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10 Reasons to Have a Pet

Having a pet brings mental and physical benefits in our life. If you are debating getting a pet, here are reasons you should think about. Hopefully it will have you heading out and searching for your next furry (or not furry) addition to your home.

1.Provide Loving Companionship

Your best friends and family aren't always around when you need them, but pets are. They always give off love and gratitude, and they are happy to be in your presence. You can also be yourself around pets. You can dance silly or talk silly, or do things that you might not do in front of people and they will not judge you. Actually, they will love the silliness and get silly themselves. Studies shown constant companionship with a loving being can improve health in many ways. It boosts your immune system, improves heart health, reduces physical pain, and improves mental health.  That’s a testament to the power of true love that animals have.

2. They Reduce Stress

If it is stressful work or a tough day at school a pet can make your day less stressful. Studies have shown that stress affects our mental and physical health. The world we are in now can easily wear us out. There are ways to reduce stress, in my opinion the best method is to own a pet. Pets provide support like a best friend. They are always available to listen to your problems without any judgement. Talking out your problems can help you see the situation differently, let out some steam, and feel relaxed. Also when you are stressed, what more can you want than an adorable pair of eyes that instantly attracts your attention and help you get your mind off the thoughts and emotions that causes the stress. One more thing pets need to be taken care of, fed, and loved, which can take your mind off the negativity.

 3. Provide Entertainment

Pets are an amazing source of entertainment. They can keep you laughing for hours. The best part is that a pet’s personalities can distract you from issues that you have which causes you to engage in more heart-healthy laughter and keep boredom away.

4. Gives You Responsibility

No matter what type of pet you get, it will require you to take care of it. Being responsible for another can help you be more responsible in the rest of your life too. This is especially true for kids who are still learning the value of routines and good habits. However, even adults can benefit from the consistent responsibility as well.

5. Teaches You To Be More Compassionate

“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive” - Dalai Lama . This quote is very true. We need compassion in our life. We need both self-compassion and compassion towards other people. Owning a pet who depends on you for survival, good health, and happiness can cause you to become more compassionate. You have to look outside of your own wants and needs, and look into your pets wants and needs and take action on their wants and needs! Having compassion can benefit everything in your life. The benefits of having compassion are less stress, more awareness, more responsibility, and a happier life. 

6. Increases Your Ability To Read Nonverbal Communication

Because a pet cannot speak you have to be able to read their body language,  which can help you read people's body language. Studies show 90% of communication is nonverbal. It can help you have more successful relationships both in your private life and work life. This can be helpful to your happiness and financial future. This can help you have a dominant personality and that can help you  when it comes to moving up the corporate ladder.

7. Pets Can Sense Danger and be Heroic

Animal can sense danger so when its nearby they can warn you and that's pretty helpful. We all know that dogs bark when they sense someone near the house and that can be very good for home security however, some pets can sense far more than just a stranger. Once a parrot in Florida squawked so loudly that the family woke up and escaped the fire. Also a dog in New Jersey pulled himself up the stairs and alerted his sleeping family about a fire. A pet snake in China alerted his sleeping owner of a fire by grabbing the owner’s clothes with his teeth and whipping the bed with his tail. Maybe a pet just may save your life!

8. Exercise

 People benefit from regular physical exercise no matter what age. Sometimes it's hard to get into a regular exercise routine and it's so easy to skip it. Having a dog can be a great way to make walking a part of your daily routine.



9. New interests


 A pet can expose you to many new interests and activities. Maybe it's cleaning up the neighborhood park where you walk your dog. Some hospitals even seek pet owners who will volunteer to bring in their pet to spend time with patients. You could even make new friends  that have same interests.








10. Less Prone to Allergies and Asthma

 Studies have shown that people who grow up with pets are less likely to develop allergies and asthma.  When exposed to pet dander and other allergens when young, they tend to develop stronger immune systems. 

Shih Tzu

Gracie's Birthday

Today I would like to dedicate this post to my puppy, Gracie. She is a Shih Tzu. She is very playful but she can also get lazy. I remember the day my family adopted her on March 15, 2014. She was scared around people but now she loves everybody.

Information of Shih Tzus

The date of origin of the Shih Tzu is not known, but evidence of its existence has come from documents, paintings and objets d'art from A. D. 624. During the Tang Dynasty, the King of Viqur gave the Chinese court a pair of dogs (Shih Tzus) said to have come from the Fu Lin      

Another hypothesis of their introduction to China was recorded in the mid-17th century when dogs were brought from Tibet to the Chinese court. They were bred in the Forbidden City of Peking.

  Shih Tzus are one of the most popular toy dogs now. They can weigh between 8.8 to 16 pounds. They are mostly known for their long luxurious coat but some people like to cut it short.  The coat is worth the time you’ll put into it. Very few dogs are as beautiful as a well-groomed Shih Tzu. And that adorable face! Those big eyes and that sweet expression! It is no shock that Shih Tzu fans have been so devoted to their little “Lion Dogs” for many years.

Beyond regular weekly grooming, the occasional bath will keep them clean and looking beautiful. Grooming your Shih Tzu will also give you bonding time. Their fast-growing nails should be trimmed regularly with a nail clipper or grinder to avoid overgrowth, splitting, and cracking. Their ears should be checked regularly to avoid a buildup of wax and debris which can result to an infection. Teeth should be brushed regularly. You should also walk them twice a day for at least 10 minutes so they can get their daily exercise. With all that love and care, your Shih Tzu will grow up to be a cute and lovable dog.

