Man's Best Friend!

Introduction

I chose dogs because they are my favourite animal. I have a dog called Scampi and she is a Collie with two different coloured eyes, one brown and one blue. She is well trained.

History of the dog and what they are like.

Dogs have been around for millions of years and originally came from wolves. Over hundreds of years dogs have helped humans do many things that we still do today like search and rescue, guide dogs for the blind and deaf as well as specially trained dogs to help the disabled and the police force.

Some dogs are trained to be nice and caring towards humans so they can be pets.

Where to get one

Many people get dogs from breeders who breed special types of dogs. You can also buy dogs from pet shops but it is better to buy them from dog shelters as these dogs deserve to get a chance at a new, happy home, especially if they have been treated badly or if their owner has maybe died.

There are all sorts of shelters and charities for animals including dogs, her are a few examples.

How to look after them and equipment you will need

Most dogs only need a few basic things which are water, food, exercise and love. If it is a working dog it will need more food than a pet dog because a working dog does more running about.

Equipment needed for pet dogs is usually a lead, collar, bowls for food and water and a pen or kennel if they are outside dogs. However, owners can choose to buy their pet dogs toys such as squeaky toys and ropes. This is good for the dog as it can bond with its owner by playing fun games with them.

Most dogs will sleep in the house with owners but other dogs will sleep in kennels as they are trained to live outside. Pampered dogs will sometimes even get to sleep in their owners beds or will have really fancy beds to sleep in. These are expensive and dogs are fine sleeping in a normal dog beds as they came from wolves.

Food

Pet dogs are fed by their owners who buy food from shops. Working dogs, like collies, are fed food that is full of energy that can be bought from farm shops. Wild dogs and wolves have to hunt down their food in the wild.

Exercise and Training

Dogs should be given regular exercise. Small dogs will need less walks than big dogs and working dogs will need more walks than them all. Some dogs are used because they are fast runners. Greyhounds are used on the race track yet need less exercise than most dogs.

Most dogs are trained to do the usual things like sitting, lying down, fetch and giving a paw. Other dogs can be trained to do special things like finding lost people and sniffing out drugs. You can also train dogs to do things for treats.