Hey, fellow pet lovers!
I hope your all enjoying the last few days of Summer, the girls and I have had a wonderful one filled with many fun days out along to the beach and Lily’s favourite, the park. I actually start university next week which is a tad daunting but I’m really looking forward to starting my studies. I’ve thankfully managed to get a months worth of blog post all sorted though, which is a little relief as I can really focus fully my first month at university while still maintaining epoch.pet for all you lovely pet parents out there.
Let’s jump straight into today’s blog post!
Responsible Dog Ownership Day
Today’s simple post is all about Responsible Dog Ownership Day which was first founded by the American Kennel Club back in September 2003. It’s a whole day dedicated to promoting responsible ownership of our canine companions and helps to remind pet parents, that it is essential to be a responsible owner! This national pet day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of September, which means this year it will be celebrated on Saturday the 21st.
Aims of Responsible Dog Ownership Day
As with most national pet days, there is an underlining aim that the organisers want to promote and raise awareness about. With the American Kennel Club being the creators of Responsible Dog Ownership Day, they have a few specific aims they hope to announce which I’ve listed below.
1, To help ensure dog owners be responsible owners.
Are you a responsible pet owner, or could you be doing more to be the best pet parent possible? There are countless canines out there who unfortunately live with an irresponsible owner through no fault of their own. This not only affects the dog’s life but also negatively has an effect on the many other responsible pet parents out there. The American Kennel Club hopes to promote Responsible Dog Ownership Day to all dog owners with the hopes that it will remind them what it means to be a responsible owner.
2, To remind pet parents of the many responsibilities of dog ownership.
Another aim of Responsible Dog Ownership Day is to remind pet parents of the many responsibilities that come with dog ownership. I’ve written about this in previous posts, that owning a pet is seriously no walk in the park, and there are so many things to consider before doing so. For one, you need to think do I have the money to own a canine companion? As owning a pet comes with a myriad of responsibilities which the American Kennel Club wants to remind potential and current dog owners.
Having a dog can be expensive too as you need to purchase food and treats for them each month, toys and other things like bedding, poo bags and so on. Then you need to ensure you’re getting the right insurance which can be costly, vet check-ups and unforeseen bills; the list goes on and on. If your thinking about getting a canine or feline friend then check out my previous post to double-check your in a position to do so, Questions to ask yourself before getting a pet?
3, To celebrate the amazing bond between humans and canines.
The last aim of Responsible Dog Ownership Day is to raise awareness and to celebrate that special bond we all share with our canine companions. Having a dog is truly wonderful, they give you unconditional love and make smile when you’re down in the dumps. As I write this post I have my gorgeous girl Lily sitting on my lap, the bond between pet owner and pet is something to be celebrated each and every day, which is what the American Kennel Club plan to do this Responsible Dog Ownership Day.
How to be a responsible dog owner?
We’ve all come across a few dog owners who are just totally irresponsible. Whether it be not picking up their dogs waste or not having their dog on a lead when they really should. It can be highly annoying to bump into an irresponsible owner, but unfortunately, it’s not an uncommon occurrence. However, there are a few essential things that I’ve listed below which you can always do to ensure you stay on the responsible side.
1, Always pick up your dog’s poo!
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of a responsible owner is a pet parent who always picks up their dogs waste. However, some people don’t seem to agree and I, unfortunately, always walk past unpicked up pet waste on a weekly basis. This is something I and my partner wouldn’t ever think twice about doing, it is just a non-negotiable part of owning a dog. In the UK you could be fined if you leave your pet’s waste and despite this law, I still see this problem prevalent all over our streets.
2, Always provide your canine companion with an adequate amount of physical and mental exercise.
One of the most vital aspects of being a dog owner is ensuring that you give your all to whatever your best friend needs are, and a big must for our canine companions is an adequate amount of physical and mental exercise. My girls have fabulous weight vests, which you can learn more about in a previous post, Xdog Vests, which are great for keeping them fit and healthy. However, mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise, which is something you must remember. Ensure you do weekly training with your pet to build that special bond and help provide them with both physical and mental stimuli.
