Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 4 minutes When I was a young woman, people who lived on our street moved away. But about a week after they drove off in a moving truck, neighbors discovered they’d left behind their pregnant cat – who promptly gave birth to a litter of kittens. It made me furious that someone would abandon a cat so […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a worn-out myth that all cats are aloof, independent, solitary. In reality, they can be highly social and form strong bonds with humans and other animals. Most people are familiar with separation anxiety in dogs, but research suggests that cats, especially those who are deeply attached to their people, also experience separation anxiety when […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes America’s cats are facing a healthcare crisis. The findings of a feline health study conducted by Bayer Health Care in 2014 found that 52 percent of America’s 74 million cats are not receiving regular veterinary care. The actual number is probably much higher, since this study captured data only from cat owners who seek some […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Kristen Levine was on a quest to help her dog, Chilly, during fireworks season and thunderstorms. “The sound of fireworks would send him into a state of panic, and he would leave claw marks on my closet door and pull my dresses right off of the hangers to make himself a pile of clothes to […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Grief is the price we pay for love. When one of our cats dies, we have lost a beloved family member, and we feel it deeply. We may lose sleep, lose our appetite, spend more time alone, or spend more time seeking comfort from others. Our routines feel off, because they included the cat who […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes It had been a long day, working with cases back to back of dogs displaying significant fear. One client was angry. Two were in tears. And one couple bickered constantly about the severity of the dog’s problem. As a professional dog trainer, I help dogs overcome fear. But it’s not just the dogs dealing with […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s a sad fact that roughly six million dogs and a similar number of cats are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States, according to the Animal Cancer Foundation. No animal lover wants to hear the dreaded “C” word, but many of us have or will. Colorado resident Britton Slagle knows the pain […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes What is the most critical period of your puppy’s life? It’s not her first snowfall, the day you met, or the first time she sits when you ask her to. It’s the time between roughly 3 and 14 weeks known as the “socialization period.” Pet owners often ask what’s so important about this time. They […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes It’s not only people who suffer from stress; our pets most certainly do, too. The question is, could you unknowingly be the cause of some of your pet’s anxiety? Everyday noises and events that humans take for granted, for instance, can cause pets to be fearful and anxious. And because pets, like people, react differently […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Is it noise aversion? Does your dog run and hide or start panting and shaking when children in the neighborhood set off firecrackers? Has your dog run away during the Fourth of July celebration? If so, your dog likely suffers from noise aversion, also commonly known as noise anxiety or noise phobia. Noise aversion affects […]