We Got a Groovy Kinda Love!
By Laura Sutherland ~ The internet loves stories of close interspecies relationships. Elephants and dogs, cats and ducks, a deer and a potbelly pig — just like humans, most animal species have the capacity for love and affection. These unlikely friendships are fascinating. How and why do they even happen? Some experts say species of
How to Encourage End of Playtime Behavior with Your Furry Friend
By Laura Sutherland~ Some pups just don’t seem to have an off switch. Your fur baby may still want to play long after a game of toss and fetch or tug of war has run its course. It might be tempting to wear her out when you need a tired and quiet dog, but continuous
Will My Dog’s Personality Change with Age?
By Laura Sutherland~ We all know there’s a big difference between puppy behavior and activity level compared to older dogs. Recently, a study in Scientific Reports evaluated 37 border collies of varying ages over the course of four years. A testing tool called the Vienna Dog Personality Test was used to calculate the results. The
Modern Training for Modern Dogs
By Laura Sutherland~ Thank goodness canine training methods have come a long way! Despite the old coercive/punitive style of decades past, science has proven that operant conditioning and relationship-based training are key. These methods mostly consist of rewards for compliance and removal of rewards for non-compliance. Without negativity in training, dogs learn and bond with
How to Know If Your Cat Is Happy
Observe and learn to speak cat By Laura Sutherland ~ How do I know if my cat is happy? Adam Christman, a New Jersey-based veterinarian, gets this question all the time. “Cat parents want to make sure their cats are content,” he said. “It can be confusing [to tell if they are] because cats are
Take Time to Celebrate Our Furry Friends
By Sharon Kurtz ~ “Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them and filling the emptiness we didn’t ever know we had.” Author Thom Jones Our dogs have always been our best friends, loyal companions, and, most importantly, part of our family. So why not celebrate them? It is a great reason
Senior Dogs Have a Lot of Love to Give
By Laura Sutherland ~ Honest reasons to adopt an older pooch The online dog journal, dogtime.com, published a wonderful article on senior dog adoption. As an adopter of an older dog myself, I couldn’t agree more with its findings. Shelters are full of older pups who, for whatever reason, find themselves alone and caged. People
Our Dogs are Therapy Animals Too
By Laura Sutherland ~ There is an ancient Chinese saying that goes, “May you live in interesting times.” It is NOT meant as a blessing! These are indeed interesting times. A pandemic is scary, and we absolutely must take the necessary precautions to stay safe and healthy, but panic or even handwringing serves no one.
Recognizing and Relieving Anxiety in Your Dog
By Laura Sutherland ~ You’ve recently adopted a dog at your local shelter. Congratulations! For the first few days, all goes well. Then you realize you need to spend several hours away from the house. You give your doggie love, then head out the door — only to return, later, to discover the inside of
