(Mann has built Fetch! Pet Care into a nationwide giant, serving 38 states in more than 2,000 cities and towns. So he knows more than a bit about the subject.)
“When staring at that starry-eyed dog or cat in the proverbial window, many working professionals don’t fully consider the implications of owning a pet that will be kept indoors all day," he says.
"If regularly left alone for long periods, pets can suffer from depression, anxiety, and aggressiveness, and can even become downright destructive with valuable home furnishings and structural elements such as baseboards, stairwell banisters and the like."
"Just a few simple tips can make a world of difference:”
• Daily exercise is top priority. Dogs should get a minimum of 3 brisk walks of 20 minutes or more each day to exercise joints, release built up energy, and promote proper metabolism. Daily walks are a great way of energizing lethargic and/or overweight pets. For indoor cats, take 10-minutes each day to get them moving using cat toys or string. High strung, hyperactive or even aggressive pets are often quite calm and relaxed after a good day’s workout. Regular exercise will keep these angst-ridden animals in a greater state of contentment.
• Socializing is not just for humans. Find ways to socialize and entertain your dog each day, such as a trip to off-leash parks or recreation areas where they can run and play with other dogs. New pups or kittens, adopted pets, those received as gifts and/or the timid especially benefit from daily interaction with both humans and other animals. When they’re home and you’re not, consider turning on the radio or television to a “pet friendly” program – such as Animal Planet on the Discovery Channel. During your lunch break at work, call home and leave a message on your answering machine so your pet can hear your voice and be reassured while you are away.
• Proper diets are a must. Your pet will be far happier and healthier if you feed them a brand pet food designed for their specific size and/or breed, with keeping meal portions in moderation. Consult with your local veterinarian about the most appropriate diet for your animal, and then stick to it. While you think feeding your pet scraps from the dinner table is okay, you could actually be doing more harm than good both physically, and behaviorally.
• Make way for the sandman. Just as you need a good night’s sleep to fully recharge your battery, so does your pet! Assuring Fido and Felix have a solid night’s slumber, with intermittent naps in between, can do wonders for their daily disposition.
• Consider pet management options carefully. Think twice before enrolling your pet in a boarding or day care facility. While some animals do fine, many experience adverse effects due to over-crowding in small areas with other pets, stress from alpha dogs, and even health issues such as kennel cough or the highly contagious and sometimes deadly canine influenza. Consider maintaining an in-home care environment, instead, either with a professionally trained, screened, licensed, bonded and insured pet sitter coming to your home each day, or your pet going to the sitter’s home where there will be far fewer animals and no cages. Also ensure your in-home caregiver remains accessible at all times while your pet is in their care in case of emergencies beyond your common needs, such as those instances where you get stuck in a traffic jam, have to work late, or will otherwise run unusually late.
Hey, pet owners: Did you know that one of Fetch! Pet Care's most successful pet-sitting and dog-walking franchises in the U.S. is right here? Deborah Jack and her team of pet lovers service the Gold Coast, providing the kind of close attention at affordable rates that, until now, was impossible to find. Try it out. Click on FetchPetCare.com. Take advantage of a special offer when you tell them CLIFFVIEWPILOT sent you.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of FETCH! Pet Care
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