Pitbulls are famous for their energy and strength and are well-regarded by true-blue Pitbull-lovers for their unique character and disposition as well as an athletic and chiseled body. Pitbull owners profess to having pets that are exceptionally easy to train and very loyal to their families. However, not everyone will have an easy time training a Pitbull. This breed of dog requires as much care and affection including proper training and excellent nutrition as any other breed. The key is to start early, train your pitbull pup and use your knowledge of your pitbull’s needs and personality to build a good and loving relationship.

“Important Pointers
Regarding Pitbull Care”

Build Good Relationships

Pitbulls love interacting with people and are not shy when they meet new folks. These dogs are a bunch of joy and you can always use their boundless energy to build good relationships with them. One of the keys to building good relationships is to allow your dog to socialize with others, other pooches and people together so that it can build good relationships. Socialization is the most important step to raising a well-balanced dog, and it has to be done correctly, in a controlled manner. This means, allowing interaction but only in an environment that is supervised and familiar, like at home or at the garden.

Ensure Great Care by a Veterinarian

Pitbulls require the right care to promote good health and prevent diseases that are very common in this breed. First and foremost, make sure that your pet has all the vaccinations necessary and that it is de-wormed and checked for fleas as well as ticks. A dog that is well taken care of is happier and healthier. Spaying or neutering your pitbull is also an important step that will help promote a well-rounded nature.

Allow a Lot of Exercise

Pitbulls are very solid and muscular dogs that have a lot of innate energy and enthusiasm. Exercise is important in dissipating all that energy stored in the dog’s body. So you need to make sure your pooch is getting enough. Taking them out for a run for about 60 minutes every day not only satisfies your dog’s need for exercise; it also helps enhance its bond with you. You can also go out for walks or play games or you can simply give them space to run around or move at home.

Watch Their Health

Feeding your dog properly is key to making sure it remains healthy and lean. Obese pitbulls will experience strain on the muscles, organs, and joints. The breed is also at risk of cataracts and hip dysplasia, and regular check-ups can monitor these and other possible conditions.

Your pitbull will require the right balance between protein and vitamins to keep it healthy. However, allergies to carbohydrates like grains and wheat can develop. At best, opt for high-grade food that is fresh and have no artificial flavors on it.

Start Training as Soon as Possible

The temperament and personality of Pitbulls require obedience training to be started as early as possible, preferably while it is still a puppy. Focus on training your dog to obey your commands. To accomplish this, use positive reinforcement methods because this breed will be eager to please you.

Pitbulls are strong and, thus, require good training and more meticulous care and attention. Take your time and invest positive energy to take good and proper care of your puppy. This is the key to raising a loving and well-balanced Pitbull.

Check out My Pet Needs That for all your pitbull needs.

The post 5 Tips When Caring for a Pitbull appeared first on Dog Files.

Dog Files is known for their award-winning videos showing why dogs deserve our love, care and respect.

Starting on Dec 14, 2015 they are making their talents available to small shelters, rescues and organizations promoting pet welfare throughout the USA.

If your group needs a beautiful, professionally created video for your small shelter, rescue or non-profit, etc., Dog Files is opening up ten slots for the coming year at an incredibly LOW cost!

What You Get…

First, we will contact you to help you decide what kind of video would help you the most. After all, this is all about helping the animals!

Next, Dog Files will spend one day at your facility in January or February, filming whatever you’d like for your video, including your facility, your animals and any interviews we will need.

Thirty days later, we will deliver a beautiful, emotional video that you can post online and show at your facility. We can even create a commercial for you if that’s what you’d like!

Check out the video below that we created for the good folks at Eleventh Hour Rescue in New Jersey.

Just a note, while this video is 8 minutes long, all Give Back Videos will be 3 to 5 minutes in length.

Why Are We Doing It?

