Draft Revision Assn 2

8/13/2019 Draft Revision Assn 2

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Can You Resist?

The Possibilities and Success to a Happy Ending With a Pet

Ghowntxi Tiffany Yang

English !"


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#nt$oduction% The Wo$d &Pet'

What comes to mind when you see or hear the word pet? Many see it as simply an

animal that is domesticated and does not have feelings. These sorts of people have an I can toss

it whenever I want attitude. That is like saying a pet is an accessory or a toy you can play with

whenever you want and toss it when it gets old or tiresome. This mindset tells me that this sort of

person is irresponsible and incapable of giving a pet a proper home to fulfill its needs. ust the

thought of bringing an animal home is a greater task than one would think. There are many

things to consider. ! couple key "uestions that pop up are# !re you ready and willing to open not

only your home to an animal but yourself? !re you aware of the e$tra costs you might need to

spend or invest? %an you provide proper healthcare and social treatment? The list goes on. &ow

I'm not writing this to tell you the hardships and discourage one from obtaining a pet or tell you

that the way you raise a pet is wrong. I want to stimulate positive thoughts when one does choose

to spend a part of their lifetime with something put in this world to accompany us and provide

that social attention we need. It only makes sense to return the favor to these animals as well.

ust like humans( they need that social affection and attention. They want that love) they seek it.

We are there to provide it. This whole ordeal is a give and take cycle that should be respected.

&ow it comes to the topic of( *reat( now that I know the basics( which is better( buying

from a pet store or adopting? The concept of buying from a pet store seems reasonable at first.

Why so? !lmost all people have his or her dream of owning a cute little puppy or kitten( then

raising them from its childhood so you can grow up with it and live happily ever after. Well( it is

not as easy as it looks. !gain( more thinking and serious planning is needed( but do people care?

&o. Many people +ump to conclusions thinking( ,h( that puppy is so cute( I'm going to buy

him- The puppy goes home with satisfaction of both owner and pet are prominent. Two weeks


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rough times as well. To wrap this up( later on in the paper( I will be providing statistics and more

information on topics such as animal overpopulation( ways and ideas to help one achieve their

lifelong dream to a happy ending when it comes to bringing a pet home( and a couple of personal

e$periences when it comes to obtaining a pet.

(ite$atu$e Re)iew% How to Match*+T Choose You$ Pet

5eterinarians Marder and /u$bury have written an article on how to match a prospective

pet owner to a pet rather than choosing one. 5eterinarians can help prospective owners

approach the selection process with realistic e$pectations. !rmed with information about where

to obtain a dog and with specific knowledge about how differences in the age( breed( and gender

of the dog may affect their e$perience( owners are better positioned to begin a successful

relationship with a new canine family member. 6 7page 889:; This video link of one of !nimal


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he or she purchased that puppy. What draws his or her attention to want to obtain a pet in the first

place? The fact that having an adorable pet to show off is one thing( but another is that media

advertising also@ plays a ma+or role in pet>supply sales( and may contribute to

overpopulation.97page ::; The media( including the Internet now allows almost everyone to access

almost anything and find every need you could possibly think of. ,ne thing to be aware of is that

a lot of people tend to blindly buy from Internet advertisements( and end up getting more or less

than what he or she wanted. &ow there is a significant difference when buying from "ualified

online breeders and +ust random breeders who claim to have the best or cheapest dogs. What

satisfies as "ualified breeders? These breeders are registered under a national organi4ation

who3s ob+ective is to provide purebred dogs and promote the ownership of them. Aor e$ample(

The !merican Bennel %lub 7!B%; recogni4es "ualified breeders( breeders who sell puppies online

directly to consumers are not sub+ect to Enited Ftates /epartment of !griculture 7EF/!;

regulation. There is no data on the health and general characteristics of puppies sold this way. D

!s you can see( to online breeders( there is no such insurance when you buy a pet from them.

Many who do purchase a pet from online sites will( ma+ority of the time( +ust blindly skim over

the important benefactors of a pet3s life such as health risks( higher rates of disobedience due to

lack of interaction( and much more.

,ne of the biggest issues that surface is the topic of spaying andGor neutering of a pet.

These are surgical procedures that help stop reproduction within an animal( but cause little>to>no


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harm for a pet. !s for pet store animals( there is no pledge that the customer is re"uired to take

to spay or neuter their pet they purchased.


