Are you thinking about adding a furry friend to your family, but aren’t sure where to start looking? Want to learn some best practices for your search?
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This interview with Brittany Tartaglia, RVT at Park Avenue Vets covers so much amazing information about how to look for breeders and rescues, what to look for in a new pet and much more!
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Find Brittany and the amazing team at Park Avenue here –
Web: https://parkavenuevet.ca/
Facebook: https://www.
Instagram: https://www.
Transcription:
Laura Wombwell
Hi there, it’s Laura from Laura Wombwell Photography. And joining me today is Brittany Tartaglia, who is a registered veterinary technician at Park Avenue Vets. Hi, Brittany, I’m so excited to have you here today.
Brittany Tartaglia
I’m super excited to be here.
Laura Wombwell
Excellent. So you’ve been involved in pet care for quite some time. Now, how did you get started in this field?
Brittany Tartaglia
Um, so I, when I went into the field, I didn’t initially want to work in pet care, I the program, I did focus on the veterinary technician side of things, but also had a wildlife aspect. And that was what I wanted to do, going into that program. But it’s really hard to find paying jobs and wildlife areas. So I ended up getting a job as RVT. Once I finished my programs, I had that degree and the rest is history.
Laura Wombwell
Perfect. And you’re at Park Avenue Vets, that’s in Guelph. What does that clinic specialize in?
Brittany Tartaglia
So we are what you would classify as an integrative practice. So we do the usual veterinary medicine, but we also specialize in holistic medicine. So one of our vets practices, homeopathy, and then we have another vet who’s currently not working who practices acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
Laura Wombwell
Oh, wow. I’m sure it’s a huge, huge benefit to the community. Because it’s, it’s got to be tough to find providers.
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, there’s not a lot of people out there who do it. And with Guelph being the city that it is, there are a lot of people who kind of have that more mindset who really liked the holistic medicine aspect.
Laura Wombwell
Excellent. So I’d love to chat a little bit about in your practice, I know this past year, there have been a huge increase in the number of people bringing in new pets into their families. And as an RVT, if folks are thinking about bringing a new pet into their family, what are some of the key considerations that they should be thinking about before they even start looking for a pet?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, someone’s a key considerations before looking at getting a pet. Definitely the type of pet that you’re going to be able to care for best is going to suit your family best, whether that’s a cat or a dog, or whatever else you might be interested in owning. And other things to look at, if you are looking at getting a dog is, you know if you have the time to care for that dog, especially exercise, financial needs, feeding the dog, you know, that kind of knowledge What are you looking for in a companion pet, because there’s so many different types of dogs and so many avenues that you could go down when it comes to adopting an animal.
Laura Wombwell
As far as finding a pet that fits your lifestyle breed research, where should people start with that?
Brittany Tartaglia
Well, that’s a good question. There’s, I mean, honestly, one of the best things would probably be asking your friends and people you know, that have dogs and what breeds they have and or mixed breeds or whatever, they have to see what their experiences with those breeds, or if you already have contact with people who work in the veterinary industry, getting their opinion on it, as they see different breeds every single day and kind of know what kind of behaviors are out there for dog breeds.
Laura Wombwell
Absolutely. I know that for sure, when people are, you know, initially looking for a dog. Sometimes they’re like, Oh, I want a big dog or a small dog. What are some other factors like energy level that they should be thinking about?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, so definitely energy level is a big one because there’s a huge range of different levels of dogs. And you know, maintenance of the dogs so grooming is a big thing like this. Big fluffy coats take a lot of a lot of work to groom them. Taking into consideration your home that you have if you have room for a really big dog or want dog hair all over. If you have the backyard space to have a dog that can go run around. And other things would be too Look at you know cost of the size of dogs you’re getting as well because I think those dogs cost more money whether it’s to feed them and veterinary care, medications, all that stuff. It definitely does cost more. So if you’re getting a bigger dog, definitely gonna cost you more in the long run. So something to keep in mind as well.
Laura Wombwell
Well, and certainly there are some breeds that have predispositions to certain conditions.
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, that’s definitely something to keep in mind as well, if you’re thinking about a specific breed. I don’t know where is really the best place to look at that for information. But I’m assuming like kennel clubs, like the Canadian Kennel Club, and those kind of websites would have information about what the breeds are prone to as far as health conditions.
