Selecting the Right Pet for Your Kids and Making the Introduction
For many kids, the family pet is their best friend—a companion
who not only provides unconditional love, but also teaches them about
friendship, responsibility, loyalty, and empathy. While most family pets
are cats and dogs, other animals may also be appropriate for children.
Rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, small birds, and fish can make
great family pets, for instance, as long as they receive the specialized care
they need...

Vacinate Your Pet Against Rabies
Vaccinate your dog or cat against rabies and protect you, your family, your pets and your community from rabies. It is against the law to own cats and dogs over 3 months of age that are not vaccinated for rabies.

Introducing Your New Cat to the Litter Box
Most of us know cats are finicky eaters, but they can also be pretty picky
when it comes to the other end of the digestive process—making use of
a litter box. Fortunately, the following suggestions should keep your cat
from “thinking outside the box.”...

Housetraining Your Puppy
Contrary to popular belief, housetraining a puppy requires far more than a
few stacks of old newspapers—it calls for vigilance, patience, and plenty of
commitment. By following the procedures outlined below, you can minimize
house soiling incidents, but virtually every puppy will have an accident in the
house, and more likely, several. Expect this—it’s part of raising a puppy. The
more consistent you are in following the basic housetraining procedures,
however, the faster your puppy will learn acceptable behavior. It may take
several weeks to housetrain your puppy, and with some of the smaller breeds,
it might take longer...

Introducing Your New Dog to Your Resident Dog
From "the leader of the pack" to “the top dog,” plenty of simplistic metaphors
come from the canine world. But relationships between canines can be pretty
complex, beginning with the very first meeting. Like most animals who live in
groups, dogs establish their own social structure, sometimes called a dominance
hierarchy. This dominance hierarchy serves to maintain order, reduce conflict,
and promote cooperation among pack members. Dogs also establish territories,
which they may defend against intruders or rivals. Obviously, dogs’ social and
territorial nature affects their behavior whenever a new dog is introduced to
the household...


Introducing Your New Cat to Your Other Pets
Wouldn't it be nice if all it took to introduce a new cat to your resident pet
were a brief handshake and a couple of “HELLO, My Name Is...” name-tags?
Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple, which means you’ll need to have
some realistic expectations from the outset. What are realistic expectations?
First, it’s recognizing and accepting that your pets may never be best buddies
but will usually come to at least tolerate each other. Second, it’s understanding
the need to move slowly during the introduction process to increase your
chances for success...

HOUSING
YOUR DOG
OUTDOORS

If you kennel your dog outdoors, the Ontario SPCA strongly recommends that:
• Dogs should NOT be chained. Severe physical injury, even death, can easily result.
• Chained dogs also suffer psychologically and they are 80% more likely to bite.
• Fence your yard, don’t chain your dog!

A dog that is kenneled outdoors should always spend time indoors with the opportunity for socializing and play.

Your doghouse should have a flat roof to enable the dog to get off cold ground.

Additional Considerations:
Some breeds of dogs can live outside during the winter, at least in southern Ontario, if they are provided with an insulated doghouse of the proper dimensions. The dimensions are
directly related to the size of the dog and are critically important if the dog is to maintain warmth in the doghouse with its own body heat. The more heavily-coated breeds will endure cold temperatures more easily than will the short-coated breeds, such as Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Bulldogs, Boxers, etc.

Dogs should be acclimatized to outdoor living when they are young and also when the weather is warm. Owners should be aware that, during severe weather, dogs may have to be brought inside the family home. Aged, young or infirm animals should not be housed outdoors.
Dogs with short coats are prone to frostbite. Dogs that are ill or elderly must be kept inside in cold weather for their well being.
Doghouse exteriors should be finished with a weatherproof material or nonleaded paint. Changing the location of the doghouse from summer to winter will allow you to control the effects of the sun, shade and wind.

Bedding material should be put in the sleeping area. Straw is the recommended bedding. It is not advisable to use blankets. Change the bedding every 1 to 2 weeks, or as required, and keep the house interior clean. A burlap or canvas outside flap should be used to provide more
weather protection in the winter. The wall separating the hall from the sleeping area may be made removable for maximum summer coolness.

The house should be elevated on bricks or cinder blocks to keep the floor dry and it may then be necessary to provide a ramp or step so your dog can get over the raised sill when entering. A low base platform is preferable and allows the dog an area off the ground on which to lie when outside its house. If your present doghouse has a peaked roof, and if it is large enough, it may be possible to install an insulated ceiling and a
separate hallway, in order to make it warmer in the winter. If the roof is not insulated, heat from a dog could cause snow to melt and freeze, causing an ice jam on top. Insulation board sandwiched by plywood should do the trick. In addition, a small rainproof vent could help to dissipate any moisture accumulated inside, thereby reducing the possibility of mould.

For more information, including complete specifications to build a dog house, see the Ontario SPCA's brochure:
Ideal Doghouse for Outdoor Use in Ontario

This article from the web site of the Ontario SPCA