Companion Animals ('Pets')

Think about how excited your dog is when you come home from school. He or she has probably spent all day waiting to see you. What do you do?

Rush straight past your pup, grab your football and leave the house again without him or her.
Pat your dog on the head, and tell him or her that you'll play later.
Grab a ball, put a lead on your furry friend and head straight to the park for fun and frolicking.

You are your dog's best friend, and your canine companion loves to spend time with you, just like you love to spend time with your best friends. So why not include your pup in your games? He or she will have a great time, and you'll know that you are being a great friend, too.

Whether you share your home with a dog, a cat or a goldfish or two, it's important for you to look after your companion animals very, very well. They depend on you and your family to do what it takes to give them a good life, including fun stuff like playing and walking in the park and not-so-fun stuff like keeping their bedding clean and making sure they have enough good food and fresh water. If we forget to do these things, they might get hungry, thirsty, sad, lonely or sick. And you don't want to hurt your best friends, right?

Dogs and cats used to live in the wild. Now we say that they are "domesticated" because they live with humans. People believe that dogs were domesticated about 15,000 years ago, when humans in Asia took wolf cubs from their pack. All those years of living with humans changed the way dogs think even very young puppies know how to "read" and understand people. Perhaps we should learn how to understand dogs better, too!

Cats were first domesticated about 8,000 years ago. People in the Far East considered them to be good luck, but today, cats who are left outside to fend for themselves need all the luck they can get just to survive.

All animals need the following things:

Comfort
Consideration
Freedom to run and play safely
Fresh, clean water
Friends (no animal wants to be lonely)
Good food
Respect

If you live with an animal, it's a good idea to go over this list every day.

Think about the animals in your life. Are there small things you could do to make them happier? Many dogs like to sniff everything in their paths during walks they get their daily news by sniffing lampposts and tree trunks. When your dog stops for a sniff, do you yank the lead "Hurry up!" or let him or her sniff away to find out what's new in the neighbourhood? And cats want and need to scratch. Does your kitty have a scratching post or does your feline friend get told off when stretching his or her claws on the couch?

'I Want an Animal!'

Many people want to share their homes with dogs and cats, but properly caring for an animal requires give and take. Cats and dogs give us slobbery kisses, purrs and great pleasure. In return, we must give them safe, caring, loving homes.

Living with an animal can be a lot of work! Some people find out that keeping an animal is too much trouble and decide they don't want their animal companion anymore. Can you think of any reasons people give for not wanting their cat or dog or bunny anymore?

Sometimes, people discover that their new animal moults too much (this means they leave fur everywhere), smells, barks too much, claws the furniture or makes them sneeze. Is it fair to throw an animal out of the house for those reasons?

There are better ways to deal with problems. For example, regular grooming keeps dogs and cats from dropping hairs everywhere and also prevents their fur from getting matted. And most dogs who bark a lot are doing so because they are frustrated or bored. Rover will probably stop howling when he gets the company and attention he craves. Proper housetraining will keep puppies from having accidents, and if the litter trays are kept clean, cats prefer to use them.

People who decide to get a companion animal must be ready, willing and able to devote a great deal of time, energy and money to giving their companion the best possible life. It's an important commitment. If you and your family are considering opening your home to an animal, every member of your family must be happy to care for and care about the new addition before you even think about letting an animal set a paw in your home. If everyone agrees to do his or her part, why not go to a rescue centre and give a homeless animal a second chance at happiness?

Talk About: Topics to Chat About!
1. How do you feel about keeping animals in cages?
2. Is it right to keep an animal if he or she isn't happy?
3. How important is it that you put the needs of your animal companion first?
4. Should everyone be allowed to look after an animal?
5. What are the seven things you should make sure your companion animal has? (See the list above for a clue.)