As many of you know, this past March, Dog Files Mascot and my best friend, Max passed away. It’s been a hard year and I was amazed at the compassion that was shown to me from the tens of thousands of Dog Filers around the world. I’m been trying to come up with a way to give back and I thought what better way than to do what I do best for all the incredible groups out there that work so hard trying to help man’s best friend.

Okay, It Sounds Awesome, But What’s It Going To Cost Us?

The first ten small shelters, rescues or non-profits that sign up before January 1, 2016 will get their videos for $999.00 plus traveling costs. What are traveling costs? That would be an airplane ticket, a room to sleep, and maybe a car rental.

How can we bring the cost down even more? Well, Dog Files Media is located in Orlando, Florida, so if you aren’t that far away (a few hundred miles) we can drive instead of fly.

Another way to lower travel costs is if we get two or three videos in the same vicinity, we can film at the same time and you can split the travel costs.

You can always pick me up at the airport and set me up in a spare room. That would cut out car rental and hotel costs!

And finally, many times people have frequent flyer miles they can use to get me to their location. Look into every option!

Is That Really A Bargain?

All I can tell you is that Dog Files is a maker of award-winning videos! Our Hero Dogs Of 9/11 one hour special is played on Animal Planet every year and we are privileged to regularly create videos for the American Humane Association and the ASPCA. Our normal prices for small non-profits is easily 200% to 300% more than what we are asking for here!

A Final Note…

Please share this post through Social Media so we can get the word out to small shelters, rescues and non-profits and hopefully help dogs and cats around the country finally feel the love and compassion they deserve.

Go here to check out a bunch of our Dog Files Episodes! Almost everyone was filmed in only one day and there are plenty of great examples of what we can do for your organization.

Really The Final Note…

In case you are even more ambitious, we can definitely do more than one video for you and/or spend more than one day with you.

If you would like to be one of the ten organizations getting their own video, please fill out the form below.

While not always doing it, I think most responsible dog owners agree that it’s a good idea to use dog restraints to protect your pet in case of a car accident.

Well, according to the  Center for Pet Safety, a non-profit watchdog group, 25 of 29 products failed during crash tests.

“Pet owners should be screaming about this,” said Center for Pet Safety CEO Lindsey Wolko. “If you get into an accident and one of these products fails, it puts you, your family members and it puts other drivers on the road at risk.”

Walk added, “Pet products are not defined as consumer products by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, so they bypass any kind of any oversight or regulation.”

The Center for Pet Safety found the following five dog restraints to be the best of the bunch:

• Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed with PPRS Handilock.
• Gunner Kennel G1 Intermediate with Strength Rated Anchor Straps
• PetEgo Jet Set Forma Frame Carrier with ISOFIX-Latch Connection
• Sleepypod Clickit Utility

Get more info at the Center for Pet Safety.

We are excited to finally announce that our documentary, Second Chance Dogs, is now live on Netflix!

Dog Files would like to give a big shout out to our ASPCA partners in this collaboration. It’s been a journey of many years and Dog Files couldn’t be more proud to showcase the great work the ASPCA does for animals.

“Our mission at Dog Files has always been to show the world that dogs deserve our love, care and respect,” said Kenn Bell, creator of Dog Files and director of Second Chance Dogs. “After creating the Hero Dogs Of 9/11 Documentary for Animal Planet, our latest doc, Second Chance Dogs, really hits that message home again and having it on Netflix opens the world to a day when all pets are safe and loved.”

The documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center and follows six dogs rescued from cruel conditions and given new hope for happy lives. Through innovative therapies and dedication to recovery, behavior experts at the ASPCA’s Behavioral Rehabilitation Center help these vulnerable and victimized dogs become suitable for adoption.

“Animals traumatized and betrayed by abuse and neglect are still at risk when adoption is not yet appropriate, but programs like the Behavioral Rehabilitation Center help rebuild their trust so they can be placed in safe and loving homes,” said Matthew Bershadker, President and CEO of the ASPCA. “Watching this process unfold in ‘Second Chance Dogs’ helps people understand that we can change the fate of these animals when we understand the possibilities and commit ourselves to that goal.”

