Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes As Hurricane Harvey heads toward the southeastern coast of the United States, it’s a good idea to review your family’s disaster preparedness plan. You do have one, right? Whether you live in Tornado Alley or an earthquake, fire, or flood zone, you need to have a plan to ensure the safety of family members, including […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes If your dog has land to ramble, there’s a good chance he’ll encounter a skunk. City dogs aren’t immune, since wildlife often ignores property boundaries to have babies under your front porch. It’s understandable when clueless dogs get skunked during a close encounter of the stinky kind. But why do they repeat the dirty deed […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes You’ve just brought your new dog or puppy home. It’s been a big day and it’s time to give everyone a break. After all, there’s dinner to prepare for the humans, laundry to do, errands to run, and your favorite TV show comes on at 8, but don’t forget about that new dog. A dog […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes For many cat owners, redwood would be a good choice when selecting living room furniture. While we all bemoan that rip-rip sound of claws on fabric just as we’re dozing off at night, we can’t change the fact that nature intended cats to have claws. The act of scratching serves a number of purposes for […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Do cats really feel pain? Probably many readers think that just isn’t true. But in fact pain is a common malady shared by all mammals. If something is painful to a human, it is likely painful to a cat. But the feline mystique pervades pain and pain management just like it pervades which food our […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Cats don’t care if you live in a studio apartment or a vast mansion. A cat doesn’t need a lot of square footage to be happy. What a cat does need from us is a special understanding of how he or she interacts with the physical world. Every cat parent knows that cats are predators: they […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Roll over is a classic trick that is always a crowd pleaser! This is a more challenging trick, especially for dogs with narrow bodies. Your dog will have to utilize his core muscles to complete the move. That’s good exercise for him. Because of poor coordination on my part, I don’t usually use a clicker […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes A frenzied flight to a hiding place is a common feline response to the unearthing of a carrier for an imminent trip to the veterinarian. If it weren’t so sad and serious for the cat, we humans might view cat carrier follies as humorous. But the reality is far from entertaining when it comes to […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Who’s a good boy or girl? Your pet, we hope, when visiting your friends or family. Whether you’re bringing Reggie or Ravenna to a friend’s home for a couple of hours or to a relative’s home for a week-long stay, your pet’s behavior will determine whether his presence is considered delightful or destructive. Here are […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Inside your housecat is the heart of a hunter. Nature made cats that way. For a cat, hunting for food is normal. When you provide your cat with an outlet to fulfill that natural instinct, he will be happier and healthier, both mentally and physically. Cats who lack an outlet for this normal behavior may redirect pent-up […]