It’s cold out there! The ASPCA put together this new infographic with tips to help you keep our furry pets and feline ferals safe this winter. Continue reading »
Just in case you’re having a bad day, here are some smile-inducing images from the graduation of the ASPCA Kitten Nursery.
The kitten nursery is the very first high-volume facility located in New York City that’s dedicated to care of this vulnerable (and cute) population. It began in the summer of 2014. Continue reading »
I always read labels on food I buy for myself, but I do that for my pets as well. It matters! I stay away from brands that have had recalls, and I never buy any pet treats or food that are sourced from China.
So, where do you turn for good, natural dog treats? Asking your local pet store about options is a good place to start. You’ll have better luck with the local pet store chains, not the big ones. However, some big pet stores have started to carry more natural options.
Whenever I get the chance, I test out new natural dog treats for my rescue pup Stella. (Well, she’s the one who eats them. I just give them to her, but she loves her job.) So, I agreed to receive a couple bags of Look Who’s Happy dog treats for review here.
And Stella loves these! My cat Choco wanted to try them out too. But cats are always curious…. (Time for honesty: My cat got into a little spat with Stella over these treats, but it’s all good now. I have a horribly shot video of this, but who wants to see a dog get whipped by a cat?)
The Story
Look Who’s Happy dog treats are made by Big Creek Foods, founded by two brothers, Jeff and Tommy Gay. All treats are made in Gainesville, Georgia. And I’ve got to wonder who does their photography. These are the happiest-looking dogs I’ve seen on packaging!
Look Who’s Happy highlights
Safe Dog Treats: The brothers operate their own private processing facility according to FDA food safety production guidelines. They even meet much higher standards than the pet food regulations require. Plus, every meat and poultry ingredient is sourced from the USA, Canada or New Zealand (never China), and is USDA-inspected.
Natural Dog Treats: Look Who’s Happy treats contain no by-products, or artificial stuff (like preservatives, colors or flavors). The treats are also grain and gluten free. Fetch’n Fillets and Tempt’n Tenders are even made with whole muscle meat or poultry. And, of course, the treats are slow-cooked for great taste. Apparently, they are so expertly cooked, even cats want them!
Do you feed natural dog treats? And, does your cat ever try to steal dog treats?
Stella, my 75-pound rescue dog that everyone says looks like a miniature Irish Wolfhound, barked at the FedEx guy who delivered her Bravo Crunchy Delights treats. Note: I received a free sample of Bravo treats.
But soon Stella caught on that the package was for her. Curious as always, my cat Choco had to approve of the treats first, leaving Stella to whimper patiently!
We tried a couple of “leave it” commands, and Stella dutifully waited until I gave her the “get it” command.
Then, she enjoyed the crunchy goodness!
Bravo dog treats really do look like homemade dog cookies. Continue reading »
If you have Netflix, stream “The Paw Project,” and you’ll never see cat declawing as routine ever again. Even if you don’t have Netflix, you can still receive a DVD of the movie when you make a $10 donation at The Paw Project. Or stream “The Paw Project” on iTunes, U-verse, Dish or amazon.
When I first adopted my cat Choco more than 10 years ago, I thought that declawing was just something you did to keep cats from scratching you. Thankfully, I was set straight by fellow animal lovers, and my kitty was spared the cruelty of losing his claws. And, I’m happy to say that Choco uses his scratching post. And he submits to claw trimmings without much fuss.
Maybe you’re reading this, and thinking I’m some kind of hippie liberal cat-freak, and I don’t know what I’m talking about. It isn’t so. I’ve actually seen a cat declawing procedure firsthand, and while it looks like a quick and simple procedure, the effects can be devastating. To perform a declaw, the vet uses a tool very much like what you’d trim a cat’s claws with to cut the claw at the bone so it can’t grow back. A medical glue like super glue is applied to the tip, and the cat’s paws are bandaged.
Imagine that. You’re a cat.
You’re dropped at the vet’s office by someone you trust. You’re put under. You wake up without the ends of your toes. And it hurts to walk. And you can’t do things the same way anymore. You feel like you have a pebble on the bottom of your paw when you walk or stand. And the feeling never goes away. You may become lame or arthritic. You may lash out and develop behavior problems. You may start eliminating on the floor instead of the litter box. You may lose your life in a shelter because no one wants you anymore.
What better time to talk about love and pets than around Valentine’s Day?
Have you ever known a couple to break up over a pet? It happens more than you might think.
And sometimes it’s complicated. For example, one partner may be allergic to the other partner’s pet. That can be tough, but when it’s just a case of a pet and partner not getting along, well that’s a completely manageable situation!
If a pet is coming between you and the love of your life, try these helpful tips from the ASPCA, and have a happy Valentine’s Day:
One: Ask your partner to be the bearer of all good things for your pet whenever possible. That means that your significant other should do the feeding and dispense treats. And, if your pet is up for it, your partner should also engage in play sessions with your pet.
