All pets need a medical doctor just like people do. Take your time and choose your animals Veterinarian wisely. One of the best ways to choose your pets doctor is to ask for references from knowlegable animal related people such as breeders, trainers, handlers, groomers, animal shelters etc. These people are in the pet related business and they usually hear who is good when it comes to treating and caring for animals. Make sure your choice in a medical professional is going to be based on the actual care and concern for you pets health and not just a source of financial income.

Once you make your choice and decide on who will treat your pet, you can then leave it up to common sence and your gut feeling to see if your are comfortable with this medical provider. If you have any doubts, you can go back to the drawing board and look for another choice. The end result is you must feel confident in your Veterinarians ability because the day will eventually come when you dog or cat goes into the animal hospital for more that just booster shots or getting his nails trimmed. This is when every ounce of your Veterinarians experience and skill will be required to help your beloved pet.

Between 1.5 and 2 million pets are stolen every year and as little as 10% of these animals ever see their home again. Cats and dogs are stolen for a number of different reasons. It can be as simple as someone sees your pet and decides they want to keep it as their own. The reason could be that they want to steal your pet to sell to a pet shop or research laboratory. It could also be that this criminal would even sell your dog or cat to illegal furriers or possibly sell your dog to dog-fighting rings as bait to train their fighting dogs. The list goes on and on. The one thing for sure is, you control your pets fate. It is totally up to you to protect your pet from these lowest of life forms known as pet thieves. Here are just a few things to remember.

• Do not leave your pet unattended in your vehicle. This is the biggest of all blunders.
• Do not allow your dog to be unattended in your yard for any length of time.
• Micro Chip your pet.
• Do not allow your dog to run loose.

Remember, it only takes the matter of several seconds to steal your dog or cat. Underestimating  a thief  could be the biggest mistake you could make. Your pet depends on you to make the correct decisions when it depends on his safety and well being. It is up to you to become a good Watch Dog.