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What if your 12-year-old dog needs ACL surgery in order to walk? What if your 4-year-old dog has cancer? What if your puppy is hit by a car and needs emergency surgery to live? There are countless scenarios.

When we are unprepared to face difficult decisions, it is easy to make the wrong choice, second guess ourselves or have regrets. That is why it’s good to think about how far you are willing to go for your pet before it happens. Know what you are able and willing to spend and also what you are comfortable putting a dog and yourself through.

Have an idea of how much you can realistically spend on a pet’s medical bills before your pet is hurt or sick. Maybe your limit is $500. Maybe it’s $15,000. Maybe you have no limit. Your pet’s age might make a difference. I would be willing to spend more money on a young dog than an older dog, but that might not be the case for you. What if an expensive procedure only increases a pet’s survival by 10 percent? Is it still worth it? Talk it over with family members so you are all on the same page. Are you willing to pay for surgery with a credit card? Are you willing to dip into a certain savings account? Are you willing to ask for money from family members who don’t live with you? If you know what you can spend on a pet’s medical bills, you’ll be able to make better decisions down the road.

Decide under what circumstances you will take your pet to the emergency veterinary clinic. Most vets are closed on weekends and nights. Will you be willing to take a sick pet to the ER and pay more? Or will you hold off until Monday morning? Maybe your rule will be, “When in doubt, go to the ER,” or “As long as the pet is not in pain, it can wait.” Now is also a good time to make sure you have the emergency vet or on-call vet’s number handy for emergencies. Why not save the number in your phone right now?

Think about the end of your pet’s life. Deciding when a dog’s life will end is never an easy decision. Sometimes it is pretty obvious when it’s time to let the pet go, but that doesn’t make the choice any easier. Other times, it’s not so clear. Some people will fight for their dog’s life until the very end when he dies naturally. Others will let the dog go before he suffers even at all. For most, it is somewhere in that large, middle range. Once you have decided when to let your dog go, there are still more questions to ask. Do you want to be at his side when he dies? Do you want him to spend his last moments in his favorite place in the yard? Or will you drop him off at the vet’s office and say goodbye?

These kinds of questions are easy to put off because they aren’t easy to think about. But thinking about them now will make it easier in the future.

Don’t forget to take part in my contest to win a free copy of the book “InDognito” or “Bliss to You.”

(Image from myfreewallpapers.net)

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Ace did something bad last night. He bit my boyfriend in the face.

This made me realize I cannot tolerate any aggressive behavior from my dog.

The bite was a small puncture wound on the side of Josh’s nose, an inch or so below his eye. A small puncture wound, yes, but the nip was not from playful mouthing or an accidental tooth hit. For a half-second, Ace made the decision to bite.

The bite happened this way: Josh and I were play fighting with Ace in the room, something we do at least once a week. We always let Ace jump up on the bed to “give kisses” in our faces.  Well that’s what happened this time, only Ace’s excitement escalated, resulting in the nip. Clearly, we were asking for trouble. Had anyone else told me this story, I would’ve thought, well, you’re a dumb ass.

Looking back, I realize I have tolerated, even encouraged some behavior in Ace that was wrong. And Josh is just as guilty, always wanting our dog to protect us and be a tough guy. Ace is literally one of the most submissive, gentle dogs I know, which is why we never thought twice about playfully rough housing with him.

In the last year we have taught Ace to chase the cats when they do something bad like scratch the couch, taught him to “give kisses” in our faces, wrestled with him to the point where he is growling and mouthing, played tug-a-war even when he’s growling and praised him when he snapped at our cat Beamer when he tried to take Ace’s food (Beamer has an issue with stealing everyone’s food). Well, all of these games are over as of last night.

The bite happened so fast neither Josh or I disciplined Ace until seconds later. By that time Ace had already moved on and forgotten all about the incident. It was too late to correct him. He served some time in his kennel anyway, but I can guarantee Ace had no clue why he spent the rest of the night in his  kennel.

I know most of us play with our dogs too roughly. We wrestle and play chasing games. We even think it’s cute when dogs “play” growl or “play” bite. But dogs get confused and excited. And when dogs get too excited they enter a different state of mind. Dogs are dogs. As their owners, it is our responsibility not to forget what animals are capable of.

I don’t know what I would do if Ace caused someone to need stitches. I don’t know what I’d do if he bit a child. Remember that 70 percent of all dog-bite fatalities are children.

As I write this I am thinking in particular of my friends with giant breeds (you know who you are). I can’t help but think of how one playful nip could turn into a very bad accident. I also think of the owners of small dogs who think their little pooches could cause no harm. Well, all it takes is the right nip.

This is a reminder for me not to be careless with my dog. I work hard to train Ace, to give him what he needs and to keep him and others safe. But I have made mistakes. Remember to be aware of the little things now in order to prevent accidents down the road.

By the way, last night when Ace slept in his kennel, my cat Scout was in my bed purring up a storm. I mean snuggling and drooling like he hasn’t done in months. A coincidence?

I don’t have my own kids (just a needy mutt and a very prissy cat), but I bring up the issue of children and dogs because there are so many preschool and grade school aged kids in my apartment complex. They have no fear or respect for animals. They obviously have dogs of their own and run up to any dog, sticking their faces in the dog’s face.

According to dogbitelaw.com, 77 percent of dog-bite injuries to children are to the face. The most frequent attacks in the United States are to boys between the ages of 6 and 9, with the odds of a child being the bite victim at 3.2 to 1.

Kids need to know how to act around dogs. They need to know all dogs are not friendly and some will bite. They also need to know even their own dogs can bite. When a child under age 4 is bitten, the family dog is the attacker 47% of the time, according to dogbitelaw.com. Ninety percent of these attacks occur in the family’s home.

Here are eight things children should know about how to act around dogs:

1. Remain calm.
Children should be taught not to yell or scream around a dog and to move slowly. Excitement could scare a dog. And all that extra energy will put the dog in a highly energetic state, too. This is when problems happen. Either the dog will get excited, jump on the child, unintentionally push the child over or bite if the dog is aggressive or playing too roughly. Have you ever had a group of children running towards you and your dog screaming, “Look! A dog!” I know I have.

2. Always ask the owner before touching a dog.
Some dogs just aren’t friendly, and children should be taught never to assume otherwise.

3. Do not put your face near a dog.
This is a hard one for kids because they are closer to eye level with dogs, especially big dogs. More children are bitten in the face than adults for this reason. Fortunately, most dogs are more likely to give a child kisses than a bite, but sometimes even playful licking can turn into a nip.

4. Don’t make eye contact with a dog.
Animals sometimes interpret eye contact as a challenge, making them more likely to act out with either dominant or fearful aggression.

5. Leave a dog alone while it is eating.
Many times it is the child’s responsibility to feed the family pets. This might be OK, as long as the child understands not to bother the dog after she has her food.

6. Leave a dog alone if she is sleeping.
A dog can easily become startled if she is suddenly woken up. The initial reaction is sometimes to nip.

7. Little dogs can bite, too.
In my experience, little dogs are actually more likely to bite than a big dog. It’s just that the injury will not be as severe. Children should be aware that little dogs may be cute, but they are often aggressive.

8. Don’t run away from a dog.
Running from a dog will only bring out its instincts to chase. Instead, children should know it’s better to slowly back away from a dog.

Can you think of anything else children should be aware of? Do you have any bad experiences with children and dogs?

(Image from dog-obedience-training-review.com)