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Activities & Enrichment Cats Life at Home

Winter Blues: Do Cats Get SAD?

Article

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 […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home Training & Grooming Veterinary Care

Tweaks, Props, Tricks: How to Make Therapy Visits Even Better

Article

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 […]

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Cats Fears & Anxieties Life at Home

When Cats Are Distressed: How to Help Them Recover

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes Cats are sensitive, and that is never more apparent than when something happens to upset them. Your kitty could be innocently window-watching when a stray tomcat tries to attack him through the glass, scaring him into the far reaches of your bedroom. Or an attempt at nail trimming turns your sweet fluffy girl into a […]

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Cats Dogs Life at Home Other Senior Pets

Senior Pet Nutrition: What to Know

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes A nutritionally balanced diet is one of the keys to good health and longevity for our pets. A good diet is important at every stage of life, including the senior years. Issues plaguing aging senior pets mirror the same issues that plague humans: both physically and mentally, things just don’t work like they used to! […]

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Cats Life at Home

Does This Belly Pouch Make Me Look Fat?

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes  At 12 weeks old, Ivan was a bear of a kitten, hinting at his full adult Siberian size. He had the most adorable baby fat paunch I took as a sign that the husky boy never missed a chance to belly up to the milk bar. We adopted Natasha from our shelter the day after […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Holidays Life at Home

Wintertide Follies? Help Your Dog Enjoy the Howlidays

Article

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 […]

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Cats Holidays Life at Home

Home for the Holidays—With Your Cat

Article

Reading Time: 3 minutes Cats are devoted homebodies. They like their routines and comfy naps in the sun, and if they do go out, it’s for a quick trip to the veterinarian’s office or maybe a secure outing with leash and harness. However, sometimes you have to take them on a Big Journey. Holidays may be that time – […]

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Dogs Life at Home New Pets Senior Pets Shelters & Fostering

Golden Years: Adopting and Loving a Senior Dog

Article

Reading Time: 4 minutes Senior dogs are often overlooked in shelters and can remain there for months. To give them the attention they deserve, November is labeled National Adopt A Senior Pet Month to highlight that the inimitable human-animal bond is not governed by age. Welcoming an older dog into the household and giving them love and care for […]

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Activities & Enrichment Cats Life at Home

Go Cat Crazy! How to Craft an Engaging Environment for Feline Fun!

Article

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 […]

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Activities & Enrichment Dogs Life at Home

Sniff, Sniff! How Your Dog’s Nose Works

Article

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 […]