can get along on them okay, but most can’t. We treat a lot of diarrhea because of it.”

Veterinarians offer these feeding hints:

Follow your vet’s instructions on how much food to serve. Don’t glut pets with extra treats. Dogs and cats can work up unhealthy fat just like people.

Don’t give table scraps. Your pet may begin turning up his nose at his regular food and spiced foods are especially hard to digest. A dog who gets scraps can easily turn into a beggar. And it’s embarrassing to have Fido jump on the table during a dinner party.

● Cats and dogs need a combination ofdry and canned or moist food for balanced nutrition and healthy teeth.

● Dilute a kitten’s milk with water.Straight it can be difficult to digest andcause diarrhea.

TRAVELS WITH OR WITHOUT CHARLIE: What to Do If You Can’t Stay Home

Traveling with pets can match the horror and agony of traveling with a two-year-old. But if you’re moving, or for some other reason must take your pet along, try to make the pet as comfortable as possible. If you’re sending your pet first class by plane or train, check with your veterinarian first to make sure the animal can stand the trip. Once you have the okay from the vet, make reservations in advance. Ask about regulations and don’t be afraid to ask questions about mortality or accident rates. Find out if the carriers have heated, pressurized baggage areas where pets are kept. There is a fair amount of preparation involved, including the purchase of a traveling cage.

If you’re traveling by car, veterinarians give this advice:



● Don’t feed your pet at all – or only asmall amount – before a long drive. Provide only small amounts of water at intervals. It’s best to feed your pet only afteryou’ve stopped for the night.

● If your companion is a house cat youmight want to carry a litter box with you.If it’s a dog, stop every two or three hours(at the most) so it can stretch and take abathroom break.

● Carry adequate supplies of food, a canopener, bowl, and spoon, and soap toclean utensils. A roll of paper towels isinvaluable in case of accidents.

● Carry adequate supplies of necessarymedicine. If your dog has a history of carsickness, ask your vet for diarrhea medicine in advance.

● Make sure your pet has enough room tolie down comfortably. And tell the kidsnot to pester him. Rover may not have thepatience he exhibits on terra firma.

● If you smoke, crack a window for freshair. Smoke can induce or add to car sickness in animals.

● Write down a detailed description ofyour pet and, if it’s a dog, the tag number.

If it’s a registered pet, it’s not a bad idea to carry registration papers for proof of ownership. It could all come in handy if your pet is lost or stolen.

If for some reason your pet can’t leave when you do, some kennels offer a transporting service and will make all the arrangements for you – for a fee, of course. And Dallas has one specialty pet transporting company, Flying Fur Pet Travel Service, which will make arrangements for a fee based on specific services.

If it’s a kennel you need, keep these points in mind:

●Ask your veterinarian to recommend a kennel. Many vets are on emergency call for kennels and can vouch for the quality of an operation. Or ask friends who board pets for their ratings.

● Go unannounced to kennels and ask for a tour. Explain your purpose and, if refused admittance, think again about using that kennel.

● Make kennel reservations well in advance. (Kennels are booked up early during holidays.)

● Find out specifically what the kennelexpects of you. Some may want proof ofrabies shots, some may want payment inadvance, and most have limited hours fordelivery and pick-up of clients.

● For a pet an a special diet or medication be sure to furnish the kennel with adequate supplies and full, written instructions.

● If a pet is particularly fond of a certainblanket or bed, you might want to take itto the kennel. But veterinarians say leavethe squeaky toys and bones at home.Most kennels can’t keep up with them.They may make owners feel less guilty forleaving their pets, but they don’t do muchfor Rover or Fluff.



TEACHER’S PETS: Obedience and Training Schoois



So your kids aren’t obedient? Didn’t really expect them to be, did you? But maybe you can have better luck with Fido.

There are a number of obedience schools and clubs in the area. Dog clubs and pet shops can give you contacts. But shop carefully, warns obedience trainer Shuah Siemer, owner of The Show Ring dog school in Dallas.

“Every trainer has a different method,” she says. “Some are based on the methods of trainers who have written books – like Koehler, Pearsall, Strickland and Sanders. They all differ somewhat. But most of them are based on the man-over-beast attitude. They use psychological and physical force to the extent of border-line and even blatant cruelty. I’ve seen trainers hang a dog by its collar until it passed out and even bled through the nose. And I saw a dog killed once. He was kneed in the chest for jumping up and it burst his spleen. So I’d advise anyone wanting an obedience school to go see the trainer work first. If he says ’no’ to observers or uses cruelty, I’d count him out immediately. And watch the dogs work. Are their heads up and tails wagging? Do they show any affection for trainer or master? Are their ears wrapped down? Do they cower? Is their attitude one of fear?”

Shuah says the only reason to enroll Rover in obedience school is “to be able to live with him.” Some dogs, she admits, are trained well enough at home by their masters and don’t need obedience school. She’ll turn them away. But if Fido is making life miserable, Shuah’s training philosophy is “do unto the dog what you would have a dog do unto you.” She uses no force and believes dogs perform on command better if they’re rewarded by praise rather than if they’re in fear of pain.

Unlike many trainers, she takes pupils as young as three to six months old. She teaches confirmation and ring training for show dogs, obedience classes for house pets. The obedience basics include teaching Fido to sit, stand, lie down, come, stay and heel. And like most good trainers she’ll try to help solve such problems as lapses in housebreaking. The first thing to do in that case is take the animal to the vet to check for a kidney ailment or worms. And if Fido always jumps you, try playing the Artful Dodger, Shuah suggests. Dodge out of his way and throw him off balance. He’ll soon learn it’s no use.

Some obedience tips:

● Heel: Fido will want to walk faster than your normal speed. Talk to him as you walk to get him to want to stay closer to you. Give him a tug (not a strangle) on the leash and praise him bountifully when he cooperates.

● Come: Use a long leash. Have Fido in asit or stay position with the leash loose sohe feels free. Move away from him. Kneeldown. And in a normal voice, tell him onetime to “come,” at the same time reelinghim in on the leash. Lavishly praise himfor his feat when he gets to you.

● Stay: Position Rover where you wanthim. Tell him only one time and in a normal voice to “stay.” Walk around himand even move away from him. Get himaccustomed to distracting movement. Ifhe gets up, reposition him and start again.If he disobeys don’t use the word “no.” Itwill just confuse him. When he obeys thecommand with you moving around, thenwalk over to him, kneel down and heapon the pats and verbal compliments. (Anddon’t stop to decide if you’re trainingFido or he’s training you.)