Ranch House Pet Supply

Something to be Thankful For...

2009-04-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

We’ve all been hearing it on the news for months now – recession, recession, recession. Americans are cutting back on everything – dining out, clothes, travel, home purchases, car purchases – you name it. But I saw a story on the news just the other day about the areas of people’s lives that they aren’t willing to cut back – their kids and their pets (which are like their kids). Spending in these two areas remains strong, but this contradicts the story I published last in my blog about people giving up pets during these hard times so I'm not sure where the disconnect is. If people aren't cutting back on pet spending, that’s great news for my company, but even better, it really made me think about how important our pets are in our lives.

Last weekend, my husband made the “mistake” of turning me loose to pick out a movie to rent and I gave him fair warning that it wasn’t going to involve guns, soldiers or spies. I ended up bringing home “Marley & Me”, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Based on a popular book, the movie details the parallel story of Jennifer and Owen’s lives together from a young couple, to marriage, to kids and careers along with the story of Marley, the yellow Labrador they purchase as a puppy shortly after Jennifer and Owen’s characters are married. Marley ends up being quite unruly, un-trainable and very mischievous.

I won’t go into details of this wonderful movie, but by the end I had tears running down my cheeks (my husband had already gone to bed). I wanted to go outside and hug each of my five dogs and tell them how much they really do mean to me and what roles they have played throughout the milestones in my own life. Even at 3:00am, when I am trying to quietly YELL at them for barking and chasing cars and not to wake the baby upstairs, I still love them as the quickly sulk under the house, knowing they are in trouble.

Despite all the doom and gloom on the news and the painful statistics we see every day about our suffering economy, for those of us who have pets in our lives, we have something to be thankful for. Whether your new puppy has peed on your carpet or your cat has just scratched the arm off of your new sofa, we still love them and often forget what an important role they play in our daily lives.

As economy falters, more people giving up pets

2009-01-23T14:26:00.000-08:00

Associated Press article - Dec 21, 2008
Owners are having to decide between animal care and bare necessities

A growing number of Americans are giving up their dogs and cats to animal shelters as the emotional bonds between people and pets get tested by the economy.

From the Malvern, Pa., man who turned his two dogs over in order to help pay for his mother's cancer treatments to the New York woman who euthanized her cat rather than keeping it alive with expensive medications, rising economic anxieties make it increasingly difficult for some pet owners to justify spending $1,000 a year or more on pet food, veterinary services and other costs.

The population growth at animal shelters in Connecticut, Nebraska, Texas, Utah and other states shows how the weak economy is also shrinking the pool of potential adopters. And it coincides with a drop-off in government funding and charitable donations.

The effect has been cramped quarters for dogs and cats, a faster rate of shelters euthanizing animals and some shelters turning away people looking to surrender pets, according to interviews with several shelters and animal advocates. Of the estimated 6 million to 8 million dogs and cats sent to animal shelters every year, half are euthanized and the rest adopted, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

"It's definitely discouraging for us," said Adam Goldfarb, a Humane Society spokesman. "One of our major goals is to develop and celebrate the bond between people and animals. It's so tragic when families reach a point when they can't afford to care for their pets."

With two children, a husband on disability and a difficult job search of her own, 23-year-old Mel Bail of Worcester, Mass., had begun feeding leftovers from family meals to her three cats — Rory, Ozzy and Mudpie — before recently deciding to give them up.

"When I couldn't pay my gas bill, I knew I had to find another home for the cats," Bail said.

But it wasn't easy to find a shelter that would accept them. "They're completely full," said Bail, who ultimately turned to online classified ads to find homes for Rory, Ozzy and Mudpie.

There is no nationwide data being collected on the reasons dogs and cats are being abandoned by their owners, but shelter managers and advocates for animals say the trend is undeniable — and probably a bigger phenomenon than they are aware of.

"People are embarrassed to admit that's why they're giving up their pets," said Betsy McFarland, the Humane Society's director of communications for companion animals.

An Associated Press-Petside.com poll found that one in seven owners nationwide reported reduced spending on their pets during the past year's recession. Of those cutting back, more than a quarter said they have seriously considered giving up their pet.

The average annual cost of owning a dog is about $1,400, while the average annual cost of a cat is about $1,000, according to a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association. The survey suggests there are some 231 million pets — excluding fish — in more than 71 million homes in America.

"People are embarrassed to admit that's why they're giving up their pets," said Betsy McFarland, the Humane Society's director of communications for companion animals.

An Associated Press-Petside.com poll found that one in seven owners nationwide reported reduced spending on their pets during the past year's recession. Of those cutting back, more than a quarter said they have seriously considered giving up their pet.

The average annual cost of owning a dog is about $1,400, while the average annual cost of a cat is about $1,000, according to a survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association. The survey suggests there are some 231 million pets — excluding fish — in more than 71 million homes in America.

"It is really sad, because for these people, it is not an excuse. They are absolutely stuck, and they need to downsize and there is no one to take the pets," she said. "You can tell these have been much-loved pets."

In New York, Erin Farrell-Talbot recently made the decision to euthanize her 15-year-old cat, Buki, when she was told within days of losing her job that he would need thousands of dollars in treatment and medications costing $65 a month to live.

