There are several different breeds of hairless dog breeds:

1. American Hairless Terrier

The American Hairless Terrier is a sweet, active, loving and playful breed. This darling dog loves to snuggle, and they, like all hairless breeds, can be particularly sensitive to the cold. Always pack a sweater and sunscreen if you’re going for a walk.

2. Chinese Crested Dog

These 10-pound little devils are absolute comedians. The Chinese Crested not only looks like a punk rocker, he’s got the spunky personality too. With their Mohawks and jaunty little walks, the Chinese Crested will win its way into your heart.

3. Peruvian Inca Orchids or Peruvian Hairless

The Peruvian Inca Orchid is the largest hairless breed, weighing in at an average 26-50 pounds. They make great companions and are known for being wonderful with children. Like most hairless breeds, they require regular bathing and moisturizing.

4. Xoloitzcuintlis or Mexican Hairless

The Xolo, as it’s sometimes called, comes in both three varieties; toy (less than 13 inches), miniature (less than 18 inches) and standard (18-23 inches). The breed originated in Mexico and is known for its hardy build, spunky disposition and trainability. This intelligent breed excels at obedience training and simply loves to please. Again, like most hairless dogs, Xolo owners need to watch out for skin conditions and acne breakouts.

5. Hairless Khala

The Hairless Khala is a hound breed that comes in two varieties; a smaller, mid-size breed and then a Standard Khala. As a sight hound, they’re known for speed and an extremely high chase instinct. This graceful breed is quite rare, so finding a breeder with an available puppy may be difficult.

Testing Your Allergic Reaction to a Hairless Dog:

There is no dog or breed that is 100% hypoallergenic. Because different people have different levels of allergies and can be allergic to different characteristics, like saliva, dander or hair - there’s no way to know exactly what kind of reaction someone’s going to have with a particular breed.
However, because hairless breeds tend to produce less dander, they’re often more suitable for allergy sufferers and tend to be a better fit than heavy shedders. Before you buy though, you should test how you react to the dog.

Try visiting your prospective breeders’ home and informing them about your allergies. Pick a breeder that only breeds or houses the one particular breed (you don’t want an errant Golden Retriever messing up your allergy test). Ask questions and spend a lot of time interacting with the dogs. Let them lick you and rub against you. To really test your reaction, wait at least 24 hours to see if you have a delayed reaction. If you’re still unsure, try multiple visits.

In the end, hairless breeds may not be for everyone, but they make darling and lovely pets for all animal lovers, not just allergy sufferers!

The Power of a Website

As a cat breeder, you should never underestimate the power of online presence. A simple, professional looking website can help introduce your business and services virtually to the whole world. The website needn’t be expensive, graphics-heavy or fancy - a simple one can do as long as it can easily be maintained and can encourage interaction between the cat breeder and the prospective pet buyer.

Online Classifieds

You should make use of websites such as Find a Pet Online. You can advertise your cattery, when you’re expecting kittens, details about the cats you breed and your asking price. Online advertising and online classifieds are the first place many prospective buyers now look. Keep in mind that long-term ads will help you gather names of potential customers between litters giving you the opportunity to carefully choose who you sell your kittens to. Another item to note is that pictures sell pets. If you place ads online, include pictures. Ads with pictures will receive up to 7 times the number of inquiries as ads without pictures.

Review Communities

Check out online city guides as well and get your business listed! A good example of this is Yelp, an online guide where opinionated reviewers can chip in their experiences with
businesses and individuals and yes, with cat breeders, too! If you already have many satisfied clients, request them to place a good word or review about you and your services in review communities.

Profiles

Building various online profiles on social networking sites can also help you network with other breeders or buyers. If you have licenses or other facilities, (i.e. you’re a duly registered veterinarian who also owns a breeding clinic) make sure that you indicate the same in your profile. This can help build your reputation.

Genealogy Sites

There are websites online which you can use to build your very own genealogy website, including pictures of your cats, blue ribbons and breed certifications. These sites are typically designed for human families, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be easily adapted for pedigree tracing. Having one can reassure your prospective buyers that you are passionate about what you do and that you only produce kittens from a good gene pool. Remember that as a cat breeder, you must avoid presenting yourself as if
the pets you sell come from so-called “kitten mills.”

Message Boards

Register with various online forums and engage in discussions. Don’t hesitate to help people who are in need of pets or those who need help on how to take care of their new feline companions. Who knows - this may even lead to deals in the future!

Given all these reasons and resources, cat breeders need to maximize the use of the Internet and other media. This, in order to not only increase business presence and name recall but also to guarantee pet lovers everywhere that you’re ready to do business.

The pet breeding industry is thriving today and is one of the fastest growing domestic markets. Over the past five years, the number of pet breeders has increased by at least 20 percent. As a result of the breeding effort more and more people are purchasing pets that later become unwanted. These unwanted pets end up in shelters and rescues.  Unfortunately many of these unwanted pets end up being destroyed due to lack of public interest in adoption. Pet rescues and pet shelters need to work on educating the public and increasing their exposure to potential adopters

The Benefit of a Website

Pet rescues and pet shelters should not underestimate the power of an online presence. A simple and professional website will increase exposure of your rescue or shelter to potential pet adopters. The website does not need to be expensive, graphics-heavy or fancy, a simple site will do as long as it is easily maintained and will encourage interaction between potential adopters and the pet rescue or shelter.

