Dogs simply need food, shelter, exericise and love. Everything else is either bonus, but bonuses are good–it’s what makes life great. However bonuses that we provide don’t make up for the basics we neglect. Dressing up your dog in a cutsie t-shirt doesn’t make up for walking her only once a month. Doggie treats don’t make up for leaving him outside all day during  snowy, cold winter days.

Here are a couple of good and short stories along these lines from National Public Radio.

Dogs Make Us Human article

Doggie Well-being – recording from the NPR show Day to Day (3 minutes)

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