Anyone who meets me knows I’m obsessed with dogs. Especially my dog. You may not know that I grew up with a stray that my family took in. The only problem was my mother’s severe allergy to cats. Mom’s eyes swell up, and she breaks out in a sneezing fit. The solution was to make a cozy home for our kitty in the garage. She was happy with the trifecta: a loving family, privacy, and freedom.

Cat Named Telka

My oldest sister named the cat Telka after an Egyptian princess. I envisioned a royal family with dark hair and olive skin — in retrospect, they looked suspiciously like my family. The princess had long black hair, large brown eyes, and full lips like Cleopatra but with my sister’s face.

However, I recently googled ‘Telka Egyptian Princess,’ and it appears there was no Egyptian princess with that name. In fact, I can’t find any princess from any country named Telka. Oh well, that only makes the memories more magical.

Telka waited for me every day. She sat at the curb across the street from my elementary school. I have no idea how long she sat there, but she had an internal clock for meals, so she must’ve sensed when it was time to come get me. I’d cross the street and greet her with a scratch behind her ears. Her reaction was to elicit loud, long purrs. Then, as we began to walk, she would rub her body against my legs, which made her purr louder. She walked around my legs, weaving as if drawing the infinity symbol.
I knew she was saying, “I love you to infinity.

My childhood home was a block-and-a-half from school. Upon arriving at the front doorstep she’d purr again, then run off to chase birds. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was her proclivity for bringing me “presents.” Her gifts were poor little dead birds left in front of the door. Not only was it sad, it was disgusting to clean them up.

“Such adorable serial killers cats are,” said my Facebook pal Dan Collins. “When we got our cat Muffin, the family was overcome by his overwhelming cuteness. He was a little lint ball of a gray kitten. Who knew he would mature into Catzilla? At his best, Muffin was a lovable curmudgeon. At worst, he was a vet’s nemesis and the inspiration for Stephen King’s “IT.” Muffin never brought us a bird, but he was quite a good mouser.”

I asked my 2D and 3D friends what makes their cats purr. Here are the funny responses:

Lara B. Sharp, freelance writer said, “My cat Oscar purrs as loud as an idling truck when he sees the only non cat food he will eat. It’s nacho cheese Doritos. Poor little Oscar. He can’t meow properly. He walks around the house saying , “Wow, wow, wow.” But he makes up for his inabilities with an over abundance of enthusiasm. I say, “Oscar!” and he says, “Wow!” like he’s stunned that I have the ability to talk so he makes me feel like a genius.”

Andrea Beitler, who works for the nonprofit USO (United Services Organizations) said, “My cat loves licking plastic bags at night while I’m trying to sleep. He also loves snuggling. His name is Stimpy and we have a Chihuahua named Ren. Stimpy thinks he is the Lord of the Laundry. He loves lying on laundry piles. He also enjoys chasing his tail and bopping Ren on his head. He’s content lying in gift wrap at the bottom of a box. I never see him anymore. I just hear crinkle, crinkle. I tried to get a photo of Stimpy and Ren together but as you can see Stimpy gave me a look that said, “I will not sit with that lowly plebeian — even if it is for a picture.”

Melinda Dalke, the artist of Laughing Paws Art Studio adopts rescue cats. She said, “Miso and Saki love playing fetch. Sedona enjoys watching birds, Mocha loves my lap and Rebel loves everything —especially food.”

Freelance writer Shelley Renee said, “My cat’s name is Sebastian. He is a funny cat. Whoever thought up the term ‘catnap’ to mean a quick little snooze obviously never had a cat. Sebastian naps for about 20 hours a day. The other activity that he’s fond of is eating. Other funny behaviors are that he loves to sit on the windowsill and watch the birds outside, and he loves to play with my elastic hairbands. He will roll around with them and chew them all up. Sebastian also likes to taunt visiting dogs. He has been known to beat them up and then steal their beds and toys.”

