Pet Insurance Blog – Pets Best Insurance

Blog posts Categorized under ‘Pet Adoption’

How to find the best shelter dog for your family

Posted on: November 11th, 2010 by

Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manger
A shelter dog sits in a cage waiting to be adopted.

Once you have decided that your family is ready to take on the responsibility of a new dog, the next step is deciding what type of dog will be the best fit.

According to Liam Crowe, CEO of Bark Busters and a master dog behavioral therapist, “A dog’s breed and temperament, combined with your lifestyle and personality, all play an important role in determining what kind of dog is the best fit for you.”

Finding a dog that matches the personality and lifestyle of a family will allow the dog to thrive in his new home. Before heading to your local shelters, research the different dog breeds and educate yourself on the characteristic of the breeds.

It’s also important to begin researching pet insurance and determining which coverage will be the best option for your new dog. Some dog insurance companies may have age or breed limitations, so it is important to find the best pet insurance for the dog you select.

The type of dog you adopt should match up with your own lifestyle and activity level. Do you live in a house or an apartment? Do you like to jog or go hiking or do you prefer less physical activities? Choose a dog breed that has a similar activity level as you and your family.

If you have a family with children, then you will want to choose a dog breed that is known to be good with kids. Some breeds are better suited than others for a house with children. The size, temperament and age of a dog should be taken into consideration in this case.

Once you have decided on the type of dog that would be the best fit for your family, visit your local shelters to find the dog that meets this description. If there aren’t any shelter dogs that meet your requirements, check other shelters in the area. It is better to wait on the perfect dog than to get a dog that isn’t the perfect match.

Schotzie, a special therapy dog

Posted on: November 9th, 2010 by

Schotzie and some other therapy dogs work their magic at a retirement home.
By: Dr. Jack Stephens
Pets Best Insurance President

Our dog Schotzie has been paralyzed for nearly a decade due to a ruptured disc in his back. This condition is common to the Daschund breed and if left untreated, can cause permanent paralysis. In Schotzie’s case, it caused sudden paralysis of the rear legs that required surgery to remove the disk material that was pressing on the spinal cord.

With quick treatment and surgery he could have been restored to normal. However, because his previous owners did not have the financial means to do so, he was not treated. This is just another example of how pet insurance could have easily changed Schotzie’s fate. As a result of not receiving proper treatment, he became permanently paralyzed and was schedule for euthanasia had not my wife adopted him. We flew him across the country and had a special cart made for him that allows him to be ambulatory. Of course as you can see by the photo, he must wear a diaper because he does not have normal control of his bladder or bowels.

He is a happy, patient and a wonderful therapy pet. He loves everyone and everyone loves to see him ambulate around in his doggy wheelchair. Though some humans, in a similar situation, might feel sorry for themselves, Schotzie behaves as if there is no physical problem.

One Halloween, he and Cooper (another one of our therapy dogs) visited a local nursing home with my wife, Vicki and our granddaughter Bradie.

As usual, Schotzie was especially inspirational for the seniors in wheelchairs. It was inspiring for them to see his outgoing and can-do disposition. Schotzie is also an inspiration when he visits children’s hospital wards. During these visits, he motivates the children to forget their own misfortune and gets them laughing, interacting and following him around.

There is nothing as gratifying as seeing therapy pets at work in society. Although most therapy pets are dogs, other pets, such as horses, cats, birds and rabbits do well also. My wife also has several miniature therapy horses for reading classes in grade schools. Therapy pets play the necessary role of relieving tension, reducing pain and depression and causing an increase in endorphins (warm feeling), oxytocin (happy hormone), prolactin (bonding hormone) and decreasing cortisol (stress hormone).

Visits at senior care facilities help to relieve boredom, entertain and create a warm atmosphere for patients and nursing staff. Therapy pets can also be used for detention facilities, special education students in high schools and rehabilitation facilities—many with great success stories.

Having worked with animals all my life, and now working in the pet insurance industry, I know better than most that special pets like Schotzie are not for everyone. They require more work, patience and time than normal pets. But the reward for those with the skills and patience is worth the effort because of their special attitude and zeal for life. Three of our therapy dogs; Schotzie, JP and Cooper were “throw away” pets that I can attest are now giving back so much to those they visit.

Consider adopting your next pet from a shelter or local rescue organization – you will receive more back from them than you can imagine!

Pets Best Insurance and The Rescue Train: A shared goal

Posted on: October 26th, 2010 by

The Rescue Train's logo.
By: Chryssa Rich
Pets Best Insurance Marketing Associate

A former professor once used this analogy to describe solving societal problems: Imagine you’re standing at a river bend, and one by one, people are being swept down the river while calling to you and others for help. You can spend all your energy pulling them from the river, or, you can go upstream and stop them from falling in the first place.

A similar choice faced two volunteers at Poochville Animal Rescue in Los Angeles nearly a decade ago. They’d started an effort to save adoptable animals from euthanasia, but over time, realized it was impossible to keep up with the demand of such a metropolitan area. Only one thing could make a long-term difference: education.