Two: Ask your significant other not to force interaction with your pet. Pets tend to see the approach of someone they fear or distrust as a threat, so it’s best for your other to play it cool and let your pet make the first overture of friendship.
Three: Reward your pet with treats for every step it takes to investigate your girlfriend or boyfriend. Reward positive behaviors like sniffing, approaching or rubbing.
How have you solved problems between your pet and partner?
Thanks: Image via Maura Teague’s flickr photostream.
Choco is very soft and vocal. He’s a pink-nosed wonder of a cat who forever changed my husband’s feelings about felines in general. A tuxedo cat, he’s never underdressed.
And he was my Christmas present in 2003.
Choco wasn’t just any Christmas present, but my favorite gift ever. (There he is on the scratchy pad with his partner in crime, Oscar.)
For years, you’ve probably heard the myth that giving a pet as a gift is a bad idea.
Well, the ASPCA is busting that myth. And they say that yes, it really is fine to give a pet as a gift at Christmas, or another time.
Here are the numbers from the ASPCA research:
Ninety-six percent of people who received pets as gifts thought it either increased or had no impact on their love or attachment to that pet.
Eighty-six percent of the pets referred to in the study are still in the home.
There was no difference in the recipient’s attachment to the pet based on whether the gift was a surprise or known in advance.
These study findings are encouraging, and should help to ease any feelings of guilt you have for giving a pet as a gift. However, it’s also a good idea to gift pets only to people you know well and trust. After all, you need to know that the recipient’s schedule allows for the care of a pet. And, when gifting a pet to a young child, remember that the parent will be the caregiver. Yeah, you should ask the parent first!
The ASPCA recommends giving pets to those who have shown a sustained interest in having a pet, and who have the ability to care for a pet responsibly. And, of course, you’re encouraged to adopt the pet from a shelter or rescue group.
Do pets change people?
Yes! As I mentioned, my husband never liked cats before Choco came into our lives. I never considered myself a dog person until we adopted Stella, my 70-pound rescue pup, last year.
Pets help us learn more about ourselves, and when we have the time and patience to put into the relationship with our pets, the rewards are great. Pets are a lot of work, but they add soul and character to a home. And a smile to your face.
Because someone who bought it thought it would be cool to have her own fresh eggs, laid right in her very own backyard. That person didn’t consider what would become of the giving chickens once the giving stopped.
It’s a sad story: Many chickens are getting dumped at animal shelters. That’s animal shelters, full of dogs and cats that have no homes. Sure, some chickens end up at sanctuaries with strict adoption guidelines. No, you probably can’t adopt them to eat. Sorry.
Here are some things you don’t know about chickens from someone who lived around them from babyhood until late teens and even raised her very own 4-H chickens. And yeah, all of my grandparents had chickens too. I was surrounded by them!
Five Chicken “Facts” to Know:
They are cute, funny and full of personality, even when all grown up.
Chickens are adorable clucking about the yard, sticking their beaks in the grass.
You probably won’t be able to bring yourself to kill them for the meat once they stop laying eggs.
Chickens become your pets. Farmers may not mind killing them, but are you really a farmer?
They look at you sideways in that funny way that they have and you’d give anything to know what’s in their brains.
It’s difficult to keep coyotes, foxes and other creatures from killing free-range chickens. They must roost in a secure location at night, but it’s always risky in the country. So, when I read this NBC article on the hundreds of chickens dumped at animal shelters by “hipster farmers” in fear of the chicks living 10 years after egg laying stops, I was surprised!
Honestly, chickens in rural areas just never live that long to begin with. When I was growing up, my family never killed any of our chickens for meat, but I can’t recall any 10-year-old chickens. (I must admit, we killed one rooster because it wouldn’t stop its reign of terror.) Maybe a few country chicks do die of old age, but a creature usually ends up eating them before that happens. It’s just the way it is (at least on old-school family farms).
No matter how hard you try to protect them with cages, fencing and henhouses, country chickens usually end up living about three or four years before a predator finally snatches them out of the henhouse in the middle of the night. Foxes dig and climb, you know….
I’m not trying to talk you out of experiencing the charm of having chickens, but just realize that if you put them in Fort Knox chicken prisons in an urban setting, they just may live to be 10 years old. Chickens belong on farms with space to roam, not in small cages in cities. And, certainly, not in animal shelters!
Do I miss having chickens? Well, in fact, I do miss them. A lot. But I regularly come to my senses about owning chickens in the city.
I could get away with caging up a few city hens, but it makes no sense to me. I can travel a few miles to my local farmer’s market and buy fresh eggs from a nearby heirloom farm. Isn’t that better, and cheaper too?