See also: Dog Pics Guaranteed to Cheer You Up

Real estate appraiser Neil Adams said, “Technically, Karma and Ollie are my roommates cats but it’s been two and a half years now so I know them well. Karma is a big fatty who loves her cat food and spends all day in her cat tree. The only time she seems interested in anything else is when I offer her catnip. She’ll still stay in the cat tree but when I give her the catnip she’ll bounce around a bit and then get down with her nip. Ollie is skinny and has to eat a special diet but he likes chicken or tuna when he can get it. He’s not as enthusiastic as big Karma but Ollie is much more cuddly and purry. He has zero interest in the catnip. If they had jobs Karma would be on unemployment and Ollie would be a thief.”

Freelance writer Linda Melone said, “My cat’s name is Sephora. She’s named after my favorite store. Sephora loves getting brushed and loves it so much she rolls around purring and drooling. It’s a riot. Cracks me up.”

Pet fashion designer Ada Nieves said, “Martini Beethoven loves boxes. Whenever he sees a box he jumps into it right away. Then he glares, communicating “Don’t you dare take this box away. It’s mine.”

Happy cat mom Jane Mitchell said, “Violet loves drinking straws and adores her cat climbing furniture thingy. Violet rules the house from her perch.”

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Written for Sniff & Barkens

Empty the Shelters (ETS) recently had its fifth pet adoption event in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A whopping 2,631 pets were rescued! That number includes adoptions that took place in the week leading up to the event plus one glorious day when 1571 pets were adopted—726 dogs, 827 cats, and 18 other animals.

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We know how that feels, clothes can be restricting. If you’ve ever had to wear brassiere you KNOW the relief of taking it off at the end of the day. How do we know it’s not the same for our puppy pals? When I take my dog’s collar off to give her a good brush, she seems to relish in her nakedness. I feel bad putting the collar back on, but I know it’s necessary for her to wear. After all, it has her personal ID and immunization records, so if she’s found wandering away from home (fingers crossed this never happens) the kind stranger that finds her will know her name and to whom she belongs. Though just as an extra safety measure, she’s been microchipped too.

Understanding Your Pooch

Like humans, dogs have unique eccentricities. Some like to run through a dewy field and others would prefer to lie in front of the stove all day—keeping their paws nice and toasty. Some dogs adore playing fetch for hours at the local dog park, others show absolutely no interest in rubber balls. No two dogs are the same, so why would we expect them to be happy with the same uniform collar and tags? I know what you’re thinking…different styles appeal to the dog owner’s taste. Fido may not have our delicate fashion sensibilities. To keep our dogs and ourselves happy about canine accessories it’s fun to check out personalized pet ID tags and collars. It’s fun mixing and matching to find a favorite combo.

What’s in a Lifestyle?

The comfort of a dog collar first depends on your dog’s fur type. Typically, rolled leather collars are best for dogs with long hair, and flat collars are ideal for dogs with short hair. However, the material of the collar and the design of the ID tag depends on the activity levels of your pooch.

For the active dog, the flat nylon collar would be the most durable, particularly if most of the pup’s movements have to do with water sports. The nylon collar forms well around the dog’s neck, and its flathead buckle keeps from being a hindrance. The only problem with the nylon flat collar is that it only lasts for about a year before showing considerable signs of wear and tear. And because the material becomes weakened over time, sewing in a flat, engraved ID will cause it to weaken that much quicker. Thus a nylon collar requires the traditional ID tag.

One way to keep the traditional, dangling ID tag from bothering your four-legged fur baby is by framing the tag in a rubber tag holder. That will keep the tag from bouncing around as much and will silence the clinking of tags, proving to be less of a distraction for your puppy in training.

You can get a flat leather collar for the active dog too, but it requires more care. When leather gets wet, the oils of the leather bind with the water, making the leather more brittle. If the wet collar is not removed and cleaned properly, the water will damage the leather beyond repair. This is about the only drawback of the leather dog collar. Leather collars are more form fitting and move with the movements of the dog. And unlike the nylon collar, you can sew a nameplate tag into the collar without fear of weakening the material.