The Rescue Train was born from this new focus on education. The group’s mission is “to reduce the number of animals entering shelters by promoting education through creating unique programs and solutions.” From The Rescue Train website:

…including awareness, community involvement and events, responsible pet ownership, support for the Good Samaritan who rescues an animal, dog training, spaying and neutering and supported adoptions, and support for other rescue groups.

The group operates a no-kill shelter with an educational twist. Many of their dogs are taken through six-week obedience classes, and adopters are encouraged to continue classes post-adoption. They also provide details on each animal’s needs and behaviors so new pet owners will know exactly what to expect. Each animal is backed by a team of experts ready to solve problems and smooth transitions to forever homes.

In addition, every animal receives the best pet health care available. All are micro chipped, spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Readers familiar with Jack’s story understand why affordable pet health care and preventing euthanasia are so important to the Pets Best Insurance family.

Every week, the team at Pets Best Insurance is given the opportunity to help a number of worthy animal charities from coast to coast. Because we’re pet owners and pet lovers, it can be difficult to decide who to help first. With its dedication to long-term solutions, The Rescue Train certainly stood out as a worthy cause, and we are proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Race for the Rescues. The event happens to be star-studded, with Glee’s Jane Lynch, Carrie Ann Inaba from Dancing with the Stars and Seamus Denver from Castle, among others.

Visitors will find a wealth of information at www.TheRescueTrain.org, including training tips, pet health and safety information, plus opportunities to sponsor animals, make donations and donate volunteer hours. There are even comprehensive pages explaining what to do if you’ve found a stray animal and how to take great pictures of an animal you’re looking to adopt out.

If you’re passionate about education and would like to make a long-term difference in the homeless pet population, consider working with The Rescue Train. Dogs, cats and loving families across the United States will thank you for it.

Cat health care: Katy’s kittens

Posted on: October 8th, 2010 by

Posted by: H.R.
Pets Best Insurance Editorial Manager

Three kittens look upwards.

I never thought I would be a mother at the age of 10. Growing up we always had dogs as pets. There are pictures of me as a toddler laying on our Great Dane.

My family was never a cat family. Now that I think of it, no one in our family has cats. My sister, 9 at the time, somehow convinced our parents to let her take in a stray cat that was hanging around our neighbor’s house. Not too long after we “adopted” Katy, we found out that she was pregnant.

Katy ended up giving birth, in our parent’s closet, to 10 tiny kittens in perfect pet health. A few days after the kittens were born, Katy went outside and never returned. We found out later that she had been fatally hit by a car. We were then left with the responsibility of feeding kittens. My mom, sister and I took on the role of mother to the kittens. We had to learn how to bottle feed the new kittens. Luckily for us our German Shepherd, Sherra, helped with their grooming and became like a big sister to them. Feeding newborn kittens in the beginning was tiring. We had to feed them every two hours, even through the night.

We ended up keeping two of the kittens. Tammy Fay, named for the markings around her eyes that resembled eyeliner, was my sister’s cat. My cat was named Purrfect due to her having the loudest purr of all of the kittens.

Even though raising the kittens was hard work, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Knowing I was responsible for seeing to the cats’ health care, is a feeling I’ll never forget.

Family pet expo offers a little of everything

Posted on: May 10th, 2010 by

By: Chryssa Rich
Pets Best Insurance Marketing Associate
A group of Pugs greet eachother with their masters at the Pet Expo in Boise, Idaho.
Where can you order cable TV, buy a rubber broom, take your picture with a tortoise, adopt a puppy and enjoy a mango Italian ice? That would be the Family Fun Pet Expo, held in Boise, Idaho last weekend.

For the team at Pets Best Insurance, it was the first time we’d participated in this event. During set-up we had a good laugh after noticing we’d been placed across the aisle from a pet crematorium company. We thought that might urge people to consider pet insurance more carefully!

Chilly weekend weather pushed attendance to more than 6,000, and each visitor received a goodie bag upon entrance as well as all kinds of free samples, treats and chances to win great prizes. By the end of the weekend, we’d had the opportunity to educate hundreds, maybe even thousands, of pet owners on the benefits of pet insurance, and everyone loved the local gift certificates we gave away.

In addition to the dozens of super cute animals who strolled by our booth, we enjoyed checking out the adorable baby goats, donkeys and chickens in the petting zoo, as well as snakes, lizards and other reptiles at another booth. A local radio station held a cutest pet contest, complete with Top 40 music and a dog show-type arena where they could strut their fluffy stuff.

Some of the funnier sights included a roly-poly gang of Pugs, a Chihuahua in a hot pink bikini, and a little kid eyeing our bowl of dog treats with his mouth watering. I do have to wonder how many children unwittingly ate pet food over the two-day-span – some of the gourmet dog and cat snacks looked downright delicious (and I’m a vegetarian).

Most cities have pet expos at least once a year, so check your local events calendars and try to visit one this summer. Even if you’re not looking to adopt a new furry friend, you’ll find lots of entertainment and freebies for the pets you already have.

After a weekend of pet expo fun, my family decided to add another to their pack. My sister-in-law’s parents adopted an adorable Black Lab/Terrier mix, Birdie, who has a cute scruffy beard and webbed toes. It took them years to heal after the loss of their last dog, but the weekend event prompted them to become dog owners once again.

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