Labrador Retriever The Right Dog For You

Writen by Gabriel J. Adams

The Labrador Retriever, more commonly known as "labs" are the most common breed of dog in the United States. Labs are large dogs, normally around fifty to seventy five pounds.

Labs come in three colors – black (Black Labs), brown (Chocolate Labs), and yellow (Yellow Labs). Yellow labs can vary from nearly white to fox red, but the other two colors are pretty much all the same.

Labs are excellent swimmers, and most greatly enjoy the water, even in the winter. For this reason, labs make great duck hunting or fishing dogs. A lab's coat is relatively resistant to water, which helps it in water activities.

Labs are very friendly, loving dogs, and generally love being around people and children, making them a great family dog. Being large, active dogs, Labrador retrievers need plenty of exercise and activity.

Labs are generally easy to train and very responsive. Labs are rarely overly aggressive (though they will normally bark at intrusions), hyper, destructive, or overly territorial. They are great to get along with.

Labs do like chewing on things, so they often must be trained to chew on the correct things and not your furniture.

Labs, as mentioned before, love people. Most labs can't get enough human attention. Labs especially love retrieving, whether it be a ball, stick, or whatever. Most will continue bringing back a ball as long as you will throw it for them.

Labs generally live about twelve to thirteen years, and are not overly prone to many health problems. Labs do have some susceptibility to hip dysplasia, ear infections, or knee problems. Probably the most common problem is gaining too much weight, though. Labs love to eat, and their food intake must be controlled carefully.

Overall, labs are an excellently well rounded, even tempered dog. Really, they are great for anyone, as long as you can give them enough exercise.

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Smoking And Your Pets

Writen by Nikki Carroll

Looking for a reason to quit smoking? The effects of smoking are widely known. It is a fact that smoking causes heart disease, strokes and contributes to a number of cancers. One in two lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Basically, smoking inevitably leads to death. It's just that simple. What isn't as widely known is that smoking can also harm your pets as well. In fact, people who smoke could be putting their pets as risk of getting cancer.

Unfortunately, your cat may be most at risk of the developing a preventable disease from your smoking habit. That can develop Feline Lymphoma and Oral Cancer from your second hand smoke. Since cats often groom themselves diligently, cats in smoking households can lick up carcinogens that have been deposited on their fur. Daily grooming over a long period of time can expose the delicate skin in the mouth to hazardous amounts of carcinogens causing Oral Cancer. In addition, the lymph nodes filter the blood, inhaled or ingested carcinogens can build up in these structures, causing Feline Lymphoma. This type of cancer kills three out of every four cats every year.

Man's best friend is not out of harms way either. In dogs, second hand smoke may cause Nasal Sinus Cancer and in more serious cases Lung Cancer. A study at Colorado State found a higher incidence of nasal cavity tumors in dogs exposed to second hand smoke than in dogs that live in non-smoking households.

These days, pets mean more to some than children. They are extremely loyal and ask for nothing but love in return. Americans spent 34 billion dollars last year to pamper our most beloved pets, while ignoring an overwhelming preventable problem. If your health and the health of the others around you can not persuade you to quit the nasty habit maybe your helpless furry companion can.

Nikki Carroll proud mother and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedpets.com with Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters Visit Elizabeth Austin to find Wholesale Dog Clothes and Wholesale Pet Supplies.