Launched in March 2013, the ASPCA Behavioral Rehabilitation Center at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, N.J., is the first-ever facility dedicated to providing behavioral rehabilitation to canine victims of neglect and cruelty, such as those confiscated from puppy mills and hoarding cases. To date, the center has worked with more than 300 homeless dogs from various backgrounds, many of whom have already been adopted.

“Dogs who come through our Rehab Center have experienced so much pain and suffering at the hands of humans, and they’ve never had a chance to live their lives as pets,” said Kristen Collins, senior director of ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Rehabilitation. “By implementing behavior treatments based on sound scientific principles, we’re able to help the vast majority of these dogs overcome their fears and become comfortable with normal pet activities like walking on a leash, enjoy petting, and playing with toys.”

“We hope animal lovers across the country enjoy the film and feel inspired to open their hearts and homes to abused and neglected dogs,” added Collins. “They deserve a second chance.”

Second Chance Dogs is executive produced by the ASPCA and Dog Files. “Second Chance Dogs” was directed, shot, and edited by Kenn Bell, a freelance filmmaker and animal welfare advocate. In 2011, Kenn developed the critically-acclaimed documentary “Hero Dogs of 9/11,” which aired on Animal Planet in both the U.S. and Canada.

If you would like to talk to Dog Files Media about creating a documentary or short video for yourself, company or group contact us here.

Links:

For more information, please visit www.secondchancedogsfilm.com

Watch the “Second Chance Dogs” documentary on Netflix.

Watch the “Second Chance Dogs” Trailer.

ASPCA Poster and Photos.

This November, Purina wants to thank the four-legged friends who make our lives so special. In advance of Thanksgiving and the National Dog Show, Purina is inviting pet owners across the nation to show the world how they thank their pets.

Post a picture to social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram), showing how you thank your pet using the hashtag #DogThanking and tagging @Purina. For every original post submitted through November 27 that includes @Purina and the hashtag, #DogThanking, Purina will donate one dollar to the Canine Health Foundation – up to $50,000 – to help further pet health research.

Submitted videos, photos and posts may be shown during the National Dog Show Presented by Purina, on Thanksgiving Day!

The National Dog Show Presented by Purina, which will premiere on Thanksgiving Day on NBC!

Another video documenting the epic, never-ending battle between dog and vacuum. This time the battle is a little… lethargic.

Do you know a teen or tween that wants to become a veterinarian? What if they could attend a week-long camp at one of the most prestigious veterinary colleges in North America? If they are a junior high school student or entering junior high school this fall, this is the contest for them!

Royal Canin has teamed up with Vet Set Go, the only internet community for aspiring veterinarians, to help three very special students achieve the dream of a lifetime!

Three lucky grand prize winners will have their tuition, housing and meals covered for the Auburn Junior Veterinary Camp this summer – all made possible by Royal Canin and Vet Set Go. (Excludes travel.) Ten runners-up will also receive a free copy of Vet Set Go’s award-winning quick start guide to becoming a veterinarian.

Participants will learn about veterinary medicine first-hand in classrooms, laboratories, and outdoor facilities. They will also learn about public health, food animals, wildlife, anatomy, xrays, and first aid, as well as gain valuable mentoring about veterinary science careers.

The week long event will be an incredible experience for that future veterinarian in your family!

To enter, middle school students (or those entering middle school in fall 2017) and their parents should visit Vet Camp Contest between April 4 and May 4, 2017.

What is the Auburn Junior Vet Camp?

For over 125 years, the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine has educated and trained more than 6,400 veterinarians and more than 500 specialists and researchers. Now, through Auburn’s popular and prestigious Junior VET Camp for students in grades 6-8, dedicated middle school students who wish to become veterinarians are able to gain valuable mentoring about veterinary science careers. Through the Become a Vet: Camp Contest 2017, three dedicated students will have the chance to attend with their tuition, housing and meals covered! Click here to learn more about Junior VET Cam.

