The Lighter Side

A PET’S TEN COMMANDMENTS… 1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.2. Give me time to understand what you want of me. 3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being. 4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you. 5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me. 6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it. 7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you. 8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak. 9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old. 10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can’t bear to watch. Don’t make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so. ALWAYS! ~Take a moment today to thank God for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a much dull ER, less joyful experience without God’s critters~ Now please pass this on to other pet owners. We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is here on earth and has four legs! Graphic Art, Graphic Art Editing, and Web Page By: Mark C. Phillips Copyright © Solo’s Hideaway Fun Pages

The 10 Commandments of Pet Ownership

1. All companion animals should be treated humanely — with patience, compassion and understanding.

2. All pets have the right to have certain basic needs satisfied — regular exercise, play, companionship and grooming. They also have the right to a clean and quiet place to live, rest, eat and sleep.

3. All pets have the right to receive fresh water and a complete and balanced diet each day. They all have the right to receive proper veterinary treatment if they are ill.

4. Like people, all pets have the right to fulfill their lives within the social constraints of responsible ownership, which may include the curtailment of certain needs and instincts — such as the need to roam free or the instinct to breed — for the ultimate benefit of the animal, of society and of the environment.

5. A caring owner (or more accurately, custodian or guardian) understands animals needs and provides those conditions most conducive to ensuring their physical and psychological well being.

6. No person has the right to exploit any animal inhumanely for profit, pleasure, or other selfish purpose, without regard for the animal’s intrinsic worth, interests and needs.

7. Understanding owners respect and appreciate animals for themselves, independent of personal bias and selfish wants. Such owners attend and listen to animals, and even when they appear to misbehave endeavor to ascertain what the animals need or are trying to communicate. Animals should not be overindulged (‘humanized”) to the detriment of their physical or psychological well being.

8. No owner should physically or psychologically abuse, neglect or abandon an animal. The ultimate responsibility is to ensure that when the time comes, the pet will die painlessly and with dignity, if euthanasia is required.

9. Before obtaining pets or giving them to other people, all people have the obligation to the animals to assure that they will live in a home that will best satisfy their basic needs and also that their basic rights will be recognized and upheld at all times.

10. All pet owners and those who care for animals have the right and responsibility to share with others, especially children, the ten commandments of pet ownership and to intercede in defense of any animal when its rights are violated and when it is being treated inhumanely, either through intent or indifference (neglect). The same principles hold true for the custodianship of laboratory, farm and zoo animals — indeed, all creatures under our dominion, including the wild creatures of the land, skies and water of our planet.

Michael W. Fox

Excerpts from The Ten Commandments for Pet Guardians

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me. Please don’t break my spirit with your temper, though I will always forgive you. Your patience and kindness and love will teach me much more effectively.

4. Treat me with loving kindness, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for your kindness and love than mine. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your job, your friends, your family, your entertainment. I have only you.

7. Please, PLEASE don’t hit me. It hurts me, it confuses me, and it saddens me beyond words.

8. Before you hurt my feelings and confuse me by scolding me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me or making me sick. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food or I’ve been out in the sun too long or my heart may be getting weak or I’m sad because you’ve been gone too long.