Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Petlife.

The Pet Effect: How Dogs Can Better Your Life
While dogs can often be overlooked as a simple pet, it is proven that they play a much more beneficial role in an individual’s life. Besides companionship, dogs provide much needed mental relief in their owners — serving as a type of emotional support. Due to this, dogs have not only functioned as a best friend, but as a type of therapy for humans.
By Ban Haidous6 years ago in Petlife
By the river
This is Zola. The summer before I turned 14 I visited my mom. On my way out to see her, I had no idea that it would be the trip that most influenced the rest of my life. On July 11th, I noticed that my neighbors had a big pack of puppies playing in their front yard, and of course, being a 14 year old who spent every moment of free time doing something dog related, I had to go see them. The puppies belonged to my neighbor's cousin, who’s golden retriever had escaped and gotten in with some hunting beagles. The product was about 10 fluffy balls of energy. Eventually I ran back home and told my mom she needed to come see something, and dragged her back to the puppies. Long story short, I was told I could pick one out as long as my stepdad was okay with it(which he was), and before I knew it, I’d picked out a little ginger puppy with a curly tail and named her Lady Gorgonzola AKA Zola. Looking back, this wasn’t the most responsible thing for me to do, or for my mom to allow, but it changed my life. For the first three years of her life, Zola wasn’t able to live with me at my dads house, and I was only able to see her on weekends and holidays when I visited my mom. It was hard knowing that Zola wasn’t getting walked as much as I wanted, or getting socialized and given attention the way that I’d want, and I spent those 3 years planning for the day she’d finally be able to live with me. That day finally came during my senior year of high school. The first couple of months that year, I fought endlessly with my mom to convince her I needed Zola and she needed me. There were times when my mom had me convinced she was right; I wasn’t going to be able to take care of Zola properly. Despite my doubts, I kept fighting, and I was finally able to bring her home. After loading her into my car, we stopped at the pet store to buy a bed, food and water bowls, and plenty of toys. That was the first time Zola had ever been in a Pet store(or any store for that matter), and she was completely amazed by the sights and smells. After driving 2 hours, I was able to bring her into a home where she was loved and cared for the way she deserved. Since she had spent so much of her life with very little socialization and training, there was a lot of work to do with her. She had never been to a park, or seen a river, or sat outside a coffee shop with someone and watched the town go by. She had no leash manners and was scared of being around too many people at once, but slowly we built up her confidence and she learned how to navigate life alongside me. This picture was taken on April 14th, 2018, just a few short months after she came to live with me. It was taken on my IPhone 7 camera, with no filters, no HDR, the only editing is rotating the image. It may not seem like a monumental moment, but this was taken after Zola and I walked 1.5 miles from our house to the river, having to navigate not only a fun run that was going on, but also all the owners out letting their dogs enjoy the beautiful day. This was the moment that I realized how much she had improved in just a short period of time, and how much she had changed me for the better. We have helped each other grow into something better, more well rounded, and less scared of the world around us. I would not be where I am or who I am today if I hadn’t chosen that little curly tailed puppy all those years before. Zola is now 6 years old, she is by my side at every possible moment and everyday we are learning and growing together. I will always look back on this picture and feel grateful for all the events that led us to where we are now.
By Ellie6 years ago in Petlife
Why Are Dogs Awesome?
Why are dogs awesome pets? Dogs have different characteristics that make them suitable as pets. They are known for their endurance, loyalty, athleticism, emotional intelligence, and loyalty. To accommodate their various qualities, breeders have put their efforts to provide dog breeds with different advantages over other pets.
By Garrett Yamasaki6 years ago in Petlife
Advantages and Disadvantages of Indoor Cats
Cats are by far the most popular pet in America, and yet it is also true that there are advantages and disadvantages for our indoor feline pets. Sometimes they are the sweetest pet that you can own and sometimes they are sassy critters that choose not to listen to you.
By Garrett Yamasaki6 years ago in Petlife
Adopt!