3, Always have your canine companion on a lead when necessary.
Another responsible thing to do is to ensure that you keep your canine companion on a lead when necessary. There are many places that our four-legged friends simply aren’t allowed off the lead and some pet owners seem to look straight past this despite the law. Always check if your pet is allowed to be off the lead and if not, keep them on and be a responsible owner.
4, Always get your pet microchipped.
Another simple and apparent responsible thing for any pet parent to do is to get your canine or feline friend microchipped. All my girls are microchipped, and if your pet isn’t, then it is certainly something to get done sooner rather than later.
If you live in the UK, then it has been law since April 2016 that all dogs must be microchipped. Not only does this increase your chances of getting your canine back if they go missing or become stolen, but it also gives you that little bit extra peace of mind if the unimaginable does take place. To learn more about microchipping and the importance of it then check out one of my previous blog posts from last year, National Check the Chip Day.
5, Always take water out with you for your canine companion.
Taking water out with you when you and your pet go on adventures is super important! Especially throughout late Spring and Summer when the weather starts to get warmer. If you are taking your pet to the park for a runaround, then make sure you grab a travel water bowl and some water for your pet. I’ve added two links to different travel bowls that you may want to check out if you don’t have one already.
This is the travel bowl we have, we got the red one and it has been a great buy, to order just follow the link, 8″ Fold Up Travel Dog Water Drinking Bowl.
Here is another travel bowl that I quite like the look of, one thing that annoys me about the bowl we currently have is that it remains wet and this means your bag will get wet when you put it away. This is an easy issue to fix though and what I like about the above bowl is that it is silicone so you can quickly dry it before putting it away. To order follow the link below, H&S® 2 Collapsible Travel Dog Water Bowl Portable Cat Pet Silicone Food Bowl Small.
*By purchasing through this affiliate link you are supporting epoch.pet as we get a small amount of commission, with no extra cost to you. This money helps keep the blog up and running and allows us to purchase pet products to review on our site. I only ever review products that are tried and tested by my girls and that I think are great!
6, Train your pet on a weekly basis.
Just like we mentioned above about the importance of mental stimulation, a great way to ensure your pet is getting enough is to do weekly training with them, and this could be obedience training or simply basic command training like sit, stay, stand and so on. Regardless of what you opt for this will improve your bond with your canine companion, to learn more about the importance of training then check out one of my previous posts,
7, Lastly, always have pet insurance!
The last thing I wanted to list is pet insurance; it is so essential to ensure you have insurance for your pet, the sheer amount of unforeseen circumstances that could arise are insane. For one, your pet could fall ill, or god forbid you get into a terrible accident. My partner and I learned the hard way when we lost Freya back in October 2015 not long after we got together. Now all our girls are insured, and we have peace of mind.
These are just a few of many things you should do if you want to be a responsible pet owner and if you’re currently not then these are somethings you really ought to start doing. Not only for yourself and your canine companion but for the rest of us responsible pet owners out there too. To learn more about Responsible Dog Ownership Day then head over to the American Kennel Clubs website.
Thanks for reading today’s post everyone, I hope you all liked learning about Responsible Dog Ownership Day, as well as how to be a great pet parent for your canine companion. Tomorrow marks the start of National Deaf Pet Awareness Week which is what I’ll be talking about in next weeks post so make sure to stick around for that. In the meantime, why not check out one of our many other blog posts on epoch.pet.
If you haven’t already, then I’d genuinely appreciate your support by joining our mailing list. I published a minimum of two articles a month on a range of pet-related content. If you enjoyed today’s post and haven’t signed up, then please do to help support the brand, it would mean the world, and if you don’t enjoy my content, which I’m sure won’t happen, then you can always unsubscribe.
Get Social ⬇️
Follow epoch.pet:
#epochdotpet ❤️
epoch.pet 