Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Your child has been begging for a kitten for Christmas. It’s on her Christmas list – at the top – and you heard her tell Santa that she wanted one at the outdoor holiday event you attended. There are pictures and drawings of cats on her bedroom wall and fridge. Without a doubt, kittens become […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes The holiday season reminds us that home is where the pet is. Just ask the homeless huddled in highway underpasses in Los Angeles, women fleeing domestic violence in New York City, families in Minnesota too poor to pay for veterinary care, and homebound seniors in San Diego who must depend on others to bring them […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dogs often indulge in the habit of dung eating, technically called coprophagia. Mother dogs keep the nest free of smells by eating waste from puppies. As a result, many puppies copy the behavior when young, and may indulge in dung-eating of their own or other animal’s feces. Most pups outgrow the behavior, but some dogs […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes A cat, when startled by the sound of a backfiring car, dashes toward a hiding spot, running as fast as she can. A small dog, backed into a corner, snarls, showing his teeth and his willingness to protect himself. A kitten, hearing a vacuum cleaner for the first time, freezes in place. A cat or […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Most cat owners know that cats need to eat more protein than many other animals do. Cats break dietary protein down into amino acids, which they burn for energy or use to make new proteins. Cats cannot make all 22 amino acids they need; they need to get eleven of these (the essential amino acids) […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Creating a Fear Free environment for your cat at the veterinary clinic, groomer’s salon, or even at home begins with finding the right motivator (or two or three). Where one cat might cooperate with many indignities if she can have some chicken baby food, another will ignore the noise of a groomer’s salon if she […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes When looking to adopt a puppy or dog, compatibility between you and this new four-legged member of your family should be paramount. Not looks or age. So, that explains why when I temperament tested Chipper and discovered we were a match, I overlooked the fact that I just adopted a super shedder. Yep. Make that […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Television shows and movies portray every dog and owner relationship as a wonderful, empathic, instantaneous one. A dog in the shelter takes one look at a person searching for a dog, they lock eyes, look deeply into each other’s soul, and immediately have a lifelong bond. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Just like relationships with people, […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Thanksgiving is supposed to be a happy time of year: all about friends, family and food. But for some, Thanksgiving can be a trying holiday. The stereotypical image of the jovial family gathered around a handsomely dressed holiday bird isn’t reality for many. Grief One of the toughest emotions to deal with at Thanksgiving is […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Animal shelters can be scary places for a dog. Noisy, and filled with strange sights and smells, shelters can be intimidating for even the bravest canine soul. Timid dogs and those who haven’t been well socialized can become downright terrified when placed in a shelter environment. Candy was one such dog. A 6-year-old Australian Shepherd […]