When you hear about people adopting pets you start thinking about shelters and how much better the life of the animal will be now that it has a home, but most people don't actually think about adopting a pet. Most people think about going through breeders, which I am not putting down as it is another way of getting a beautiful animal in to your life but going through a breeder is so expensive! Yes, you get the breed you were looking for and there is the anticipation of choosing your animal and waiting until they are able to come home but there are many other animals that do not have a home and are being put down due to over crowding shelters.
By Must Love Dogs 6 years ago in Petlife
How To Train Your Cat To Use The Litter Box
Did you adopt a cat or kitten? Has this sweet addition to the family had an accident on the floor or carpet? Not to worry, cats are among the cleanest animals and in most cases training them to use the litter box is fairly easy. Cats are like people, they like a clean place to their business and they like it private.
By Conny Manero6 years ago in Petlife
Born a dog, died a gentleman
At first I wanted to pick a sweet photo, or something beautiful, maybe a sunset, children playing but then I stumbled across this photo....His last moments, His last breathe, his last few kisses he gave before he left this world forever. This is the last photo of my sweet boy Bronnie before he was euthanized. It’s raw, it’s painful, it hurts to think back on these last moments. Most of us have been there and if you haven’t you can still imagine the pain. That moment when you have to decide is this the right thing to do? The vet says “It’s time” but you can’t help but think What if the Vet is wrong? What will I tell my kids? Am I selfish for wanting him to stay?
By Kodiak6 years ago in Petlife
All I Have
This is the last photograph I took of my beautiful Daisy May in her favorite place on earth, Vermont. I got Daisy from a breeder in Maine, where we lived out most of our lives. I met my now husband online in the Fall of 2015, and I moved to Vermont with Daisy in tow in June of 2016. She LOVED Vermont, almost as much as she loved listening to Reba McEntire on our car rides. She adored my husband from the start, and would rather cuddle up with him than me. My husband and I moved back to Maine in August of 2016...not the choice I really wanted, but he wanted to get out of Vermont. Every trip to see his folks we brought Daisy along, and all you had to say was, “Daisy wanna go to Vermont?” And that nine-year-old dog would become a puppy again. She would have this big grin all over her face the entire ride up there, and when it came time to go back to Maine she would hide behind my in-laws couch because she wanted to stay there. A couple months after this picture, Daisy jumped off the bed and started walking like she was drunk. I figured she had hurt her back or her hips. She had been fine all day. Daisy went outside and laid down in a snowbank, and refused to get up. My husband scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the car. We rushed her to the emergency clinic, and she laid down on their floor and refused to get up. They brought a cart out and we lifted her up onto the cart. My husband and I were brought into a room to give the history of why she was there. Daisy was wheeled out back of the clinic. A few minutes later a veterinarian came in and showed me a syringe full of blood and said that her spleen had a tumor on it that burst and she was internally bleeding. The veterinarian recommended euthanasia, because they could do surgery and blood transfusions and chemo, but she could be right back to where she is now in three months. I agreed with the veterinarian. Daisy has been too good of a dog to me over the years, and had helped me through some of the darkest times of my life. I couldn’t let her suffer another minute. They brought us into a dimly lit room, and my husband and I sat on the floor with Daisy as the veterinarian administered the euthanasia solution. The last thing my beautiful Saisy May heard was me telling her to go to Vermont and be with her chickens that she loved so much. As soon as I said that I watched her peacefully take her last breath. My husband and I were devestated...she was our baby, and she was fine all day. Then at 5pm we are sitting on a vet clinic floor crying and saying goodbye to the most beautiful soul anyone could ever wish entered their life. RIP Daisy May 12/28/2008-11/23/2018❤️❤️❤️
By Casey Emerson6 years ago in Petlife
My type of pet😊🐭
