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Home › Webmother's Musings

Pets Make a Healthy Addition to the Family

If You Do It Right

By Elisa Ast All

I've discovered the ultimate family health regimen. It's fun, friendly – and furry. The more you put into it, the more you get back, and you may just make a new best friend. Guaranteed to get you out of the house and moving, it's a day-in-and-day-out adventure.

So what is this fantastic new program? Dog walking! Yes, you read me correctly. Go out and get yourself a dog. Our puppy, Cody, is our new personal trainer. A yellow Labrador retriever, Cody is improving the family's health in more ways than one.

As the newest member of our family of five, Cody walks with us to drop off or pick up the kids from school. It brings our kids – and their classmates – so much joy to start or end their school day with a hug from the pooch. The dog makes the kids feel like they're the most important people in the world. There's a lot to be said for unconditional love!

There are some drawbacks to dog ownership, but they are easily overcome:

  • House training can be difficult, but once you've gotten the dog trained, she's trained for life!
  • Lugging big bags of dog food can be a strain, but if you think of it as exercise, it's not so bad!
  • Finding dog-sitters for when you're out of town is tricky, but you can swap services with a fellow dog owner or else find a quality kennel for boarding.
  • If you take care of the dog, veterinary visits are few and far between.
  • Grooming and shedding are not a big deal with short-haired dogs, and some barely shed at all.

If you're serious about getting a dog, spend some time finding a reputable breeder who will guarantee the animal's health. Or adopt a pet from your local animal shelter, which makes sure the animals are in good health before allowing them to go to a new home.

As tempting as it is to buy "that doggie in the window," beware: Some pet stores get their dogs from "puppy mills," or owners who do not breed their dogs properly. When this happens, you run the risk of buying a dog that has serious health problems.

Our first puppy, Buddy, a chocolate Labrador retriever, was purchased from a pet shop. Buddy was a wonderful puppy: He house-trained quickly, never jumped up on people and was very affectionate. When Buddy developed a limp, we were scared. An x-ray revealed that the reason Buddy didn't jump was because he couldn't: He had severe hip dysplasia. It was so bad that surgery wouldn't help him. In fact, our veterinarian told us it was the worst case she had seen.

The pet store agreed to refund our money (even though it is against their policy – normally they replace unhealthy puppies), saying that this rarely happened, and they returned him to his breeder. We were left to explain this to our children, to help them process the loss of a family member. It took time, patience and a lot of love to work through it, and to find the right breeder for our new puppy. The kids still talk about Buddy, and we all enjoy looking at pictures of him. But the joy Cody brings each day generates new memories that outshine the past.

The Humane Society has information to help you decide which pet is right for your family: http://www.hsus.org/pets/index.html.