Laura Wombwell
So once a potential new owner has decided on a breed that suits their situation, how would that potential owner seek out a good breeder or a responsible breeder? What are some of the things that they should be looking for?
Brittany Tartaglia
So definitely, some of the things to look for, for responsible breeders is bare minimum, being able to the puppies and meet the parents of the puppies before you even choose which puppy you’re taking home. There are definitely certain situations where people pick out puppies and never meet the parents whatsoever. And that’s not ideal, because you’re not, you know, able to see how big they are, what health condition they’re in all of that. And also being able to see the facilities that your puppies are being raised in making sure that you’re okay with the environment that they’re being raised in. Those are the main two that I recommend for people. Other things would be – just looking at my notes I have written down here – Health guarantees a lot of breeders who breed purebred dogs have health guarantees. So looking at what that includes, as well as if they have any exclusions for health guarantees because there are certain breeders who will exclude those those predisposed conditions from their health guarantees. And what a health guarantee means for most breeders is that if the puppy develops some kind of chronic illness or issue, typically they will allow you to bring the puppy back to them and they’ll either give you your money back or give you first pick up their next litter kind of thing. So that’s what health guarantees typically mean for breeders. Yeah, so those are the main things also. Alright, there’s one more thing. Another thing is breeder contracts, because sometimes breeders just have most ridiculous contracts, and they just expect people to do the most ridiculous things. So I would recommend if you are able to looking at the breeder contract before, before agreeing to adopt a puppy so you can see exactly what the breeders recommendations are expectations of you, if they have any rules about when you’re allowed to spay or neuter the puppy, all that kind of stuff.
Laura Wombwell
Absolutely. There’s so in addition to sort of doing your breed research, you really need to do your breeder research as well. Yeah. would you suggest looking for breeders that you know are specifically listed somewhere?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, I mean, most reliable breeders are going to be registered with some kind of Kennel Club so like the Canadian Kennel Club or whatever, I would not recommend looking on Kijiji. See, I would not recommend looking on Kijiji, but just like searching for breeders within your area, online, seeing what their website looks like what their you know, breeding history looks like, how many of their how many litters they have? Every you know year any dogs that they have in their care kind of thing, you can just kind of get a feel of what they’re like and you know if you’re comfortable with that situation.
Laura Wombwell
Are there any major red flags that people should look for if they find themselves in a situation where you know, they see a cute puppy on the internet? Any any sort of warning signs that this may not be a breeder that you should be dealing with?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, so definitely. One of the things I mentioned before is making sure you parents that’s one of the biggest things, making sure that you’re not the breeder doesn’t want to meet you somewhere off site for going to get a puppy because then you’re not seeing the facility they raised in and you have no idea how that puppy was raised. And if they’re coming from the same person who bred the dogs. And if you do get to see the facility where the puppies were raised, making sure it’s you know, relatively clean, and then that there was not, you know, like, kennels full of dogs all over the place, making sure that the female dogs that you’re that the puppies are coming from look like they’re in good body condition, and making sure that they’re not being bred too often, there’s a lot of questions you can ask the breeder, to make sure the dogs are being cared for properly. And puppies that are in poor condition. And if the puppies look skinny, or their hair coat doesn’t look good, or they have an evidence of fleas, or ectoparasites, then it’s something you want to watch out for as well.
Laura Wombwell
So I guess we could ask the same sort of questions for folks who are looking at rescues. Are there best practices for looking for a rescue dog?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, there definitely are, I mean, rescues your, my cat is meowing at me. With rescues, you’re usually most of them are doing things in a really good way, especially if you’re looking at SPCA type associations like humane societies and whatnot. But there are definitely private run rescues that I have seen that maybe aren’t doing things in the best way. So making sure that the dogs come to you spayed and neutered. If it’s a really young puppy, and the rescue isn’t spaying and neutering them beforehand, then that’s completely acceptable. But any like adults dog making sure they’re spayed and neutered. They have the appropriate vaccines that they should be getting at the age and you know, just getting information from them about what to expect going forward taking care of a dog in the future.
