This morning as I walked around the house I realized I have 8 beds and three crates for our six dogs to relax in, on and enjoy. When I think about their beds it's important they have a safe place to retreat. Most of our dogs are rescues and some like the cave idea (crate) while others like to be completely enveloped in the plushest bed ever. You should see Curly the miniature poodle, legs sticking straight up in the air enjoying his soft cuddly bed. Dogs seem to like texture and plush beds can do just that. Lucy, our Llhasa loves the bed with the electric heater (just for dogs) all year round. She is the senior in the family and she can snooze ever so deeply with some added warmth to her joints.
My point is give your dog a comfortable, safe bed and remember to never use a bed as a scolding place. Try and buy the best bed you can to last a long, long time (one of our beds is 15 years old) and make sure you can remove the cover to freshen it up in the wash. Your dog will LOVE you for it!
CNBC recently asked the question "Is pet insurance worth it?" Being the owner of 6 dogs, I have a bit of experience in this arena, too. Just like CNBC has reported sometimes it's worth it and sometimes not. When I went out researching pet insurance I found that there was a lot of fine print to be read. One of the most important I found was breed specific. Take for instance, my schnauzer, Bella. Just because Bella is a schnauzer she is genetically predisposed to get some sort of kidney disease (often kidney stones). Since the insurance companies really don't like paying out claims they disallow that with a schnauzer. So, make sure to read the fine print. If your dogs breed is subject to a particular disease make sure your pet insurance covers that particular disease. Next, I think it's great to have insurance on puppies and kittens. The premiums are generally not a lot and you decide the deductible. Most insurances do not cover well checks (but require them annually) and they do not cover teeth cleanings or vaccines. I have used pet insurance for a few of my dogs on torn ACL's and it was great when the procedure was $1300 and I came up with $200 (my deductible) and another 20%. That was well worth the price of the premium. As our pets age, just like us, the insurance premiums go up, so, you need to consider if the premium is worth the investment. Just consider the financial risk or expense that may incur as costs can add up quickly.visit us on www.furryfriendsinc.com