when most people go to get a pet they want like a cat or a dog the normal cute adorable pets, some might even want a bird, and there is nothing wrong with that! cats, dogs, and birds are all cute, but I don’t think that those are my type of pets. My type of pet would actually be a rat or a mouse, I know a rat! Most of you are probably thinking eww or gross but rats are stupidly intelligent and if you spend enough time and work into it they are very easy to train! I know someone who potty trained there rat and my rat, April is trained to come to me when I call her. She gets plenty of free time and she’s super friendly and good with other people. So next time someone says something about having a strang animal as a pet, think about all the pros to it and not just the cons cause they might have a really really cool animal!! Like April for example April is super super friendly and she’s really good with people she’s very playful and friendly! Let’s go over all the good things about her now. Trust me when I tell you, there’s a lot of them. One of the reasons they would make a good pet is when people go “eww a rodent” and say they are dirty Pet rats are just as clean as any other animal. They actually spend more time a day cleaning themselves than cats do! They are rodents, so they do have a slight "musky" smell, but all animals have a scent to them. Rats are very clean animals. That’s only one reason why they are good pets! The Rat assistance and teaching society states that Some rats are more intelligent than dogs! They can be trained to do a number of tricks recognize their name and come when called and some as I said earlier will even use a litter box! Recent studies have shown that rats can feel the same emotions as humans such as empathy helpfulness and even loneliness which is why it is so important for rats to have either an owner that plays with them daily and constantly or another rat companion with them. Rats would also make a great first pet for small children between the ages of nine and up rats are one of the few cats that are great for children unlike other pocket pets such as hamsters rats rarely bite the only time they will bite is if they feel highly threatened or scared by a person or animal. Rats love their sleep but they also love humans if they are in a nap and they are enjoying that now they will wake up to be handled by humans because they love people and they love being played with in socializing with humans. Rats are great pets for children and not only will the children get attached to them but you will too! Rats are smart and pathetic and they form lifelong bonds With each other and their owners. Fun fact, did you know even some celebrities like rats and there’s also a temple dedicated to them! Rats are smart friendly and like to cuddle making them great companions for families and kids! Caring for a pet rat isn’t that complicated you just have to make sure that you have the right cage accessories and toys for your pet. Pet rats also live up to 2 to 3 years because they are hidden from wild and with access to nonstop food and water so these are long lasting pets for your children and even some adults love their rats! If you were to get a rat make sure to keep it in an area of your house where there’s not too much sunlight bright areas of sunlight can cause stress and harm to their eyes. Another fun thing about rats is they love to climb so if you get a rat make sure to have large areas for it to climb. Rats are more active at night because they are nocturnal creatures and this is when they normally go hunting but this could be easily fixed as when you get a route you are to train your rat to sleep during night and stay awake during daytime. This is my type of pet I hope you enjoyed my story this is all based on true events in true facts. I hope you enjoyed my story have a good day!
By Hey Mac6 years ago in Petlife
Who Keeps a Pet After a Divorce?
Pets are an important part of our lives and many of us consider them a part of the family. According to a survey by the American Pet Products Association, 67% of households in the U.S. own a pet. During a divorce, couples have to make tough decisions about child custody, alimony, dividing property, and about who gets to live with the family pet. This conflict can be solved outside of court through mediation and a visitation schedule could also be drafted so that all parties can still see and be involved in the pet’s life. However, there are times when an agreement can’t be reached, and a judge must step in and decide who gets custody.
By Mariela Corella6 years ago in Petlife
Financial Management For Pet Owners
Pet ownership is on the rise in the United States, with an estimate of more than 50% of households owning a pet. There are so many good things about owning a pet, including the love and companionship they offer to all members of the family. Whether it’s a dog, cat, or even some of the less traditional pets, animals are often considered an important part of the family and are therefore treated as such. This means that owning a pet requires expenses and may reach paying thousands per year on their supplies, as well as their health and wellness. According to Forbes, people who own large dogs spend at least $1,570 a year, for an average lifespan of 12 years. If you have a pet or want to own one, here are few financial planning tips to help you out:
By George Swagger6 years ago in Petlife
Touch
Life is all about moments, and if we are lucky enough these moments are captured in their purest form. This photo to me is one of those moments. An unexpected photo for the individual within the frame, but a photo that captures the true essences of everything in that moment. A moment captured in its purest form.
By Lesette Campbell6 years ago in Petlife