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only beneficial to your pet but to you( as an owner as well. It is said that Fterili4ation of your cat

or dog will increase hisGher chance of a longer and healthier life. KWhen you choose to sterili4e

your pet ( it is said that a longer life span is to be e$pected( decreases of contracting diseases

altering your canine friend will increase his life an average of 8 to K years( felines( K to : years.K

,ne other factor that can help reduce sending animals to the shelters in the first place

would be the emphasis of training and correcting animal behavioral problems. !nimal

behaviorist( Bersti Feksel's studies show that up to 6L of households dogs that had not

attended obedience>training classes were 6.8L more likely to be surrendered. Fhe has

concluded that in order to reduce behavioral problems in a pet( the owner must first select an

appropriate pet( then sociali4e it and stimulate it. Fhe also mentions that although people do tend

to do at least one of the above( following through with at least two of the ideas will greatly

reduce unwanted behavior and will make pet owners feel more at ease with their pets.

Taking a couple of obedience classes with your pet may seem like its a bit of a rip>off(

but the pay off is noticeable. The other option if an owner does not want to take an obedience>

training course( would be to put in effort to train with your pet. I suggest that if you have some

sort of financial difficulty( you can ask for tips from people who have taken courses or from

veterinarians. This will put your mind at ease and you can feel more rela$ed after a few tips or

training classes( because when your animal is satisfied( you will be too. Hemember( this is about

both your animals needs and your needs( not +ust one or the other. When you got your pet( you

made a commitment not to only yourself but to your pet that you could and are willing to provide

for it. If animals had thumbs( they could probably rule the world if they could. Fince our society

does not run like that( animals need us to provide these few but necessary necessities.

Shelte$ )s, Pet Sto$e%


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!s one of the most sought out dilemmas when it comes down to deciding where to obtain

your pet( shelters or pet stores are the options that are the most obvious. Which is better? 0oth

have pros and cons. 2et's first observe pet stores. 2et's say given a situation( you are a new pet

owner who is willing to open your home to a pet. 1ou have done your research and you know

you can provide the necessary essentials. 1ou decide to go to a pet store to purchase your pet.

1ou know what breed you want and called in ahead of time. &ow the "uestion is( will the pet

store have what you are looking for? The pet store responds by telling you that they will have

this breed in within a couple of weeks. 1ou are ecstatic to hear that. Well happy ending right?

Well guess what( let's think this through. ow is the pet shop going to get this pet? Is it

magically put on order in the dog world? Well( in ma+ority of cases( yes( this actually does

happen. We call facilities that breed dogs on demand( commercial breeding establishments

7%0C; ( or as popular referred to as puppy farms or puppy mills. It is said that mills( are

kennel facilities where puppies are produced in large numbers for commercial sale. /ogs in these

facilities are routinely housed for their entire reproductive lives in cages or runs( and provided

with minimal to no positive human interaction or other forms of environmental enrichment. N

!s for the benefits of puppy mills? The most popular dog breeds on demand are produced

"uickly( giving the customers their need and choice of breed.

&ow puppies from mills are not +ust sold to pet shops( but over the Internet as well.

Fmall breed puppies were most fre"uently advertised with K:.=L 78==GK9: sites; of

advertisements for 1orkshire Terriers and =K.L 7=GK9: sites; for Fhih T4us. !lmost one

"uarter of Internet breeders N6GK9N9 7==.=L; advertised four or more different dog breeds. D

This promotes the idea of( ,h look( I see a dog( I want it and I can get it anywhere. Fee( the

Internet can sell me one right now. What most Internet and pet stores do not tell you are the


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cons of the pet you would like to purchase. Aormer %0C breeding dogs were reported as

showing significantly higher rates of health problems. N These dogs were also reported to

having lower rates of energy and higher rates of fear due to lack of sociali4ation.

Welton( a dog>behavior author( gives a brief synopsis in her books on the cons of

purchasing a pet from a pet shop. Fhe tells the audience of the details that the pet store

themselves won't tell you. Welton shares how purchasing a puppy or animal at the pet store can

contribute to a greater demand of puppy mills and illegal and unethical breeding. ! pet store may

try to tell you that they are EF/! 7Enited Ftates /epartment of !griculture; approved( so she

mentions that( The EF/! knows little or nothing about dogs. !s long as a breeder's paperwork

is in order( the facilities are disinfected( cages are a 7very; minimum si4e( and no infectious

diseases are immediately obvious( the kennel passes. 8 The EF/! does not worry about#

whether the breeder knows anything about the breed( whether it is the right breed( or if the

animals act like the breed is supposed to( and so on. Welton gives a word of caution to everyone

that +ust because a breeder has a EF/! license( does not mean that not everyone will know what

they are doing when it comes to breeding.

&ow I'm not saying that all pet stores and Internet advertisements for dogs mean you'll

end up with a dog with bad habits. Hegistered breeders such as mentioned above( the !merican

Bennel %lub 7!B%; have advertisements posted on the Internet as well.