Laura Wombwell
Perfect. I know with a lot of folks working from home these days, it seems like it’s a great time to have a new pet, join your family. But eventually we’re all going to go back to work. So what are some things that folks can do to help set their pets up for success when that happens?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, so that’s a great question, because that’s something we’re having a lot of concerns about in the veterinary community is making sure all these people who were adopting puppies have them set up for when they do eventually have to go to work if that does happen. So making sure you are making time for your dog to spend time alone. Even if it’s an adult dogs that you’re rescuing, a lot of them have even more separation issues than when you’re getting a puppy. So even if it’s leaving to go to the grocery store, making sure that everyone from the home is leaving, and that you’re not constantly having someone home with the puppy or going for a walk without the puppy. You know, even if you can’t really be going out and doing things you can still make time to make sure that the puppy is home alone for periods of time, and building them up to that like he would. And normal time that you’re adopting a puppy as well not just being like, Oh, I gotta go to work next week, I will leave my puppy home for two hours today. So making sure you’re building up to that. Another thing that I feel like is taken for granted. And also when people are home as often as they have been is crate training. Even if you plan on having your dog not be in a crate when you do when they are an adult and it’s safe for them to stay home alone and not get into things. I still recommend people always pre training their puppies because you never know what situation they’re going to be in where they may need to be in a kennel, or you know if they get into things or if they’re not completely housebroken, crate training can really help with that.
Laura Wombwell
Excellent. I know another thing that you you mentioned that you see in your practice, again, with folks having a lot of time is current pet owners thinking about breeding their own pets. So in that situation, what are what are some things that people should be thinking about if that’s something they’re considering?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, so definitely something we’re seeing a little bit more of recently, especially because there’s kind of more of a trend going towards people not spaying their pets as early now is people used to. So people wanting to know breed their pets at least once and something to look at is you know, what breed of dog do you have? Is that a mixed breed? Is that a purebred? Like, who are you going to breed that dog with as well? Like, if it’s a purebred? Are you going to breed it with another purebred of the same breed Are you going to breed it something else, create a mixed breed, it’s just, there’s definitely a lot that goes into that aspect of it alone. And then, you know, speaking with your veterinary team about it before you do is you can see what they recommend, do they recommend doing you know, like wellness bloodwork beforehand, so that you can make sure your dogs that ideal health. If you are breeding purebreds another thing for sure to take into consideration? Is those predispositions just sort of things like hip dysplasia, or hypothyroidism, or whatever. So making sure you have those health issues sorted out before your breeding dogs as well.
Laura Wombwell
And I think too, if you know, if you’re creating more pets that are going to be out there in the world, you want to make sure that they’re healthy, that, you know, they’re well adapted, even before they’re going into that new home and that you have the resources to do that.
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, absolutely. And I mean, definitely looking at what your financial situation is, because even if you know the pregnancy goes smoothly, and you find the perfect dog to breed your dog with and your dogs super healthy, there’s so many things that can go wrong with even just birthing puppies, like there could be an emergency and your dog might need a C section. And there’s just a lot that could go wrong in those situations. So if you don’t have the finances to take care of that, then that can be a big issue. And I’m looking at what you feel the puppies are going to need. What are you going to feed all the puppies? Are you going to provide the first boosters and deworming first visit before the puppies go to their their homes? Because that can be quite costly as well. And another thing to look at is just the commitment of what if someone adopts one of your puppies, and they can’t take care of the puppy? Are you going to take that puppy back with you? Or is that person’s stuck taking care of the puppy? Like what kind of relationships you want to have with people who are adopting?
Laura Wombwell
So it’s a lot more complicated than just “Hey, I want to have a litter” There’s more to think about? Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, I think what every pet owner wants is to ensure that all the decisions we make leading up to choosing a pet and throughout the pets lifetime, is to make sure that that pet is a lifetime pet. So in your experience as a vet tech, are there any tips, you know, whether it’s checking in on your pet’s health or, or making sure you’re good match any tips that makes sure that that pet is with you for the long haul?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, um, one of the things that I always recommend to people is pet insurance. And I think not not enough people take advantage of it, it’s definitely something that might seem like a waste of money because you’re paying every month for you know, a premiums that you may or may not use. But if your pet ends up getting sick, or there’s an accident or something happens and you end up with a bill that’s 1000s of dollars, at least you know that you have that to help you if you don’t have the finances in that moment. Or even if you do have the finances in that moment, at least you kind of get some of that, that money back. And if they do develop, like there’s a lot of issues, chronic ongoing health issues that you might be paying for medications, your entire pets life, like allergies, for example, so many so many dogs have food and environmental allergies and it can be quite costly to pay for the food and the medications and everything depending on the severity of your pets allergies, and if you get pet insurance, right when they’re puppies or when they’re young and healthy, that’s going to be covered for their entire lives.
