Help your pet be as active as nature intended. Exercise and play time are necessary for your pet’s mental and physical well-being. If you don’t give your dog opportunities to be physically active, or if you don’t encourage exercise for your kitty and find ways to make it happen, you may well end up with a bored, destructive, overweight pet whose health will spiral downward throughout her lifetime.
"There was a lot of crying, especially from my mom, aunt, and sister," he explained. "Even my dad — when we said goodbye, he had a hard time looking at me. He told me he was proud of me and I saw tears, and I can't remember the last time I've seen my dad tear up like that."
"They're really sad, because you don't know if that's the last time you're seeing them in person," he added. "And I acknowledged that potential reality. But they also understood — they know where my heart is and they know where my intentions are. So they didn't want me to go — they still message me every day saying, 'OK, it's time to come home now' — but they know who I am."
Many dogs have a condition nicknamed “Frito Feet,” in which their feet smell little bit like corn chips. As Matt Soniak wrote in a Big Question on this site, this has to do with the kind of bacteria found on a pup’s feet, and “could be due to yeast or Proteus bacteria. Both are known for their sweet, corn tortilla–like smell. Or it could be Pseudomonas bacteria, which smell a little fruitier—but pretty close to popcorn to most noses.”
Narrowly avoiding an attack, Praul made his way to Lviv, where he found Домiвка Врятованих Тварин, loosely translated to "Home of Rescued Animals," an animal shelter working to care for both wild and domesticated animals who have been abandoned, orphaned or displaced as a result of the war.Don’t Let Your Dog Ride in the Back of Your Truck Unrestrained. An estimated 100,000 dogs die each year from riding in pickup beds each year, and that doesn’t take into account all of the injuries seen each year. Dogs in pickup beds are also at risk of being hit with debris that can cause injuries.
"They have all the dogs that just come from all over the place — there are some days where they just get a huge number of animals just dumped on them, and that's when it's really loud," Praul explained. "The dogs that I've been working with almost every day now don't really like that — it's too noisy for them. So it's harder to build those bonds of trust."
Treat Every Poop Like a Miracle aka How to Easily Potty Train a Puppy. When potty training your dog make sure to pay attention & praise them every single time they do their duty outdoors. If you treat every pee & poop outdoors like it’s the best thing that ever happened they’ll catch on pretty quick.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Pets are a major source of support and increase the ability to cope, which contributes to keeping cholesterol and blood pressure down.
The dogs are a mix of strays and pets who have been left behind by families fleeing the country, Praul said. When he walks the dogs, he can immediately tell if the animal has been domesticated or not. Some of the dogs seem oblivious to the war — their tails never stop wagging and they never stop wanting to play. Others, however, have clearly been traumatized by violence.
"The dog I have the biggest attachment to right now, she can't go out because she doesn't trust anyone," he added. "Animals don't have a choice in any of this — it's human drama and the animals don't have any say. It's really upsetting. One woman came with two dogs who were just left at a train station tied to one of the poles, and they just had two pieces of paper with their names and ages on them."
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: While other pets have positive effects on your health as well, dogs have the added benefit of needing to be walked and played with numerous times a day. This means most dog owners get the recommended minimum 30 minutes of exercise a day, lowering their risk of cardiovascular disease and keeping them in better overall shape.
In that moment, the dogs Praul has been caring for unknowingly cared for him, too.
"Some of the dogs got a little riled up for a bit, but two, three minutes after the hits I go back to the dogs and it's just a loud noise to them," he explained. "Their tails were wagging — they just wanted to get taken out and just wanted some love. It was calming, in a way. I had a view of the attacks, but those dogs are just trying to enjoy their day still. They're still trying to live."
Love your pet. You are your pet’s favorite thing in the whole world. He craves your love, attention and care. So show him the love and devotion he shows you!
Praul says back at home, the bills are piling up — he knows he will have to go back home soon after spending a month in Ukraine. And while he is excited to get back to his family and his own beloved pup, a part of him will remain in Ukraine.
"I'm going to try to extend my stay as long as I can," he said. "But I already have a feeling that the day I leave I'm going to be feeling like I should be back here."
Russia shifts strategy to focus on eastern Ukraine
02:41
Holocaust survivors recount trauma of having to flee a second time
03:06You should never physically punish your pet. It brings the animal pain and fear, and it gains you nothing. It’s a lose-lose situation. Please don’t do it.