Animal Related Hobbies
Animals
Working with animals is a dream for many people. It might seem like something that requires training and career orientation but that really isn’t so. Hobbies can be animal related. Anything you enjoy doing that involves animals is valuable in a multitude of ways. It takes a special type of person to work with animals, one that possesses patience and compassion.

Most SPCA organizations in any number of cities accept and need volunteers. The volunteers often do tasks like dog walking and playing with the animals within the care of the facility. It can be a stressful position but it needs to be done. Call your local SPCA or other animal shelter to find out how you can help. You might be amazed at the huge difference even just one person can make, plus it’s rewarding.

Offering dog walking services, either paid or free is a fantastic way to get some exercise while playing with the neighbourhood pooches. Many seniors or busy families may welcome this type of service. It allows you to spend quality time with several animals while on your own time and conditions. Pet sitting goes hand in hand with dog walking. Caring for animals is a big job but one that can easily be done by the right person.

Sometimes there is nothing better than a relaxing walk or hike. Take your digital camera along and capture pictures of all of the animals that you meet along the way. This is a fine time to start a bird watching hobby if you haven’t already. Alone time with nature can be a powerful and personal experience. For many there is simply nothing better than relaxing in a clearing, watching the birds and whatever else happens to come along.

One animal that is perfect for a number of hobbies is the horse. Horses are very dynamic creatures with a vast intelligence. Go out for a leisurely ride or learn how to do something a little wild like barrel racing. An old fashioned wagon is all it takes for a traditional hay ride in any season. A well trained horse will usually be safe for people of all ages, using proper safety equipment of course.

The training of animals is a full blown career for many but it often begins as a hobby. Start with your own animals at home by teaching basic obedience. If you find it to be something you have a knack for, consider a professional approach. Animal obedience training is always in demand.

There are countless animal charities and organizations that always need some kind of financial support. If fundraising is something you exceed at or would like to try, there is no better way to help needy animals than by ensuring they have much needed provisions. Many volunteers consider the work they do to be a hobby. They enjoy what they do because it makes a difference. Animal related hobbies are numerous. Take the first step in the direction that draws you for the hobby you can be proud of.



By: Lily Morgan

About the Author:
There are as many hobbies as there are people who enjoy them. Learn more about the popular hobby of building and collecting dollhouses and miniatures. Visit our large selection of wooden doll house kits today at http://www.TheMagicalDollhouse.com.



Understanding Pet Astrology
PETS AND ANIMALS
 

While the concept of pet astrology may seem odd to many people, there are many people who believe that the date of birth of your pet, related to astrological signs of the planets, the sun, and the stars, have a significant impact on the basic behavior and mood of their pets. There are particular character behaviors that are associated with each zodiac sign for pets. These include all of the following:

Aries: Aries pets are known to be very active and also hypersensitive to the environment around them.

Taurus: Taurus pets seem to have a passive nature normally, but if they are ever caught in a fight where they need to defend themselves or family members, they will not give up a fight.

Gemini: Gemini pets tend to be extremely intelligent, so they are usually very easy to train. But their intelligence also means that they can require a lot of attention, and always need to be in the company of their owners.

Cancer: Cancer pets are extremely sensitive. Because of this, when they get attached to a person, they are loyal to that person for life.

Leo: Leo pets tend to be very independent and almost always end up leading the pack. These pets will be more difficult to train, as they won’t want you to take the role of leader. Be persistent, and the Leo pet will eventually succumb.

Virgo: Virgo pets have a multitude of wonderful characteristics and behaviors that make them perfect human companions.

Libra: Libra pets tend to be extremely easygoing. This means they will make fantastic family pets for families that aren’t very active. Unfortunately this also means that Libra pets are typically somewhat lazy and eventually get overweight without being forced to exercise.

Scorpio: Scorpio pets are extremely possessive of their owners. While this typically makes for an extremely loyal pet, it can also become a problem if the pet believes their owner is being attacked and they aren’t. They can be overprotective at times.

Sagittarius: Sagittarius pets make great pets because they are both fun loving and very intelligent. However, their energy level can be difficult for families that aren’t used to active pets.

Capricorn: Capricorn pets tend to remain very young at heart, and remain very playful even into their old age.

Aquarius: Aquarius pets are extremely intelligent, but for some reason that intelligence can come across as a level of stubbornness that makes them appear ill-tempered and sometimes difficult to handle.

Pisces: Pisces pets are very introverted and extremely gentle. However, their sensitivity means that they can easily sense the moods of their owners. This pet is perfect for people who are naturally calm, but not so good for people who can be very emotional.

Astrology.com

The family section of astrology.com features a great section on pet astrology that lets you select your pets sign from a drop down list in order to get a detailed description of the personality of your pet, how to manage their personality and traits, and how to care for them while taking into account the natural inclinations that are a part of their personality because of their astrological sign.