Fun Facts:

1. National surveys show that “veterinarian” is the umber one career choice of tweens*
2. 18% (1 in 5) of tweens in the United States want to become a veterinarian
3. This represents approximately 6 million tweens & teens in the United States
4. Veterinary medicine is a calling. The majority of veterinarian practicing today decided to become a vet before they were 13 years of age

*Duracell, Time to Play Study, 2009, Nationwide survey of 512 8-12 year old US children

A Birthday is supposed to be fun, right?

When I adopted Remy in the summer of 2006 it was for all the wrong reasons.

The first of which was that I was having so much trouble with Max’s separation anxiety I decided to bring in another dog as a last ditch effort to get Max to relax when I left him at home.

The second? When I saw his photo on the Petfinder Website, he looked just like Max and his name was listed as… you guessed it, Max.

How’s that for a bunch of wrong reasons to adopt a dog?

At the time I was living about 15 minutes west of Manhattan in New Jersey. Remy, or “Max” at the time, was at BARCS, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, about 4 hours away in Maryland.

The first time I took the trip, yes there was more than one trip, I asked to see “Max” by name. They jotted down my information and when they realized how far I had journeyed, they looked at me like I was a crazy person. I just shrugged my shoulders, told them, “long story”.

The next step was meeting him in the outside pen. They brought the dog out, closed the gate behind us and left us. He was pulling in every direction but me, so I look him off his lead. This is the part of the story where I tell you it was love at first sight. That we rolled around on the grass together and felt a connection that we had had never felt before. The truth? He basically spent the entire time sniffing around the edge of the fencing, ignoring that I was even there.

After five to ten anti-climactic minutes, I brought him back inside and declared, “I’ll take him.” Yep, I’m a glutton for punishment. I cleary DON’T see the forest for the trees. (Feel free to tack on your own favorite clichéd, ironic saying right here.)

The clerk looked back at me with a strange look on her face. “Really?” she said.

That even worried me a bit. What was I getting into here? “Yep, I’ll take him.”

“Okay, come back in a week after he’s been fixed and he’s yours.”

“Wait, I can’t take him now.”

“You can pay for him now”, she replied.

I took out my wallet, pulled out my credit card and prepared myself for the influx of paperwork. Then I drove four hours back home without a dog.

One week later I was back on the road. It was a non-eventful trip. I went to BARCS. I picked Remy up. I drove him to his new home. Yes, I had chosen his name by that time. I thought Max & Remy sounded great together, so Remy it was.

While my friend waited in my backyard with Remy, I brought Max out to join us. They sniffed and sniffed and sniffed (hounds, what can I say) and than Remy found a hole in the fence that Max never cared about and off he went, running through the neighborhood like a crazy dog. A portent of things to come.

Yes, I caught him and yes, it was the first of many escapes. The nose of a Beagle and the smarts of a Border Collie was a mixed blessing indeed. But in my own defense, I’m sure you experienced the same thing. A friend would come over and not immediately close the door behind them, hence providing an ample amount of space for the dog in your house that was always checking for escape routes. It was also a good tell that your friend never owned a dog.

Remy was a fun, rambunctious dog. He spun in cricles. He was the epitomé of a joyful dog, whereas Max was a bit more low key and soulful. But in spite of it all, my gambit had worked. Even though Remy was a dog that Max only kinda put up with, he succeeded in bringing down Max’s separation anxiety quite a bit.

Over the years, Remy took to his role of understudy for the Dog Files like a champ. Slowly, very slowly, really very slowly, Remy mellowed out a bit and I believe, enjoyed his job as Max’s crazy little buddy.

Many years later, in March of 2015, Max, truly my best friend, passed away at the age of thirteen and a half. It’s a pain I still feel over two and a half years later.

After Max died, many people on the Dog Files Facebook Page asked me, over and over again, when, not if, I was going to adopt a new dog. But I had already made my decision. Remy spent most of his life as second fiddle to Max. He deserved to have ALL of my time to himself for the rest of his life.