4th of July Fun

Hope everyone in the United States had an awesome 4th of July, fireworks, and celebrated United States of America's independence. I don't know about you but what I loved the most of 4th of July was the amazing fireworks.

Georgia Aquarium

Hi everybody!! Sorry for not posting that much. I've been busy having so much fun in Georgia. It was so fun that I want to share it with you.

In Georgia, first I went to Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia. I learned that it is the largest aquarium in the world. It contains tens of thousands fish and other sea creatures, representing several hundred species. It is also the only aquarium that is not in Asia to have whale sharks, which are kept in a 6.3 million gallon exhibit. They were taken from Taiwan's annual fishing kill quota which would've eaten if the aquarium didn't buy it. The aquarium is also home to beluga whales and manta rays. The Georgia Aquarium is one of four sites that has manta rays. It also has penguins and of course dolphins.


The first exhibit is the Southern Company River Scout which demonstrates regional environments. It shows an overhead river where visitors can see North American fish from the bottom up. In addition to local specimens, the Southern Company River
Scout displays piranhas, electric fish, and other unusual freshwater life.
After River Scout is the AT&T Dolphin Tales gallery. This is the aquarium's newest exhibit, which was opened in April 2011 and has an indoor dolphin stadium. This exhibit houses bottlenose dolphins. This exhibit puts on a show about a man trying to get back his ship that was sunk and dolphins. In the show the dolphins do amazing tricks and splashes the first ten rows with water.

The show lasts about 20 to 30 minutes and includes an educational videos about the dolphins 30 minutes before the show. The third section is the Georgia Pacific Cold Water Quest. It shows animals from the polar and temperate regions of the world and contains most of the mammal species in the aquarium. This exhibit includes sea otters, sea dragons, Japanese spider crabs, beluga whales, and African penguin.

The largest exhibit, Ocean Voyager built by Home Depot, has 6.3 million gallons of water and thousands of fish. It features the life of the Metro american Barrier Reef System and shows the aquarium's whale sharks and an amazing viewing window.
The Tropical Diver has mainly Indo-Pacific tropical fish. The largest habitat in the exhibit is a 164,000 gallon reef that contains many types of fish.It also contains garden eels, shrimp, turkey fish, sea horses, jellyfish, lobster, and tropical fish.

The aquarium has 60 habitats. It has 50,000 square feet of covered space and its exhibits hold 8,000,000 gallons of salt and fresh water. It especially encourages economic growth, education, to take care of animals, and to know that your action can affect animals.

Alligators

Description

An average adult American alligator's weight and length is 790 lb and 13.1 ft, but they sometimes grow to 14 ft long and weigh over 990 lb. The largest American alligator was 19.2 ft. The Chinese alligator is smaller, rarely growing more than 6.9 ft in length. It weighs less, with males rarely over 45 kg.

The life span of an alligator is not yet measured. In 1937, a one year old alligator was taken to the Belgrade Zoo in Serbia from Germany. It is now 76 years old. It  is considered the oldest alligator living in captivity.

Habitat

Alligators are native to the United States of America and China.

American alligators are found in all of Florida and Louisiana, the southern parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, coastal South and North Carolina, east Texas, the southeast corner of Oklahoma, and the southern tip of Arkansas. The majority of American alligators live in Florida and Louisiana. American alligators live in fresh water environments, such as ponds, marshes,wetlands, rivers, lakes, and swamps.

The Chinese alligator is found in the Yangtze River valley and is endangered, with only a few dozen believed to be left in the wild. More Chinese alligators live in zoos around the world. Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in southern Louisiana has several in captivity to preserve them. Miami MetroZoo in Florida also has a breeding pair of Chinese alligators

Behavior

Large male alligators are solitary territorial animals. Smaller alligators can be found in large numbers close to each other. The largest of the species defend prime territory. Smaller alligators have a higher tolerance for other alligators within a similar size class.

Alligators move on land by two forms of locomotion referred to as "sprawl" and "high walk". The sprawl is a forward movement with the belly making contact with the ground and is used to transition to "high walk" or to slither over wet substrate into water. The high walk is an up on four limbs forward motion used for overland travel with the belly well up from the ground. Alligators have been observed to stand up and balance on their hind legs and step forward as part of a forward or upward lunge for a short time. 

Although alligators have heavy bodies and a slow metabolism, it's capable of short bursts of speed, especially in short lunges. Alligators' main prey are smaller animals they can hunt and eat with a single bite. They may hunt larger prey by grabbing it and pulling it into the water to drown. Alligators eat food that can not be eaten in one bite by letting it to rot, or by biting and then spinning wildly until bite-sized chunks are torn off. This is referred to as a "death roll."

Most of the muscle in an alligator's jaw evolved to bite and grip prey. The muscles that close the jaws are powerful, but the muscles for opening their jaws are weak .

Alligators are shy towards humans and tend to walk or swim away if one gets close. In Florida, feeding wild alligators id illegal. If fed, the alligators will eventually lose their fear of humans and will learn to associate humans with food, then becoming dangerous for people.

Diet

Young alligators eat fish, insects, snails, crustaceans, and worms. As they get older, they start eating larger animals , including larger fish such as gar, turtles, and various mammals, particularly nutria and muskrat, as well as birds, deer, and other reptiles. Their stomachs also often contain gizzard stones. They will even consume carrion if they are sufficiently hungry. Larger alligators are known to ambush dogs, Florida panthers and black bears. In this role as a top predator, it may determine the abundance of prey species, including turtles and nutria.  Alligators do not immediately think people as prey, but may still attack in self-defense if provoked