Pet Classifieds & Other Advertising Opportunities

You should make use of websites which offer free ads to pet rescues and pet shelters. Some of these sites offer potential adopters the ability to search by proximity to zip code therefore qualifying your potential contacts. Online advertising and online classifieds are the first place many prospective pet adopters now look. If you are not advertising your shelter or rescue online you are limiting your exposure and ability to place those pets that ultimately face termination. Another item to note is that pictures increase interest in pets. If you place ads online, include pictures. Ads with pictures will receive up to 7 times the number of inquiries as ads without pictures.

Other Opportunities

Building various online profiles on social networking sites can also help you network with other shelters and rescues. If you have licenses or are affiliated with national rescue and shelter organizations, (i.e. you’re a duly registered veterinarian who also owns and operates a shelter or rescue) make sure that you indicate the same in your profile. This can help build your reputation.

Register with various online forums and engage in discussions. Don’t hesitate to help educate people who are searching for pets or those who need help on how to take care of their new companions.

Pet shelters and pet rescues need to consider the Internet and other media to aide in optimizing successful pet placement.

Bella’s owner, Gil Smith, claims that he drove from his office near Gilbert, Arizona all the way to Kearny, Arizona for a meeting.  The total distance between the two cities?  70 miles! 

When Smith finally reached Kearny, he said he heard the sound of a cat in distress.  At first, he thought the sound was coming from the nearby weeds.  But, it didn’t take him long to realize that it may be coming from his truck.  Apparently, the Smith’s had experienced a monsoon storm the night before and Smith recalled that Bella liked to hide in the truck during these storms.

“She loves to get up on that spare tire to hang out, it’s kind of a safe place for her, particularly after it rains,” Smith told the East Valley Tribune.  “And, whenever I start up that truck in the morning, I always let it run for a few minutes so I can make sure all the animals are clear.”

It seems Bella missed her wakeup call and continued to “hang out” in the tire even after Smith pulled out of his driveway.  Thankfully, she didn’t try to jump from the truck while it was in motion.

“She’s a special cat.  Very smart,” said Smith.  “She knew she would be in trouble if she left that truck.”

This was the 4th straight year for the event and the title went to a four-year-old Chihuahua from Bakersfield, California named Tiger. The little dog managed to complete race in just 1.9 seconds, which requires the dogs to run straight down a 35 foot track. This was not Tiger’s first win, however, as he also won the title in 2006 before being unseated by a Chihuahua named Maddy in 2007. This year, Tiger managed to beat out Maddy as well as twelve other Chihuahuas from around the country that made it to the finals.

The second place winner was a Chihuahua from Woodland, Texas named Piccolo while third place went to Pancho Villa from Lopez Island, Washington. The fourth place winner was a Chihuahua from Elizabeth, Colorado named Mia. In all, more than 2,900 Chihuahuas participated in the annual event. In the end, however, Tiger walked away with the grand prize, which included receiving a trophy, a $300 PETCO Gift Card and a one year supply of Royal Canin Chihuahua dog food.

Don’t get me wrong, we had the bearded dragons for several years before we ultimately sold them, but we had to pretty much take a crash course in lizard care after we purchased them.  I read tons of books and searched the Internet for information on the lizards, but it would have been a lot easier if I would have done the research first.  Not only that, it turned out that feeding them was a little more difficult than I had anticipated. 

Although bearded dragons are omnivores (which means they eat plants and meat) mine greatly preferred crickets – and there were no cricket suppliers near my house.  As a result, we purchased boxes of crickets and actually kept a cage of crickets at our house.  You can just imaging the constant chirping that resulted in!

So, the moral of the story is, no matter how cute the animal may seem, make sure to do your research before you purchase a new pet. While everything worked out OK for me and my bearded dragons, that won’t always be the case.  With a little research beforehand, however, you can make certain you and your pet will make a good match.

Why is it that we procrastinate so much when it comes to these types of things?  I certainly love my dogs, but finding the time to take them into their appointments can be difficult.  So, what can you (and I) do in order to make certain we are taking better care of our pets and getting them in to see the vet when necessary?

First of all, long term planning is key.  If I would have had the one-year mark noted on my calendar, I would have been better prepared to make an appointment in a more timely fashion.  You see, the reminder notification arrived just when things were getting really busy around me.  If I would have placed a reminder on my calendar, I would have made the appointment a little sooner and when things were a bit calmer in my personal life.

Second, if you don’t have a long-term planner on which you can place a reminder for vaccinations, it is also a good idea to make that appointment as soon as you receive the reminder from the vet.  I know that was my biggest mistake – I put down the reminder notification so I can “get to it later,” and now a few days have past and I still don’t have an appointment made.  With the hustle and bustle of life, it is easy to have the days pass by without every getting around to what you need to get done.  So, I hereby resolve to make veterinarian appointments from now on as soon as I receive the reminder notice in the mail.

Of course, when it comes down to it, I guess I just have to follow my dad’s advice.  “There is nothing left to do but to do it” he always said.  So, I guess I just need to pick up that phone and make that appointment so I can check one more thing off of my “to do” list.

Kirby was not your typical kitty, he had a strange fascination with water and as such would hop up on the bathroom counter to watch me shave every morning.  Kirby loved to play fetch and every evening I would find a piece of paper, roll it up and toss it onto the floor.  Like a champion retriever he would jump off the couch fetch the little ball and bring it back to me only to repeat the effort several times over.  There were times Kirby would  see his reflection in the sliding glass door; he would arch his back and repeatedly sidestep and slam his body into his reflection until he grew bored.  Kirby was a very social cat who would follow you around the house and spend the evening laying next to you.  I miss Kirby and think often of the love and laughter he brought to our family.