Responsible Pet Owner Day

Author, Vern the Great Pyrenees

Saturday is Responsible Pet
Ownership Day but a dedicated day is not the start of RPO. It starts when you
are looking for a pet. People really need to educate themselves about what they
are getting into with a particular animal. Now, you all know I am a pyr, so I
can speak expertly about me, but regardless of what type of dog (or cat) you
want to get all I can say is research, research, research!

Imagine being somewhere on a 90
degree day and you look around and see this white stuff flying through the air.
You know it is way too hot to snow, but somehow it reminds you of winter. You
have no matured dandelions within a 1 miles radius either. What is that
stuff??? Most of it is being taken higher from the breeze and you know it can't
snow "up". Then the neighbor yells across the yards "Are you
brushing Vern again?"

Yep, that is what happens when you
own a pyr. Mom and Dad like to brush me outside because as Dad says "If it
is out here it isn't in the house". Then you go in the house, which is a
very clean house considering it is where 2 people, 2 German Shedders and I
live. Sometimes there are pieces of white fur floating around and landing on
the black furniture. Maybe that is exactly why it is called fur-niture??? BOL!
Great Pyrenees are beautiful and regal dogs.
We can also take down the most expensive of vacuum cleaners in a single round.
My friend Tsavo actually burned out his Mom's Oreck with his fur and he is only
2 years old!

My Dad is a salesman by trade but
sometimes I think he must want to be a mechanic. He lays on his back and gets
under me while I am standing and uses his snipping tool (scissors) to trim
little knots between my legs that could turn into an eagle's nest if not tended
to. It doesn't hurt, so I don't mind. But when he pulls those nail trimmers
out, THAT is another story. I DO NOT LIKE MY NAILS TRIMMED! Considering I weigh
almost as much as Mom, I usually win. Mom can't hold me down and she can't cut
my very thick, double dew claws. She is such a girl! BOL!

I must say that I am a very lucky
dog though. Mom and Dad did 3 years of research on my breed and waited to get
me until the time was right in their life. They know that I am only 3 years
young now so the biggest vet expense right now is my monthly heart worm and
flea and tick preventative. (Do you know how much more expensive that stuff is
for large dogs than for our little friends???) I go to the dog doctor every
year, need it or not. Since pyrs can be prone to cancer and other problems
associated with "giant breed dogs" they know the risks and are
prepared for whatever may happen. Dog ownership ain't cheap! I eat twice a day,
and although I probably don't eat as much as some of my friends that are Newfies
or Saint Bernards, they still buy 40 lb bags of a good quality food. Don't forget
the treats as I love treats!!!

Mom talks to rescue organizations
every day at work and it is so sad how dogs end up at rescues. Someone gets a
mastiff puppy and then surrenders it to a rescue at 10 months old because
"we didn't think it would get THAT big". Hello people! It is a
mastiff!!!!

Great Pyrs are great companions, as
are so many breeds, but don't get any dog on an impulse. Do your homework. Know
what you are looking for in a companion and know what you don't want. Talk to
people who own the breed/breed mix you are interested in. All breeds have their
good and bad traits, but all animals deserve a good home with responsible
owners that take good care of them. All we need is love and responsible pet
owners! Woof!*lick*

Vern is a 3 year old Great Pyrenees who lives in Raleigh, NC with his Mom
& Dad, and has studied at the AKC
Canine Good
Citizen School.

Visit Vern’s Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100002020103687&sk=wall