Here’s to a new year of fun with your dog!

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As intimidating as they seem, these gentle-giant-headed pooches are calm, quiet love bugs with patience for children at legendary levels.  And don’t even get us started on the puppies… Sqeeeeeeeeeee!

They are so charming and lovable but many new owners don’t realize that this breed is prone to many medical problems and they are often abandoned. Here is a fact sheet about these marvelous dogs.

Education is the key factor in protecting these funny little beasties.

VIEW THE ENGLISH BULLDOG INFOGRAPHIC

Bulldogs can be high maintenance. They have a tendency toward more health problems than other breeds. They wheeze, snort and snore and can be prone to pinched nostrils that make it difficult to breathe. Treatments vary depending on severity but your dog may need surgery to widen narrow nostrils or shorten long palates.

To learn more visit Beth Stern’s favorite nonprofit for this wonderful breed: Long Island Bulldog Rescue.

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Bringing home a new pet is supposed to be a joyful event. You’ve been anticipating fun walks, games of catch, snuggling, purring and playing. But what if your new dog howls from separation anxiety? Or your cat scratches and pounces? What if your dog’s leash pulling nearly snaps your arm from its socket? Worse yet, what if your new dog or cat bites? Instead of locking yourself in a room crying, consult these 4 tips from pet owners and experts that offer up solutions:

1. Desensitize and counter condition. “To stop unwanted behaviors like leash pulling, aggression or separation anxiety, I use techniques called DSCC,” says San Francisco-based dog trainer Jeff Stalings. “Desensitization (DS) exposes the dog to low levels of the trigger then increases the level until the dog has become accustomed to the trigger. Counterconditioning (CC) teaches a dog to display a counter behavior to the unacceptable response to stimuli.”

The DSCC technique also worked for dog owner Niki Phaneuf from Indiana. “When I went to a local rescue looking for a job, I ended up adopting an extremely sad-looking dog instead,” she says. “He was a brindle Amstaff [American Staffordshire Terrier] mixed with a Presa Canario and had been there for months because no one wanted such an intimidating looking dog. It turned out he was wildly aggressive. I hooked up with a trainer who recommended DSCC training. Thankfully, that worked.”

2. Try the “Look At That” game. Author Leslie McDevitt’s book, “Control Unleashed,” teaches the “Look At That’” game. This positive training method teaches the dog to look at stimuli that they’ve reacted negatively towards. When the dog looks at the stimulus the owner uses a clicker. The click sound tells the dog to look away from the stimulus and back at the owner. The dog is then rewarded with a treat.

Dee Berkheimer McLaughlin, a retired RN, adopted a 15-month-old rescue English Springer Spaniel. “His foster mom said he was easy and calm but what I didn’t know was she’d never had him on a leash,” she says. “He had an extreme leash reaction and became a wild terror towards other dogs but after intensive DSCC plus the ‘Look At That’ game from Leslie McDevitt he can now walk nicely on a leash and lie down at the edge of a walking path and wait as other dogs pass by.”

3. Don’t misread behavior. “Some pet parents make assumptions about why their cat is misbehaving and create a solution,” says Tennessee cat behavior expert, Pam Johnson-Bennett, author of “Psycho Kitty: Tips for Solving Your Cat’s Crazy Behavior.” “The problem is when the behavior is misread, it makes the solution ineffective or counterproductive.”

In other words, a cat’s unwanted behavior is not because the kitty is “mad” or “getting even.” Pet owners have to observe their cat or dog’s bad behavior and try to identify the triggers of that behavior in order to come up with an effective solution. Animal behaviorists and trainers can often help pet parents identify these triggers and develop action plans for correcting the unwanted behaviors.

