1. Do you keep your pet inside with you most of the time?
Yes___   No ____

2. Do you include your pet in your family’s activities?
Yes___   No ____

3. Do you take your pet for regular medical check-ups, vaccinations and dental care?   Yes___  No ____

4. Do you know what not to feed your pet?  Yes___   No ____

5. Do you monitor your pet’s health? Yes___   No ____

6. Do you give your pet regular exercise?  Yes___   No ____

7. Do you expect your pet to adhere to certain rules?  Yes___   No ____

8. Does your pet listen to you?  Yes___   No ____

9. Is your pet friendly and confident?  Yes___   No ____

10. Can you leave your pet alone  without mishaps?  Yes___   No ____

If you answered “No” to any of the questions, you may want to look at your pet parenting skills. Here is why:

1. Dogs have come to rely on the family as their pack. If they are outside and you are inside, they become lonely and anxious and can become anti-social and even aggressive. Cats also need human contact and should be kept indoors for safety and health reasons.

2. Dogs and cats (caged pets and birds, too) need to know they belong in the group. Of course, there are times you will leave them home, but consider including them on trips and family outings. The more experiences they have with unfamiliar places, people and things, the better adjusted they will be. And the happier you will be to have them with you.

3. Just like children, pets need regular medical and dental care. If you do not tend to these important matters, you are treating your pet as an owned object, not as a member of your family. You are also practically guaranteeing them a shorter life span. Vaccination for pets, as with children, is an individual choice. Check with your vet and online for more information of the pros and cons of vaccination. At the very least, get rabies and parvo and feline leukemia immunizations.

4. It’s very important to learn the ingredients you do not want in your pet’s food. In short, if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, look at another brand. It’s especially important not to have fillers or preservatives, which can cause cancer. I feed my pets only food that is human-food grade – real meats, veggies and grains – no fake anything.

5. If you have kids, you know when they are not feeling up to par. But how about your pet? Do you know what is normal for him or her? Could you tell if they were not feeling well? Would you know when to call a vet and when the problem will probably pass?

6. Just like you and your children, pets need exercise. It helps keep them trim and healthy. It is also a great bonding experience for them and you. Obesity is becoming as big a health factor with pets as it is with people. Exercise also helps burn pet’s energy to help them be calm and able to behave much better in the house.

7. Just like children, pets need guidelines – to know what is expected of them. Pet owners (and some parents of children) allow them free rein, believing that love and approval are all that are needed. Pet parents know that kids and pets need guidelines to grow into confident, friendly and happy adults. Sometimes you have to say “No.” Lack of training is the leading cause of pet abandonment.

8. If your pet doesn’t listen to you, he believes he is the pack leader. This is a result of not teaching acceptable behaviors and not establishing yourself as the benevolent and loving leader.

9. A friendly and confident pet indicates one that has been “socialized” (made familiar with strange people, places, animals and things at an early age). They don’t gain confidence and manners from being left to their own devices or being left outside to fend for themselves. They gain these qualities from consistent training, socialization and pet-human bonding.

10. Pets that get into trouble when left alone are usually suffering – from either separation anxiety or boredom. Exercise and behavior training can remedy both. Dog trainers say that a tired dog is a good dog. If you don’t have time to exercise your dog (or cat), ask a professional for help.

- A Pet Owner is similar to someone who plants a garden, then just lets things grow naturally, including the weeds.

- A Pet Parent knows that to get the most from the garden means spending time tending, weeding and guiding the plants.