That following Summer, I noticed Remy was coughing quite a bit. I took him to my vet and found out he had an enlarged heart and all the pain I had just felt with Max came pouring back over me. They told me not to worry, that Remy probably had a ton of time left and gave me two prescriptions that I’d have to give him daily for the rest of his life.

Two years later, Remy has his good days and his bad days. He stumbles a bit when walking and stairs can be a chore for him to climb. I know his time on this Earth is limited and I wish his birthday’s were joyous things for me, but they just remind me of the little time I have left with him.

It’s been a tough two and a half years for me. I’ve lost my best friend, Max. I’ve lost the greatest Dad you could ever wish for, after watching him battle a horrible muscular disease for two years. And now, with more and more frequency, the restlessness at night, the heavy breathing, and the coughing that Remy deals with, reminds me that I’m going to have to go through all this one more time. And probably sooner, then later.

But Remy doesn’t know any of that. He puts up with the coughing and the heavy breathing and the restlessness at night the only way he knows. With a big, beautiful Remy smile that he wears like no one else. He still can’t wait for his meals and he still loves prancing around at the dog park, albeit a little slower now, and he still loves bugging me all day for more treats.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy 13th Birthday, my dear Remy! I can only hope I’ve shown as much love to you over the years, as you’ve shown to me.

With love, from your very sad, but proud Dad.

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about cosmetic companies testing their products on animals again. Ground zero was a post back in 2012 by PeTA that you can read here. While Dog Files is not an advocate of PeTA, their work over three decades earlier to stop makeup companies from testing on animals is indisputable.

One of the most read (and controversial)  posts on Dog Files was about that PeTA report. You can read that post here, ANIMAL TESTING RESUMES FOR AVON, MARY KAY, AND ESTEE LAUDER. Our article was even highlighted on Snopes.com because the post warped into a rumor that cosmetic companies started testing in the United States again. Something we never said.

The basics of our article was that Mary Kay, Avon and Estee Lauder began testing makeup on animals again in order to satisfy regulations from the Chinese government. Times have changed in the past 30 years, and China, with its own set of laws and regulations, is now a giant market for these cosmetic companies.

This story caused a lot of uproar and it wasn’t only from animal welfare people that were angry about what was happening. It seemed that a lot of makeup sales people were extremely pissed off with the Dog Files and demanded that I was somehow making it all up.

They would contact their respective cosmetic companies and they would be told that, of course the company wasn’t testing on animals. The person would then come back here and yell at me some more. That’s when I would explain to them that yes, technically the company WASN’T testing on animals. But China has laws and regulations that won’t allow the makeup company to sell there unless the makeup is tested on animals. So makeup companies would turn a blind eye and pay a Chinese government agency to do the actual animal testing. This way, cosmetic companies can take advantage of this new market AND technically “tell the truth” when saying that they weren’t testing on animals again.

So yes, the cosmetic companies weren’t doing the testing themselves. They were allowing others to do it for them, and paying them, so they could increase their global reach and profits.

Well, it’s been quite a few years and I thought it was a good time to find out if anything has changed.

Avon

First, I thought I’d visit the AVON Company Website. I found this under, Corporate Responsibility.

“Respect for animal welfare is a cornerstone of Avon’s product safety philosophy. In fact, Avon was the first major cosmetic company to end animal testing nearly 25 years ago and we do not test on animals today. Instead, we use non-animal product safety testing methods.”

“Unfortunately, a few countries require additional safety testing, which may include animal testing. Avon, in partnership with other organizations, works to help advance government acceptance of alternative non-animal testing methods. But if a compromise cannot be reached, we must comply with the testing required by local law. Animal testing is an issue faced by all global beauty companies.””

And a few paragraphs down I saw a bit of a change. “”We are encouraged to see that China recently eliminated the animal testing requirement for certain products. However, China still requires testing on “special use” products (sunscreens, anti-pigmentation/whitening product, deodorant, fitness/slimming products, breast beautifying products, depilatories, hair growth products, hair perm and hair dyes).”