4. Trust in clicker training and use positive reinforcement. Kari Neumeyer, 38, from Washington State, adopted a 7-week-old German Shepherd puppy named Isis. But Isis proved to be a handful and showed early signs of fear and aggression. “We got all the books and did everything we thought we were supposed to,” says Neumeyer, whose challenging training experience inspired her to write the memoir “Bark and Lunge: Loving a Reactive Dog.” “She was very smart, but didn’t ‘get’ the obedience stuff.”

Multiple trainers recommended using training devices such as prong collars and shock collars, but Neumeyer believed they would make the German Shepherd even more aggressive. At the age of two, Isis bit a stranger. Instead of suing or reporting the incident, the bite victim referred Neumeyer to a positive reinforcement trainer. “With a clicker, a Halti Harness and force free training, I was able to finally alleviate her anxiety and train her,” she says.”

Corporate executive Cocoa Blohm from Illinois had a similar experience. She adopted a 10-month-old female Blue Heeler from a kill shelter after researching the breed for a year. “I expected scary smarts, lots of energy, and the classic herder behaviors,” she says. “What I got was a fearful, aggressive dog who bit three people and sent one to the ER.”

Blohm’s first trainer told her that the dog was out of control, strapped a prong collar on her, did a correction, and the dog attacked the trainer. In another incident, a different trainer put a choke chain on the dog and the animal was so terrified of him she began barking like crazy.

Answers finally came with a third trainer who taught Blohm how to read a dog’s body language and correct behaviors with clicker training. “This dog has never bitten another person,” she says. “[The trainer] taught me patience, compassion and that I had a ton to learn about dog training.”

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One day, during a regular check-up, the vet said Buddy had a luxating patella. My chest constricted and I felt faint. “A what?” The vet said, “A patella is a knee cap. Luxate means dislocate—it moves easily out of position.” He mentioned the prospect of surgery.

I was horrified. “Buddy is fine now and we’re talking about a future maybe. Is there a way to avoid an operation?”

“Don’t let him jump up and down,” the vet said. “Landing from a jump causes extreme stress on the joints which can lead to arthritis.”

 
At home, I began picking up Buddy from the bed or couch and placing him gently on the floor. But he mistook this as a game and would wriggle free, run around in circles chasing his tail, and resume jumping on and off the bed.

One night I saw a TV commercial for Doggy Steps and called the toll free number. When I found out the Steps only cost $24.95, I was pleased and ordered one set, but thanks to a promotion received two sets for the price of one. I was excited when the two sets of stairs arrived, but disappointed that they were made of flimsy plastic and had to be assembled. The cover was made of cheap carpeting and it was white, which I knew would get filthy in a week. Determined to be a good mom I assembled the pieces and propped one staircase in front of the couch and one in front of the bed. Problem solved, right?

No.

Buddy was fine walking up and down from the couch but the steps weren’t high enough for him to reach the bed. He tried scrambling up from the too-short top step to the mattress but he’d stumble and I’d catch him mid-fall. He couldn’t figure it out and quit trying. Instead he avoided it all together.

Dismayed, I talked to neighbors who owned dogs. Some had steps, some didn’t, but nobody could remember where they’d gotten them. I turned to Google.

I wanted to upgrade. Aside from the TV steps being less than adequate, they looked cheap. I wanted high quality, attractive, long-lasting doggy steps that would be made of wood to match my décor.

What I Bought

I spent days searching all of the options. My research paid off. The Uncommon Dog sells elegant cherry wood decorative two, three and four-step doggy stairs with carpet pads on each step. It is a solid piece of furniture, sturdy enough to hold more than 200 pounds. The cost was the best $188 I ever spent, and shipping was free. The piece arrived assembled within a week and, after one day of training him with treats, Buddy took to the stairs with ease. He hasn’t jumped off the furniture since. He is now 10 years old and still has a luxating patella, but he is not limping and shows no signs of needing surgery. Seeing him trot up and down the steps with abandon is all the confirmation I need.

Here are a more products I found online to protect your pets, or help them if they are post-surgical or have joint problems.

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