This I Believe

I believe pets should be treated with respect as part of the family. Although most pets are taken care of and loved, some people treat them as though they are unimportant and don’t matter. 

When we first adopted our dog Sadie she was pretty well behaved, but one time I remember specifically was when she got into the trash. 

We arrived home from school and there was garbage spilled on the floor. When we went to scold her she was very ashamed and scared. She would not look at the trash and flinched when we touched her.  I then realized how big we are and how small she is. She must have been so scared when we told her she had made the wrong decision and it made me think about how others could treat their pets poorly. 

Our pets don’t understand what is wrong and right so humans have to teach them what is okay and what isn’t. We can do this by rewarding them with treats when they perform a task well to show them that it was correct. Violence never helps them learn in any way. Although it gets frustrating, people must remember that it takes time to train a pet and in doesn’t come easily. If pets aren’t treated gingerly and valued by their owner, then that person doesn’t deserve to take care of them. Every animal needs a loving home where they are part of the family.

 For Sadie, she now knows that getting into the trash is not aloud. She has also learned many other rules in her year of being part of our family. For example, it is not acceptable to bark when the doorbell rings. 

Not only should dogs and cats be trained in an effective way, but we should always spend time with them everyday. Even just a little play time or relax time with a pet with help create a strong bond. In the end, our dogs, cats, lizards or even hamsters, hold a special place in the family and need to be valued and loved everyday. No matter how small of large, pets are part of the family and should be treated as that.