 What's the best thing about owning a dog? Unconditional love. Big brown eyes that follow you everywhere. A few missing teeth that provide character. An exercise partner. An animal you love so much you don't worry about a few accidents tarnishing your carpet, nor about getting hair all over you, your house and car, or if your brand new shoes get a few teeth marks. A little creature that makes you smile and brings out your best. A friend you wish could talk for just 10 minutes in their lifetime - so you could figure them out. Should I stop now? Why did you create MUTTS4US? Despite growing up with dogs, I found it a surprise about how badly prepared I was when we adopted Dora, and how it was still a challenge (despite the internet) to find out what we needed to know about pet care and services. There are some great websites out there for dog lovers, but many are geographic in nature or breed specific. Because Dora is a rescue dog, we wanted to make sure that we didn't let her down in life, so providing the right food, vet treatment and shots, regular exercise, and of course heaps of affection was very important. As we tend to hang out with Dora as much as possible and take her just about everywhere, I found it frustrating finding pet friendly restaurants, parks or beaches that allowed dogs, and figuring out the best vet in our area. Where can I find pet shops and retailers - without having to seek out the dark corners of suburban shopping centres? How can I find leased property that allows pets? What would I need as a landlord to assess potential tenants with pets? Where can I find dog events in our area so Dora can chill out with other furkids, and off-leash times at parks so she can make new friends and show me that she can run (away from me) at a great pace? What foods can't I feed her? Where can we head off for a weekend away, and bring Dora too? How can we make bathtime a whole lot more fun for Dora? (just kidding - I don't think it will ever be an enjoyable experience). Owning a pet can be a great icebreaker too. I've met many people who want to come up and say hi and play with Dora, who we wouldn't normally have had the opportunity to meet. There are millions of dogs worldwide that need a home. How can we help them, and gain support for the efforts of the animal welfare and rescue organisations who care for them? I figured that there must be a lot of dog owners out there who want these things too, and have a lot of expertise to share within our dog loving community. And then of course, going the whole nine yards and developing an online interent community for like minded people to share their experiences and let others know why our dogs are such special friends to us. How much experience do you have with dogs? Rusty was my first dog, a cross Terrier/Dashshund, the runt of the litter. My parents got her when I was a baby and she lived through until I was 15 or so. Her mother was my grandfathers dog, Peaches, and her sister, Samantha, lived with my Dad and Stepmum. Weird arrangement, yes, but it worked out. Rusty was a fantastic dog - I grew up with her in a lot of ways, and we loved her to bits. Dora's Mum had two chihuahua's, Cheeky and Cuddles, one with three legs and the other that had the shakes. Very adorable. My partner Aunty Rosie, who is Hef's owner, has always owned dogs - I think at last count seven or eight through her lifetime. Currently, she has Hef, her foxie mother Cindy and a Pomeranian called Five (who is actually about 15). And then of course our much beloved Dora - the boss mutt and inspiration for this site. I welcome everyone joining with us and sharing the puppy love, and thanks for supporting MUTTS4US.
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