Responsible Pet Ownership means being the best owner & caregiver to your Pet that you can be. Much more than "food, water, and shelter", Responsible Pet Ownership is the obligation Pet owners have to incorporate their Pets into the community, being a good neighbour, and providing for the needs of their Pets, however varied those needs may be.

Responsible Pet Ownership Means:

• Realizing that a pet is for LIFE, and dedicating yourself to the life of your Pet
• Putting the effort into proper care of your puppy (proper veterinary care, vaccinations, de-worming, proper feeding)
• Learning all you can about proper feeding, making healthy choices
• Investing in proper health care throughout your Pet's life
• Training your Pet through gentle means to be a good citizen
• Training your Pet not be a nuisance, and helping him achieve that goal
• Teaching your children to respect animals and not abuse them through play (this is also Responsible Parenting)
• Obeying the laws set for your protection and the protection of others, even when your Pet "doesn't need a leash". By not obeying the laws, you are only ruining it for everyone else
• Not breeding your Pet because he is "so cute"
• Coming to terms with the fact that not everybody likes Pets, and asking yourself, what can you do to ensure that your Pet is likable, even to them? Practicing the answer
• Doing your part to help the pet overpopulation problem and keeping your intact Pet at home and away from other intact animals, or neutering him or her to prevent future health issues
• Teaching other humans how to interact with your Pet
• Providing your Pet with a family and a home, not just food and shelter. Pets are very social, and isolation from the family will result in an unhappy, and ultimately, unhealthy Pet
• Holding yourself, as the Pet owner, liable for whatever damage your Pet does, and taking steps to rectify it