As I announced at the end of this year’s Pet Blogger Challenge, I’m going to be less active than I have been on this blog because of an exciting new project. And I’m giving up my extracurricular blogging activities. Last Thursday I handed over the reins of the Pet Travel Book Club to Pamela Webster…
Coping with Holiday Frenzy: Sounds to Soothe the Canine Soul
I’ve been called a grinch for grumbling about this time of year, its sentimentality and sensory overload. Fine. But I contend that I don’t steal the spirit of the holiday season so much as provide a respite from it for those who need one — and that includes your dog. That’s right. Even if you,…
Herbal Remedies for Pets: First, Do No Harm
My Drug Problem (No, Not That Kind) When it comes to medications, conventional and alternative, I’m profoundly conflicted. I’m suspicious of the medical establishment, especially of its encouraging people to take drugs and then more drugs to counteract their side effects. But I have no problem taking over-the-counter pain meds, allergy pills and antacids, as…
A Clean, Well-Lighted Shelter: Open Paw Programs
There are a lot of important pieces in the pet adoption puzzle. Getting people to see shelter pets as desirable is a primary one. It’s the impetus behind my Pet Adoption Videos that Don’t Make You Want to Kill Yourself series. Getting shelter pets to actually be desirable is even more crucial. Dogs barking, jumping,…
Andrea Arden Talks Dog Training – & People Training
Kelly Dunbar had a terrific conversation with Andrea Arden on Animal Cafe this week but before I get to the substance, I need to get a little gush — and one small whine — out of the way. I’ve seen Andrea on various Animal Planet shows and I’m a huge fan. I was trying to…
Coping With Pet Loss: First, Permission to Grieve
It’s devastating to lose a loved one. It’s even more devastating to feel ashamed about your grief, to feel that you need to apologize for mourning. Unfortunately, when a pet dies, it’s all too common for owners to hide their pain, making it more difficult to get past it. That’s the subject of this week’s…
When Pet Store Policies Are Complex: A Second Look at Petland
We all love simplicity. Who doesn’t want a firm good vs evil argument, reducible to a memorable sound bite, to buttress our firmly held opinions in ways that are convincing to others? You know, like pet stores that sell puppies are evil because they support puppy mills, whereas animal shelters are good because they try…
Master & Commander: Decoding Dog Training Terms
I like to think I’m sensitive to the nuances of language. I spent a great deal of time in graduate school doing close readings of literary texts, especially poetry, and as a writer I struggle for precision, laboring over every sentence, sometimes every word. I also know that good dog training is based on communication.…
Travel Thursday: Tailing John Steinbeck
I love serendipity.* I had made plans to interview John Woestendiek, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of Dog Inc., for Animal Cafe because I thought a top-rate writer who was on the road for a year with his dog might have interesting things to say about pet travel. I didn’t know anything about…
Introducing: The Pet Travel Book Club
Last week I told you about my exciting new venture, blogging about pet travel books and movies on A Traveler’s Library. I semi-jokingly said, “Can a pet travel book club be far behind?” Several of you expressed enthusiasm. We’re on. Phase 1 Here’s the plan. I will tell you — at least a month in…