Responsible Pet Ownership
How to be a responsible pet owner
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In the
United States...
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2,000 pets an hour are
"put to sleep."
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Please...
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Help stop unnecessary deaths.
Be a responsible pet owner.
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1. Select the right pet.
- Selecting the right pet is the first and most important step.
- The "wrong" pet makes for an unhappy owner.
- Consider your lifestyle: do you have the time and energy to give your pet
enough attention and exercise?
2. Spay and neuter your pet.
It's the right thing to do! Why? Pick a reason:
Spaying and neutering...
- prevents unwanted pets;
- prevents problems for you;
- prevents cancer and other diseases;
- makes pets calmer, more content;
- reduces spotting or spraying problems, and
- discourages roaming and fighting.
True or false?
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A neutered pet
will get fat!
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False! Diet and exercise determine this, not the animal's reproductive
status.
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Animals "need"
to reproduce!
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False! This is a myth. Pets don't "need" to reproduce, not even "just one
litter."
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3. Use proper identification.
- The rabies identification tag is your pet's "free phone call home!"
- The law requires that pets wear rabies tags.
- The most common reason pets are not found:
- no identification!
- A frequent excuse for missing tags - "we just gave our pet a bath..."
What you - and only you - can do for your pet...
- Provide proper training.
- Confine dogs to your home or in a fenced yard.
- Keep cats indoors.
Average life spans for cats: |
| OUTDOOR cat... |
3 years |
| INDOOR cat... |
12 to 15 years |
4. Proper control, vaccination and care
- the humane thing to do.
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For Saint Louis County information
on...
- Finding a lost pet,
- Adopting a pet,
- Training a pet,
- Financial aid for spaying and neutering, or
- What to do if you can no longer keep a pet...
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Please call us at 726-6655...
Or visit our animal control services page.
To adopt a pet...
- check our
adoption services page,
then visit a shelter.
- Or visit a St. Louis area pet adoption website, such as...
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