02-25-1991 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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COST OF PETS ■r- I i-'I [ i. —wra HDO DOMirT H Up throu^ most magazines for cat or dog owners and you're apt to spot ads for any number of question- aMr and sometimes cruel—products. TUke it from Guy of the and an expert on animal quadceiy: Don't bite. ^ OUnaaemid fbt ooUmx They've been tested at government md umversity lahe, aaye and the residts aie always the same: There is no evidence th— iMiif devices hive any effect against insects." In fact, the most effec tive vennm destroyer is a vacuum cleanec ^ *XMwUtr* dhf cotton. These deliver shocks triggered by a microphone ciffitr to the appradmate frequency of your dog’s bark or to the move- mentof the anhnars vocal cords. Either type is a problem. "BaKkhig is behavior for greeting, warning and pain. ” Hodge says. "Nooofiar on the can diatinguish between appropriate and chron ic bathing.'* coOan have also burned and even kiUed do^, Hofhie notes- And the vlw* ”gn*>* can be set off by radio transmissions, air- enfk. TV a«i^ and even alamming doors. h CTmingnmiirf ihrfmiiir jtnm These use a shock coUar to confine an animal to a certain bounty umalfr a backyard. The shock is triggered by a buried ladipiigndt__________ _ when the dog approaches. The binaat pnblein is thst it doesn't k^ other animals frinn coming onflOTWinit*^^ ***** yifwir p»t. Th^ mistake pet owners niake is in ddmiv tha ■««««”> is as secure as if it were behind a fence. Besides, a dog aiihinisexor food often accepts the shock as a fur price for its pleasure, then gala ahoched when it tries to come home. fr^gnsffr dMem These are supimeed to make your dog receptive to your connnaada. (te kwhs like a tunaig fork that you shake in your dog's face, liodn thihkn the technelogy is a sham and the price—up to $175—an out- i^^'Anllad up copy ofChsm^ThMi would work just as weU,’"- ________________The generally don't cover any her^tary or genetic t**"***^* preventable such as distempa or injuries when •on'ronal anwinil irtiirh is udien most miuriss occuc The policies are rela tively mngalatod. Hodge sqra. when your animal reaches 9 to 10 yean of unnin of ■ tmoo or coltar medaBion. "Rnt of aU. a thief is unlikely to take the thne to eemch dmi^ the coet to tee whedier a dog has a tattoo before he tmm off with it.** nm Hodge. **And if diete's a medallion, the thief can solve thtpraUimisi^ by removing die coOat:*' <0 cn you deqr proper medied tr to eonmone you love?" '♦m -t realfr ate pigs. only mnillK Adult poC-beOieda usually ww^fromdOtolOOpoimda. Figurcon$25 toMalCa8l.1btt1l need to bring home a SSOayearfor gnedanmmtof the other iond of bacon examinations to huHMme.\bu cm easily pay more andtickvac- dwilSOOfaramalepigaiidmocethan dnatioos. gnmuL Cherry Last m Manbtttan, dunl^" says Itak, who breetta and sella pot-bel- DaveSchonm Sodi^lHri a smaUbladt male with four professor of vei nt white legs last summer: The selling price: $5,000. Sued and iadginf. Pigs don't pig out You can feed them a cup of pig pellets for about 5 cents a day. pi medicine at Kansas State University. "Most of them wUl live 12 to 15 years.” NUnwset. Face it: You're going to be in for a few pig jokes. .And ^'t think your pot-bellied is an appreciating asset. Says Law, who has an interest in seeing prices suy high: Over time. I think the cost is going to come do\«i. I wouldn't be surprised to see prices fall to the $^ to $400 nmge.” Aftar-PurchoM Surprise. Pot-bellieds are very dodle until they get hungry'. T^en they’ll spring, if “spring” is an appropriate word for a pig. into action. One day. Law’s own pet pig. Rambo (would we kid you?), hadn't been fed. No problem. The enterprising porker got into the kitchen cupboard and man aged to get the cover off a container of cooking oil. “I do not. under any cir cumstances, buy groceries and leave Che pig in the car with them.” says Law. HOMU Okay, they're not "house pets." but more than one million people own one. InUWCMt. You can gooff the charts here. Efot a safe, broken. 5-year-old thoroughbred riding horse costs $2.(XK) to 33,000. Seed and iedpinp. Boarding a horse costs from $5 to £20 a dayi including feed and stable-cleaning. VUtariflaiy and laat^ Sum. Routine medical care should indude deworming ($15 to $23; deworming products cost from $8 to $12) and vaednations (about $10 each). “A huge variety of illnesses can strike horses," says Dn Kent Sulli van. a resident in equine surgery at the University of California at Davis. "They're suscepa'ble to respiratory illnesses." And of course there's the sac lie ($500 to $700). saddle pads (about $25). tnidles ($100) and basic pooming sup plies ($25). Mmaa. They’re beautiful. They're intelligenL They’re one of the few pets t^ cm be ritl^n for exercise and entertainment minuiM. It’s true. They might as well eat money. aiinr Pindinie SurpriM. The costs to le rider jodlipurs or jeans ($30 );boou($SOto$200 sad up) iig helmet (about ISO). Then re's $350 a month for training, 0 to $90 every six weeks for iboeing and an average of $500 to $6W every weekend if you travel to a riding show . i