Laura Wombwell
Excellent. Yeah, so I think – research, you know, put the work in before the pet comes I think is the main thing because it’s so much fun to have pets and and to share your life with these animals. But we owe it to them as pet owners to come into it with our eyes wide open and and give them everything we can. Yeah. So speaking of being a pet owner, I know you have some wonderful pets that live with you. I would love to hear who they are.
Brittany Tartaglia
So I have two cats, one who’s been with me since I was 16. And his name is Jacob and he’s just a scruffy, long haired white cat. And our other cats whose name is Lying Cat she is a short haired tortie She is, how old is she now? We got her about a year after we moved to well, so she’s five now. And then I have two dogs one super mutt who is kind of a boxer mix, but also he doesn’t look like a boxer. And his name is Bernard. He is seven. And speaking of allergies, he’s allergic to everything. He is one of the reasons I’m so pro pet insurance because like the amount of money I’ve spent on his allergy issues, and I have had insurance for him so it’s great things and then our other dog’s Freya. She is a nine year old Husky who is a rescue. Most of them are rescues Bernard was a Kijijii puppy. That’s before I knew better.
Laura Wombwell
And what do you like to do with your pets here in southwestern Ontario?
Brittany Tartaglia
Well, we do lots of hiking with the dogs. Actually, we’re doing some, our one younger cat just go out on a leash occasionally in the backyard. So she does love to do that. We all lots of hiking with our two dogs, which they love.
Laura Wombwell
So before we end off, I have some rapid fire questions for you. Are you ready?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah.
Laura Wombwell
All right. cat or dog.
Brittany Tartaglia
Dogs.
Laura Wombwell
Favorite breed?
Brittany Tartaglia
Oh, Huskies?
Laura Wombwell
What are your pets favorite treats?
Brittany Tartaglia
Um, well, cheese. They all like cheese.
Laura Wombwell
Are your pets full of beans full of dreams are full of something entirely different.
Brittany Tartaglia
Most of them are full of beans.
Laura Wombwell
If your pets were all in a band together, what kind of music that they play?
Brittany Tartaglia
Oh, my God. Oh, I don’t know. Probably some kind of weird, electronic rock-ish music.
Laura Wombwell
And finally, if money were no object, what is one amazing thing that you would do to spoil your pets?
Brittany Tartaglia
Oh, good question I’d buy a giant property where they can all run around forever.
Laura Wombwell
Amazing. Before we end off, I would love to ask, how can the southwestern Ontario pet community best support their veterinary staff right now? I know it’s a tough time for everyone. So so how can pet owners be the best to the people who are looking after their pets?
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah, so the main thing I think, is just being patient with your veterinary staff, like so many of us are still operating on curbside service, especially with the recent shutdown, and just overwhelmed with everything going on. So I mean, being patient, making sure you’re calling ahead, when you have, you know, food or medications or anything. And just being respectful of the staff and being kind to them if you know something doesn’t go your way, or you have to wait longer than normal or whatever. Because we’re all you know, trying to do the best we can, but it can be a bit of a struggle.
Laura Wombwell
And I think to remembering that, like with any relationship, it’s a dialogue. Right. If you have questions, your vet wants to hear them. You know, I know my own vet practice is fantastic. If I have a simple question, they’ll answer it over the phone, you know, yeah, it’s it’s all about reaching out.
Brittany Tartaglia
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Laura Wombwell
Wonderful. So is there anything else that you would like to say to the folks who listen to this?
Brittany Tartaglia
Um, I don’t think oh, I think we covered the majority of the things I wanted to talk about it. Yeah.
Laura Wombwell
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today, Brittany, I really appreciate it. It has been a pleasure listening to everything you have to say and, and honestly, I think you’ve really shared a lot of good steps for folks who are starting to look for a pet and I really hope they follow your advice.
Brittany Tartaglia
Hopefully.
Laura Wombwell
Well, thank you so much. It has been a pleasure. This is Laura from Laura Wombwell Photography. I’m here with Brittany who is a registered vet tech at Park Avenue Vets and we both hope that you and your pets have an awesome day. Bye!
Brittany Tartaglia
Bye. Thank you so much.
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