Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes When Karma-Kat showed up on our back patio, the 8-month-old kitten had been on his own for some time. Starved for attention, and for food, he ate anything and everything. Karma chewed through the dog food bag to munch kibble and practiced snatch-and-grab attacks to gobble food from our dinner plates. Our last dog, Magic […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the article “Walk or Sniff? How You and Your Dog Can Have a Meeting of the Minds” I explained how enrichment walks are important for dogs. Dogs live the world through their noses. Giving them a chance to sniff and enjoy some “shenanigans” is healthy for them. It’s not going to be fun for […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes On one of my first trips to the Pacific Northwest I noticed a highway marker on I-5 just north of Salem, Oregon, that reads: “45th Parallel Halfway Between the Equator and North Pole.” Hailing from the sunny climes of the Southwest, I pondered what that meant. On average, the 45th parallel north gets just over […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes If your dog is not only your pet, your stand-up comedian, your shrink, your exercise companion, your smile inducer, your best friend, but also a therapy dog, you and he can tweak your visits to make them even better than they are today. Years ago, I was asked to bring my Golden Retrievers, Oliver and […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Doggone it—some pups would bark “bah humbug” if they could. They just don’t appreciate the Christmas spirit. Everything in their lives is upside down. The family is busily trying to attend to preparations for fall and winter holidays, starting with Thanksgiving right on through to the New Year. Well-wishing friends and neighbors drop in bearing […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Admit it; you like to watch cat videos at work when you’re procrastinating. We do too! Cats are fun, engaging, and incredibly athletic animals. Our homes should provide them with opportunities to use all of their senses, explore, play, and relax in a safe, stimulating, and stress-less environment. Let’s create homes where we can embrace […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes We may be blessed with thumbs to open jars, but when it comes to the sense of smell, our dogs have us beat, paws down. Discover ways your dog uses his superior sense of smell. Dogs use their noses in many predictable as well as some surprising ways. They can easily sniff out a bag […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Nemo is one of those gorgeous longhaired cats you just want to pick up and cuddle. Sadly, this has never happened. After 12 years, this fearful cat is still a work in progress. I rescued Nemo as a feral kitten being hunted by hawks and brought him inside to live with me. There were two […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes While Halloween may be an exciting time for you and your family — costumes, candy, carving — it can be frightening for your dog or cat. From ringing doorbells to monstrous masks, these new sights and sounds can create high anxiety for pets. However, when you follow these simple suggestions, you can give your pet […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes What scares pets at Halloween? It’s not the specter of too much chocolate but it can be ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and giant inflatable spiders (those scare us, too). People—or other animals—in costume, flickering carved pumpkins, and spooky décor can frighten pets who aren’t prepared for them. Help protect them from or prepare them for the following […]