Pet Essay Contest Winners!

      Getting an addition to the family is always a serious consideration. A dog can be a wonderful addition to the already existing family of dogs, horses, cats, and children. In my case, I am an animal lover and one of those people that will help any stray animal to find another home. There are always certain things to consider when adopting a dog or cat. I already had a huge family of animals and two children that I had to make sure that the addition of another dog wouldn't affect anyone to such an extent that moving out was an option. In the case of adopting a normal size dog, normal considerations exist: how to care and feed the animal, vet bills, size of the yard, and flea control, etc. The same considerations exist with a Great Dane except on a grander scale.
      1.Get the dog to the vet sight unseen. If you can, the biggest help and rule number one is to get people to feel sorry for the dog and pay for the initial vet bill. If you can get the vet bill paid for by your friends, then accepting the dog is a lot easier. Before you pickup the dog, call the vet and find out what shape the dog is in. This way you can paint a mental picture of the sickly dog and really feel sympathy for it.
      2.Time to go to the vet's office and pick the dog up. Remember: convince a co-worker to go with you, especially the one that is paying for a portion of the bill. This way they can see what their money is buying, or in the case of the Great Dane, they will be happy that the dog is going to your house. In their eyes now, money is no object. Pay the bill before they release the dog! Very important if both you and your co-worker have on dresses. It is very distasteful to have a Great Dane run between the co-workers legs as the dog sees the way out! When the bill is paid, then have the vet bring the dog out on a leash! Now is the time not to panic. Don't panic when the door opens and there is this huge beast choking on the end of a choke chain trying to get traction from a slippery tile floor. Don't panic when you see the entire backbone standing straight out of the poor animal's back and the skin resembling snake scales. Don't panic when the vet's aging attendant gets the dogs leash wrapped around her legs. Don't panic when you find out that everyone had been holding some information back, just smile, it's a girl and she is in heat!
      3.Bringing the dog home. The biggest question that needs to be solved is will she fit in the vehicle that you have or to be more precise will she fit into any vehicle that you own? Consider buying a truck or if this is not an option things can be worked out. This can easily be solved by making sure the groceries have already been taken care of the day before and that the kids have their own transportation home the day you intend to pick up the Great Dane. The next thing to remember is to bring an oversized and super sturdy bag with you to secure all the expensive medication that comes with the dog. The last thing you want to see is medication staining the passenger side car seat as the Great Dane comes barreling from the back of the vehicle, through the doggy restraint, (that you purchased the day before). Number one rule to remember is do not let the Great Dane up front with you. Always remember she cannot drive and neither can you! Number two rule is wear ear muffs!! When you are enclosed in a vehicle and the Great Dane sees the rest of the family, she will bark. A special note should be taken here. A Great Dane's bark starts with a low rumbling sound that turns into the loud Mt. Saint Helen's eruption bark in a matter of seconds. The word bark is too small of a word describing the sound coming from the mouth of the creature beside you in the car! Rule number three, when bringing a new dog of great size home; remember to have several friends and neighbors at your house to control the nervous family dogs, cats, and horses that just heard the eruption from within the car. Somehow having your car show up with a volcano inside makes everyone a little bit unsteady. This is only how to bring the special big pet home. Important things to remember in keeping your big pet are: when buying groceries remember to take two buggies, one for human food and the other for the dog food. Great Danes like big beds, especially yours. Great Danes love goldfish ponds; as a source of water and recreation. They also make big, big holes when digging for gold. When you're Great Dane comes to you while you are watching your favorite show on television, you better move because she wants the sofa. Nighttime is always fun. The Great Dane's bladder is the size of a pea, which means your full night of sleeping will always be interrupted. Rule of thumb: tell your spouse that it's better than cleaning up after her.
     

      I have a snakehead fish named Sphinx. They are not common pets due to their vicious nature and voracious appetite. I love my snakehead, though, despite everyone in my family being afraid of him.
      When I first saw Sphinx, it was in a pet store. I am not a real fish lover. I usually just feed them to my turtle, but when I turned the corner, there he was, looking at me. Fish are generally not responsive, or they run away, but when I walked up to the tank with its top held down by numerous objects, Sphinx came up to the glass. My family tells me he followed my finger because he wanted to eat it, but I saw it as a sign of life. There was an intelligence in his eyes that I have never seen in a fish before.
      I decided right then and there that that snakehead was going to be mine. I did not have a tank clean out, so I waited until the next weekend to buy him. Everyone in the pet store was surprised by my choice of fish. They kept reminding me that he was vicious, that he jumped and that he was always hungry. I just smiled and nodded, knowing that Sphinx would get along just fine with me.
      I brought him home not knowing too much about him. For the first week he hid in his tank and would not eat. I became concerned, but I learned more and more about his species so I could coax him out of hiding. Now he knows who I am and eats regularly. When I am sitting in the room, he sits by the glass and watches me. He no longer runs away when I come up to the tank. I think he knows I love him.
      He is a beautiful fish. He has red and green markings on his body, which make him look sleek and streamlined. When I bought him he was six inches long, but I think he is growing. Before long I will have to buy him a bigger tank, so I can watch him swim back and forth. He is very relaxing to watch and magnificent to see jump, although his jumping did give me some problems the first week. He even jumped out the tank once. Luckily, snakeheads can breathe out of water, so he was ok. I learned my lesson, though, and secured the lid of his tank on after that.
      I love my snakehead because, even though I cannot take him out and pet him, he is always there. He is intelligent and beautiful. Other fish are beautiful colors and nice to watch, but they never develop a personality like a cat or a dog. Sphinx is a little dangerous and keeping him in the tank and fed is a challenge, but I love him for it. It differentiates him from all other fish and makes him my special Sphinx.

      When Dutchess (Bouvier/Lab X)was a pup she was the most timid of all the Puppies.As she grew older she became a smart and confident companion.I live on a Farm, 6 milesfrom the nearest town.It was Hot and Extremely Dry this Year. I was working in the Garden when Dutchess started going crazy.I looked to see what was happening, not a 1/4 of mile directly west of the farm was a Fire and it was spreeding fast.Dutchess had alerted me quick enough, so that I could call the local Volunteer Fire Department. If Dutchess hadn't have gone crazy the fire would have burnt the Farm. By the time the fire department had put the fire out, it was only 300 yards from the house.