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things such as mentioned above like bad behavior( soiling the house( and so on. 0e safe and pay

now so that you can play later. Take the necessary steps to get the most out of owning a pet.

Fhelters are the ne$t reliable source for you. Though you may not get a purebred puppy to

your liking( there are many mi$ed breeds that may be a better fit to your lifestyle. 1ou may be

able to find a dog that looks like a Fiberian husky( +ust like you wanted( but it may be less vocal

since it is a mi$ed breed. Many options and varieties are available( and ages vary as well.

Ma+ority of all shelters have policies put in place when they decide to take in an animal for

adoption( that each animal is set to be spayed or neutered if not so already. This is good for the

customer( because you will not have to pay out of pocket to have this procedure done. It is also

said that ma+ority of dogs in shelters are trained( this seems to help adopt animals out faster.

Training dogs to come to the front of the cage and not to bark when someone passes by is also

thought to increase attractiveness for adoption. It has been reported that the behavior of a dog is

much more important to a potential adopter than the dog3s physical appearance. : 7page 69; Fhelters

also have very reasonable prices and do provide the necessary tools such as up>to>date vaccines(

and food to start off with when adopting through a shelter.

!ccording to the !F


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you with sources.

Ente$ing the Con)e$sation% Pe$sonal -asic .nowledge

,wning a pet should be rewarding and the least stressful. We have much more stressful

things in life to worry on that we do not need to add more. I believe it is necessary to do your

research before you do anything serious. %ommitting to bringing a pet home is one of those

sub+ects where you must take your time to think and not +ump to conclusions or fall to peer

pressure. ust because every one of your friends has a pet( does not mean that you have to go and

get one too. It may look easy and fun taking your pet to the park( going swimming( fishing) any

sort of playtime always looks appealing to the eye. Ftill think about the hardships that person

may have gone through to get their pet to that stage behind closed doors. Fome tasks are harder

than they look.

I want to share my e$perience with you all. I personally adopted from a shelter and my

cat( *ryphon 7*riffin; has been through much. 1ou might wonder what could have happened.

Well( from what the shelter staff told me( was that a family thought that he was the perfect kitten

and brought him into a loving home( only to find out that once he grew old and ugly( the

family put him on the streets to fend for himself and wind up in the shelter( waiting for his

forever home. 2uckily he was micro>chipped when the shelter found him and was able to contact

the family( but the family surrendered him to the shelter willing. That is when luck brought me to

him. I was currently a volunteer at the shelter at the time( and when I heard of his story the day

he came into the shelter( my heart went out to *ryphon. I've heard cases like this all the time and

I knew I could not let things like this get to me. What hit me hard was when I saw him and

interacted with him. I've never seen such fear and love in an animal3s eye at the same time. e

was literally glued to my feet as I played with him. I knew after a few more days that I had to


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take him home. e needed me and we both knew that. 0eforehand( I carefully calculated what I

would need if I decided to take him in. I had to go through the same process as other prospective

adopters# background check( good standing vet history( pledges( the whole nine yards.

The one thing I believe helped me most when deciding to adopt an animal( was my

interaction period with *ryphon. Most pet stores do not let animal>to>animal or human to animal

interaction. That makes absolutely no sense in my opinion. 1ou want to bring this pet into your

home( yet no interaction means you do not get to see how the animal will react to you. Fhelters

allow and encourage for interaction. ! two>week trial and refund period is also available(

whereas pet stores have a no>refund policy.

So what? % The /e$dict

Hesearching is certainly not an easy task( but in the long run( the payoff is priceless. If

you are not willing to go through with these minor e$tremes for your pet. 1ou may not be ready

to own one. Taking care of another life form is challenging. &o one knows how an animal will

react. Cach are uni"ue and hold different characteristics( for e$ample( one dog breed barks more

than others. ,ne cat breed needs to be given a daily walk every day( since their energy levels are

higher than other breeds( and so on. I want people to reali4e that pets are actually living

creatures +ust like humans( and they have the right to receive all that we humans can also receive.

Why does their life have any less meaning than ours? If we could put ourselves in any animal's

situation and live their way of life or +ust catch a glimpse of it( then would our perspectives

change?


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Works %ited

1) !dopting a Fhelter /og. !merican Fociety for the pet>

behavioristGdog>behaviorGadopting>shelter>dog. !ccessed Feptember K( =8K.

=.; !nimal


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.; Feksel B. vi.

D.; 5oris %( Wittum TC( Ha+ala>schult4 D.

10.) Welton( M. yourpurebreedpuppy. and>

pet>stores.html !pproved =. !ccessed Feptember K( =8K.

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Draft Revision Assn 2