"When it came down to whether I was going to charge food for the month of September or give medicine to my cat, that was a clear decision for me," Farrell-Talbot said. "It was horrible. It killed us."

The Animal Humane Association in Albuquerque, N.M., saw 69 dogs and cats turned over through September because the owners couldn't afford to keep them. That compares with 48 in the same period in 2007 — a 44 percent increase, said executive director Peggy Weigle.

In response, Weigle's shelter began a program to open its emergency pet shelter — normally reserved for battered women needing a place to keep their pets for a while — to those suffering financially. So far this year 45 pets have been taken in through the emergency program, compared with eight the previous year.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Virginia Beach, Va., recently began a program called Help Out Pets Everywhere (HOPE) to provide food, medical care and temporary homes for pets belonging to families with financial difficulties. Eighteen applications were received within the first week.

The program received 18 applications within its first week. Some of those people have never experienced hardship until now, and therefore, neither have their pets, McNally said.

"It's been devastating," said Amy McNally, a spokeswoman for the program. "For somebody to say, 'I can't afford to feed my dog' — it's a humbling time."

Where Will Your Pets Fall on Your Holiday Gift List?

2008-11-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

It's the Sunday after Thanksgiving and everyone is thoroughly stuffed with turkey and dressing. The braves shoppers ventured out on "Black Friday" as the financial analysts waited in nervous anticipation of the spending figures. Despite months of doom and gloom reports of bail outs, job losses and recession, spending was up 3% over last year! How can that be? What does this mean? Are people in denial? Is the recession not as bad as the media would make it out to be?

As a pet supply store, I honestly have no idea where people will put their pets on the holiday gift totem pole this year. Will they be bumped to the bottom for more humanly priorities? For selfish reasons, I hope not. But from a compassionate standpoint, I understand if people decide not to spend on their furry children this holiday season. Nonetheless, I hope that people still take into account how much our pets give to us not just once a year on Christmas, but every day of the year. For that, I am willing to spend a few bucks. I am thankful for the undying love, the endless affection, and the remarkable loyalty that my dogs give me every single day. I am their world and I am grateful that they make my life brighter every day. To me, that is worth something.

I have added some holiday items to the site and tried to select some of the reasonably priced items. Our pets deserve a little gratitude too.

Happy Holidays! From Ranch House Pet Supply

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

2008-10-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me this as part of an email and I wanted to share it with everyone.

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

~Take a moment today to be thankful for your pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a less joyful experience without all the world’s critters

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

It was a week ago today that Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, Texas - about 100 miles from my home in Hempstead, Texas. We were lucky and only suffered some tree damage. We never lost power but it was a pretty scary night - the winds were intense!

The storm was "only a Category 2", as some people said. Considering the amount of damage that Ike has done, it seems in hindsight that people underestimated the power of Mother Nature. We were able to take in a few horses that were in the mandatory evacuation zone, but not all animals were so lucky to have shelter.

One thing that FEMA and the local Emergency Response Teams learned during Hurricane Katrina was that people will sacrifice themselves for their pets. Many people refused to evacuate without their animals and FEMA had a policy that animals were not allowed. That all changed this time around with Ike. Evacuees were allowed to take their pets with them! Hooray! I know I would have a VERY hard time leaving any of my dogs behind to unknowingly fend for themselves. They depend on us and as pet owners we have accepted the responsibility of caring for them - even in dire situations. I will always put my life and my family first, but to me, my dogs are my family too.

The Houston SPCA has been flooded (for lack of a better term) with animals in the aftermath of the storm. I've pulled together a team to participate in the Houston SPCA's Mutt Strut fundraising 5k on October 11th to raise funds for this organization that is critical to our community. I hope you can spare a few dollars and donate to help me reach my fundraising goal of $1,000!

Click here to go to my Mutt Strut site!

Sarah Ferguson

Welcome to Ranch House Pet Supply!

2008-07-10T08:22:00.001-07:00

I want to welcome you to Ranch House Pet Supply! I'm the company founder, Sarah Payne Ferguson, and I'll be blogging here regularly about all sorts of things - ranging from new pet products to the antics of my own bevy of dogs (I have five of them). A native Texan, I love all things dog - especially the fabulous hunting, herding and agility dogs.

When I started this company I received quite a bit of advice on how to make my company "look big". After all, this is Texas and everything is bigger and better in Texas, right?

As I started thinking about this advice, I wondered why it it is so beneficial to "look big". One great thing about the advent of the Internet is that it can be a great equalizer. It can level the playing field in many ways and lets the smaller companies compete with the giants. Sure there is something to be said for name recognition - perhaps there is leve of comfort with shopping at a mega giant chain. But it begs the questions, why is bigger necessarily better?

It seems impersonal and frankly, generic and boring. When I started RHPS, I want to not only look professional and carry a specific range of products and product lines, but I also want to be unique and personal. I want to convey my passion for dogs and animals alike, and I wanted my staff to give people the best customer service they've ever had.

My home is 20 miles from the closest PS (I won't use the pet store giant's name but you know who they are). Three years ago, there was a fishing pod where that PS is now. If people want big, I guess they will shop there. If people want personal services from a dedicated team of people passionate about animals, then please shop with Ranch House Pet Supply.

Sarah Payne Ferguson