Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 2 minutes With social distancing and stay-at-home orders across most of the country during the coronavirus pandemic, school and library “Read to a Dog” programs that boost children’s literacy are temporarily on hold. But there’s an innovative way for kids to still benefit from reading to nonjudgmental listeners: reading to their own pets at home. The nonprofit […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes There’s a lot of fear swirling around the novel coronavirus – what it might do to us, and what it might do to our pets. My heart broke when I heard about dogs being abandoned or killed in parts of China. Then panicked friends started texting me about a dog testing “weak positive” for COVID-19 […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes When my husband and I adopted our first puppy, we had no idea how much trouble the little scamp would get into. After he’d been bitten by two different dogs annoyed with his puppy antics, we invested in pet insurance to help cover Rio’s medical bills. “You’re smart to do this before he develops pre-existing […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes When Animal Control picked up a little stray Poodle that I’d later adopt, she was a mess. Among a host of health issues, Peach was missing 18 teeth and needed another seven extractions. So we’re protective of her remaining teeth, which my husband and I affectionately call “chompers.” But the other day, I gave her […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes My dog Rio, a friendly Lab mix and former therapy dog, has been attacked numerous times over the years by other dogs – both leashed and unleashed. Once, we even had a dog jump out a car window to try to bite Rio. Panicked, I screamed while Rio defended himself before the owner came running […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes My pets are part of my family, so I’m extremely grateful to the veterinary teams that help us through sickness and health. Typically, I’ll drop off a holiday card with bottles of wine before their party or a giant popcorn tin, though once I brought a box of chocolates without realizing it could accidentally poison […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes A service dog named Elmer has made a wonderful difference for a 7-year-old boy named Gavin Swearingen. As a toddler, Gavin fell off a swing and suffered a traumatic brain injury that led to complex medical issues, from strokes and epilepsy to cerebral palsy marked by weakness on his right side. Elmer, a Labrador-Golden Retriever […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes My husband and I adopted our Lab mix, Rio, from an underfunded shelter in New Mexico in 2010. It was our first time visiting the facility, and the housing conditions depressed us: a few litters of puppies were crammed into chain-link cages, and adult dogs were kept alone in each small enclosure. It didn’t seem […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes My childhood cat, Pretzel Popcorn Reeder, once disappeared after a massive earthquake shook Southern California. Happily, a few days later, she reappeared in our backyard. Because of that experience with Pretzel, I always microchip my pets for “just in case” scenarios. As you probably know, a microchip is a tiny device – about the size […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes New Mexico resident Theresa Kline is active and independent at age 81. But after her beloved Westie, Abby, passed away last year, she wondered if she should get another dog. Would having a dog tie her down? And what would happen to her pet if she became ill? Still, Kline missed canine companionship and voiced […]