Just imagine if you were walking your street and came across an obviously stray dog. Would you know what to do? What not to do? You could avoid the situation altogether, get nervous thinking the dog would do you harm or take the dog home and have it be your new pet. In this scenario you have a few options. The one you choose will really depend on the fact of you being an animal lover or not. For the sake of this article we will assume you chose to take the dog home as a pet. Read more about this . . .

Always walk your dog on a leash. This ensures the safety of the dog, you, walkers, joggers, and people on bicycles. No one wants to be hurt on either side.

There are two important decisions to be made at this juncture regardless of the dog's breed. You can choose to temporarily shelter the dog by taking it in out from the elements and at the same time look for it's rightful owner. Or you can keep it for your own pet. Again your choice will probably depend on how good of an animal lover you are.

It will be no easy task to provide care to the stray dog you have taken in. It will need to be provided with adequate shelter, food, medical care treatment and animal medical insurance in some cases. Oh yeah you should also plan to take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible to get it checked out for any possible diseases.

You will also want to maintain your dog's health while it is in your care. To do this you should perform all of the necessary daily duties required to prevent your pet dog from falling prey to illness. This includes providing adequate and comfortable shelter and food. In some respects it could be compared to raising a small child before they reach the age of being able to communicate.

Eating habits are still based on the instinctual habits of the dog's wild counterparts. some dogs feed on a "stuff-yourself-or-starve" mode and tend to eat more than they need when food is made available to them. for this reason, owners must be in control of their dog's food intake. obesity is very harmful to your dog's health at any age. it puts undue stress on vital organs that can lead to serious health problems. So be a responsible pet owner and monitor your dog's food intake.

Now that you are armed with this information how will you best apply it? Just keep in mind that your new pet is also a new companion that can likewise protect you from harm's way. But just like anything else that requires time and attention you should make sure you give your new companion comfortable and adequate dog care,food, shelter, love and attention. By following these simple guidelines you can and should enjoy your new pet immensely.