Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes “Don’t worry!” you call out. “He’s friendly!” Your dog is barreling down the wooded trail ahead of you, aiming his greeting at another hiker with a dog on leash. Your canine buddy just loves everyone, and you can tell he’s excited to make some new friends. You soon realize this is not going to happen, […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes There’s probably nothing a cat owner dreads more than a trip to the vet–even if the cat isn’t sick. Most dogs will happily jump into the car, but for cats the ordeal starts with a struggle to get into a carrier that’s stressful for both of you. It doesn’t have to be this way. A […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Old dogs are the best dogs. They know the rules, they’re not full of crazy energy, and they love nothing better than a good nap. The downside, though, is that all that makes it easy to slip into the habit of not spending as much time with them. Your dog may no longer need long […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes I couldn’t wait to take Oscar, my new Dalmatian puppy, outside for his first walk around our block. Clipping the leash onto his collar went well but taking a step out the front door to enjoy nature was another story. I never knew that paws had brakes, but he sure applied them in a flash […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes “Social referencing” is a fancy term for a familiar phenomenon: when uncertain about a new situation, you check to see how everyone else is reacting. Are they scared, happy, calm, anxious? We look to others for clues in case they have previous experience that we don’t. Other social animals do this as well, and it’s […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Many pets never received the memo that Halloween is supposed to be fun. They truly are spooked by all those creatures that smell like humans but resemble zombies or superheroes. And for many pets the constant ringing of the doorbell and all the commotion is disturbing. For two reasons, ensconcing those animals in a room […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes When I ring my friend’s doorbell, her two 50-pound-plus dogs, Nike and Susie, go berserk and bark uncontrollably. Like firefighters racing to a five-alarm fire, they rush the front door, jump, and growl. If I were an intruder, I’d surely think twice before robbing this house, but I only want to hang out with my […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sometimes travel is a passion and a hobby; sometimes travel is a necessity. When we have to travel and leave our cats, it can be difficult for them and for us. If you are like me, you’ve spent years observing and getting to know your cats. Put this knowledge to use to make sure your […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes We dread the deaths of our beloved cats, and every death is different. We may or may not get notice; we may or may not have time to say goodbye. Assuming there is time to say goodbye, what can we do to make an already stressful and possibly dreaded process as calm and meaningful as […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Elated and relieved people all over proclaim “Good potty!” and “Good pee!” when their dogs perform these necessities during leashed walks. But when is the last time you really looked at your dog’s poop? And how much attention do you really pay to the clumps you scoop each day from your cat’s litter box? One […]