This website also features fun quizzes, such as “What kind of dog would you be?” or “Are you a cat or dog person?” Additionally, you can find a “pet grid”, which rates several personality traits including “affectionate”, “energetic”, “friendly”, and “loyal” on a scale of 1 to 3 for each zodiac sign. This grid helps you to determine which traits your particular pet is likely to have. There is also a chart that helps you to determine what sign your pet is based on their birth date.

Express Your Pet’s Sign With a Portrait

When you fully educate yourself regarding your pet’s zodiac sign, it may be something that makes you very proud of your pet. You may wish to commemorate your pet and his or her zodiac sign through a painted pet portrait utilizing an astrology theme that integrates the pet’s zodiac sign.

Pet portraits are very popular and sweeping the country. Nikky Hughes, of Los Angeles, offers amazing pet portraits that utilize unique backgrounds and themes. She is always happy to do portraits on request, and a pet’s zodiac sign would easily fit into the creative and witty existing portfolio of pet portraits that are displayed at her website.

Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. Pet astrology can provide a great deal of insight into the behaviors of your pet, but it also brings great pride in knowing how your pet fits into the cosmological universe. Feature your cat in a beautiful painted portrait that incorporates the zodiac, and you have an astrological masterpiece that will last a lifetime.

 



By: Nikky Hughes: Pet Portraits

About the Author:

I’m a Los Angeles based oil painter. I specialize in Pet Portraits. I currently teach art and paint for a living. I’ve enjoyed combining my love for pets, with my love for the arts. You can find my online portfolio at: Pet Portraits by Nikky



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Choosing a Name for Your Pet
PETS AND ANIMALS

How to Choose a Pet Name

Coming up with good pet names can be very challenging sometimes, especially in a very large family where everyone has their own ideas about what the best name for a new pet would be. For other people, names like “Spot” or “Fluffy” get very old after a while, and people are looking for something unique and new. There are some wonderful websites online that can help with the process of selecting a special name for your new pet that reflects their character and personality well.

Bowwow Pet-Names With Personality

Bowwow is a website that is truly dedicated to the quest for the perfect pet name. There are a multitude of search options, including:

Top 20 names

Names of the month

Visitor suggestions

Single name search

Paired name search

Alphabetical search

There’s even a dog age calculator and e-Cards! You can search in categories such as cartoons, movie stars, or personalities for names of famous people that you might like to name your pet after. The website even features a “pet name search engine.” If you want to have fun with pet names, you should definitely make this one your first stop.

World Wide Pet Names Project

The world wide pet names project provides a list of favorite names that website visitors have submitted. You can even submit your own suggestion if you have an idea for a favorite pet name. Because it’s primarily user-driven, this list has grown exponentially to almost 7,500 pet names. If you simply want a comprehensive list of names to rattle off, hoping that one simply sticks out as the perfect name for your pet, then this is the website to visit.

Pet Names World

Pet Names World is another very fun pet name selection website. It is definitely geared toward children in that it features fun cartoon images and a cute poll where kids can select what animal the name “Ruth” best fits.

The list of names on this website is also fairly comprehensive. They are listed in alphabetical order. But one of the unique things about the list on this website is that the list also includes whether the name is intended for a male or female, the origin of the name (Latin, Hindu, Hebrew, etc.) and also the meaning of the name. This website is fun to browse just to learn the meanings of some of these names.

Cat & Dog Names

Cat & Dog Names is a somewhat simple website that allows you to browse through dog names, cat names, or mixed pet names. The unique thing about this website is that it also allows you to view lists of suggested names that are based on the appearance and features of your pet. Some of these lists are extremely long, and cover categories such as popular Irish dog names, unique Australian dog names, stray kitten names, and black cat names. There is a huge variety of other categories.

Cat Names

Cat-Names.us is a fairly large database of over 5000 unique cat names. This database allows you to search using a category of appearance or behavior, a sub-category if appropriate, and gender. These search criteria offer a list of names in the database that match those characteristics. The names in this database are actually fairly unique. Additionally, this website also offers visitors a free “custom naming guide” which walks pet owners through the process of selecting the perfect name for their cat.

Dog Names

Dog-Names.us is also a large database of over 6000 unique dog names. This database also allows you to search for dog names the same way the cat name search works. The names in this dog database are unique as well.

A Pet Portrait Featuring Your Pet’s Name

Once you’ve decided on a name that represents your pet’s personality and characteristics, there is no better way to celebrate this new name than with a painted pet portrait.

Pet portraits are sweeping the country as a very popular form of recognizing how much your animal friend means to you and your family. Pet portraits are an ideal way to preserve the name of your pet by asking that the name be placed somewhere on the portrait.

The best pet portraits in the country are created by artist Nikky Hughes of Los Angeles. Nikky was classically trained at the Mission Renaissance art school, and she focuses on capturing not only the beauty, but the unique character of each animal. Nikky is more than pleased to accept requests for incorporating the pet’s name somewhere in the picture. Such a beautiful portrait of your family pet would become a family heirloom that would stretch for generations.

By: Nikky Hughes: Pet Portraits

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