Special Needs Pet: Safety

If you are like us, we worry quite a bit about the safety of our pets with special needs and considerations.  Their conditions often bring their status in the family to one of an additional child – don’t they?

·         Dedicated time and special obedience lessons for the deaf or the blind; 

·         Medications and learning how, daily, they can be successfully administered;

·         Costly prescription foods and treats;

·         Vet visits and testing;

·         Insurance issues;

·         Learning and applying unique socialization skills.

 The list is endless.  But yet, the purpose of our efforts is pet well-being and safety.  We wish for a good life for our companions, regardless of limitations.   They deserve it. 

A Vet acquaintance of mine once told me that in her years of veterinary practice she has learned many things about our pets who are not “perfect”.  To her, it appears to be evident that what may be missing, whether it is eyesight, or hearing or other ailments, these pets most often make up for their health shortfalls with vibrant personalities.  These pets are often the most dynamic heart-throbs!   She stated that their dedication and love for their families are often unsurpassed.

So how do we, as pet owners, repay them for all of this personality and love?
-- By safeguarding their wellness and safety.

This is the driver behind the development of the high visibility  SHONVest™ for pets who travel and/or have special needs.   When setting out to develop our thoughts about the vest, we asked simple questions --  Like – “How can we better maintain safety for our pets with special considerations?”  And -- “How can we assist the owners of special needs pets with their stressors?” 

When designing the vest, our thoughts were aimed on one fundamental query for all pet owners. 
If any pet were ever unexpectedly removed from your immediate care, who would ever know what the immediate needs are of your companion?  Think of these scenarios or others similar:

·         While on vacation, who would be able to distinguish that a pet is separated from his family upon immediate sight, or if the animal might belong to a local?

·         We live in Florida.   And hundreds of thousands of homes are storm targets every hurricane season.  If a storm breached the integrity of your home and your pet took flight in fear, who would know that he was a diabetic or had seizures and needed medicine?

·         Walking a deaf or blind dog on a busy street is often stressful for owners, for fear that someone may walk into your pet, harming them.

·         When traveling across town, if your pet escaped the car to give another animal a chase, how would anyone know that they had a special diet to maintain -- or they would suffer severe medical problems, such as pancreatitis.

Logically,  there are hundreds of scenarios that could come to mind depicting an unexpected owner/pet disconnect.   And half of those could surely be aided by high visibility marking of your pet.

The folks at SHONGear® have been assigned 5 US patents for designs that assist in maintaining the safety and wellbeing of your pet with special concerns.  Two more are in Patent Pending status.  And each vest is designed to help owners keep their pets safe.  By utilizing high visibility neon colors and words, others are alerted quickly that the pet is in need of assistance.   Pets carry their medications and their “story” (pertinent information) with them at all times.  Be it an hour or a couple days, you can help others quickly understand how to care for your pet in the interim time, until you are re-united.

Here is a list of the SHONVests™ that are available at www.shongear.com  --
Blind Pet, Deaf Pet, Diabetes Pet, Seizure Pet, Special Needs Pet and Traveling Pet  

There is at least one type that fits most needs.  And SHONGear will even create custom gear designed for your vest-able pet, if your needs are unique.  (Small pets such as hamsters and ferrets are not vest-able – but horses are!) 

Stop by our web store or Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/SHONGearDesigns . 
Our message is  simple and heart- to-heart. 
Keep your pet safe.