If you would like to read the entire Avon Page, here’s the link.

This was interesting. It seems that China was relaxing some of it’s rules, which is definitely a good thing. But not all of them. Avon would still allow them to test on animals for “special use” products.

While things have certainly gotten better, Avon stills get a big thumbs down from Dog Files.

Mary Kay

We spent over an hour trying to find any animal testing info I could on Mary Kay’s site and couldn’t find anything. Even on their Product Safety page, not one mention of it. But I did find this image that says they still sell in China.

If anyone can find anything on their site, please let us know. But for now, Mary Kay is still selling in China and if they are selling “special use” products then animals are still being used. Mary Kay gets a big thumbs down from Dog Files.

Estee Lauder

Now it’s Estee Lauder’s turn. I found the info pretty quickly, which I believe is a good thing, on their FAQ page.

“At The Estée Lauder Companies, the safety of our consumers is our highest priority. We utilize the latest advances in non-animal safety testing and human volunteer testing to deliver products of the highest safety and quality to our consumers. We do not test our products or ingredients on animals, or ask others to test on our behalf, except where required by law. We are proud that we were one of the first cosmetic companies to establish that cosmetic safety can be demonstrated by non‐animal testing methods. There are, however, still some countries that believe they need to conduct or require animal testing in order to validate the safety of cosmetic ingredients or products. Our Company and all of our brands remain dedicated to the elimination of animal testing on all cosmetic products and ingredients worldwide. We believe that animal testing should not be needed to validate safety of cosmetic products or ingredients and we are encouraging the use of alternatives and the elimination of such animal testing globally.”

Sadly, this means that it is still happening. Estee Lauder gets the big thumbs down from Dog Files.

Next we found an article on Teen Vogue, entitled MAC Is Finally Speaking Out Amid Criticism for Animal Testing dated July 7, 2017. MAC is another giant cosmetics company. Here’s an excerpt from the article.

“MAC doesn’t test on animals,” Anna Klein, vice president of Global Corporate Affairs, Global Communications at Estée Lauder Companies (MAC’s parent company), tells Teen Vogue. Technically, she’s right. MAC employees are not testing on animals. But the company’s products are tested on animals — in China, in government labs, by government employees.”

“The MAC team isn’t as clear on what happens within those labs. They’re government-run facilities, so MAC isn’t present. However, animal advocacy groups say the tests are torture for the animals. According to Kathy Guillermo, a senior vice president of PETA, “substances will be force-fed to the animals, smeared onto their and into their eyes,” adding that “the bottom line is death.”

We will add MAC to our list of cosmetic companies getting the big thumbs down from Dog Files.

How To Find Out What Cosmetic Companies To Buy From?

It’s pretty easy actually. I went to the PeTA website and I found a page about cosmetic companies that don’t test on animals, a page about cosmetic companies that do test on animals, and a database where you can type in any company’s name to find out if they still participate in this horrible practice. Below are the links for your convenience.

Cosmetic Companies that DON’T test on animals.

Cosmetic Companies that DO test on animals.

PeTA Cruelty-Free Database.

Last Thoughts

One of the most disappointing things for me is seeing sites like Snopes and Fox Business specifically call out Dog Files to say we we were spreading false news. They literally say at the end of the post, “This story is part of an ongoing Associated Press effort to fact-check claims in suspected false news stories.” Each story acts like we said that the CEO of the company is personally blinding bunnies. Which, of course, isn’t true. Plus it’s just shameful when big corporations tow the line for cosmetic companies.

For cosmetics companies to say they aren’t testing on animals, but in reality they are paying a foreign entity to do it for them so they can enter a new profitable market is disingenuous if not dishonest.

That’s like saying, “I didn’t do it, I paid someone else to do it”. Technically, sure, you didn’t do it. But c’mon, how naive and gullible do you think your customers are?

Apparently, quite a bit.