Pet Insurance for New Pet Owners
Since earning her bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University in 2006, Jennifer Heiner has divided her time between working at a running company in New Jersey and volunteering with various animal rescue groups. An avid runner herself, she has completed six marathons and several shorter events. At other times, Jennifer Heiner spends time trying new restaurants, attending Broadway shows, and staying home playing with her English bulldog.
Bulldogs are among the most popular of all dogs kept as pets. The English bulldog as we know it today is the result of countless generations of selective breeding. Growing to a maximum of about 50 pounds, it’s characterized by a stocky body with wide-set shoulders, a broad stance, wrinkly skin, a large, square head, flat face, short snout, and a perpetual frown displaying a notable underbite.
Centuries ago in England, their ancestors, the result of breeding pugs with mastiffs, were full-sized work dogs used to drive cattle. They got their name because they were used in the “sport” of bull-baiting until it was outlawed in 1835. Bulldogs then began to fall out of favor until smaller versions were bred as pets.
Some of the new, smaller English bulldogs were brought to the Continent by their owners, where they quickly became popular; further selective breeding resulted in the dog we call the French bulldog today. Smaller than their English cousins, they are tail-less, and their ears resemble a bat’s — upright and pointed.
The American bulldog, a full-size version of the English bulldog weighing 60 to more than 100 pounds, developed as a working breed in the colonies primarily used in agricultural applications. Nevertheless, all modern bulldog breeds have had that aggressive nature bred out of them, and they make excellent and playful family pets.
Because of their small nostrils and short snouts, bulldogs, especially the French and English, often fall prey to respiratory problems. Many modern breeders have been working to develop new strains without these problems, and today there are at least a dozen additional bulldog breeds.
Outside of work, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano is the proud owner of an English bulldog and an outspoken advocate for animal rescue services.
An estimated 6.5 million companion animals enter United States shelters each year, and most animal welfare organizations depend on volunteers and generous donors to continue operating. Whether you have time, creative talents, or resources to share, your local animal shelter can use your help.
Making a donation is an effective way to help a non-profit animal shelter, and even a small amount can have a big impact. Many shelters gratefully accept donations of food or pet toys, in addition to money. If you cannot offer financial support, fostering is a generous option that frees up space for the shelter to accept more animals.
For individuals looking for a hands-on way to help, volunteering at a local animal shelter is a rewarding way to meet new people and learn practical animal care skills. Simply visiting and playing with animals is vital to the mental health of shelter animals, and provides relief for full-time workers. Finally, you can help educate on the importance of spaying and neutering pets, as pet population control is the best way to prevent overcrowding in shelters.
Owning a pet isn’t all fun and games, Jennifer Heiner-Pisano notes. As MorgageQuickInfo outlines, “[p]et insurance offers protections for pet owners for their furry loved ones
Mostly used to protect dogs and cats, pet insurance offers the chance to pay a lower monthly premium (potentially lower if you pay once per year) and allows anyone with a policy to feel good knowing that if their pet has a health emergency, financial support will be available when needed. The benefits of having a pet insurance policy are quite significant and numerous, but policyholders need to make sure they read their plans to ensure that they are aware of what they will be covered for and what may be excluded.
Pet insurance does not work the same way that health or life insurance works for people, which is especially important when a vet visit is needed. Any pre-existing conditions your pet may have will likely not be covered by most claims made to a pet insurance company. Knowing how pet insurance covers visits to the vets will be one of the most helpful pieces of information you can know.”
The top Pet Insurance companies that one should investigate are: (1) Nationwide (formerly VPI); (2) Pet’s Best; (3) ASPCA; (4) Trupanion; and (5) Embrace.
Many financial institututions also have come out with their own rankings and comparisons for pet insurance in 2023. Best Pet Insurance Of April 2023 — Forbes Advisor
You should also check with your employer as many larger companies do provide some basic insurance policies for your pet, which is a great start and is certainly better than nothing.
Jennifer Heiner recommends consulting with your veterinarian regarding which pet insurance plans they prefer or see clients having the most success with, and doing your own research to see what is and isn’t covered by each company or plan.
