How to be open to new ideas at your animal organization
Want to be more open and inclusive at your animal well-being organization, but not sure where to begin? Looking at your current policies is a great starting point. This is what Allison Cardona of the County of Los Angeles Animal Care and Control and Alex Tonner, Paws for Life K9s, talk about in a huddle recording for the last Open Arms Challenge. The huddle was all about how letting go of old ideas can open new opportunities to processes that are equitable and inclusive. “We’re an incredibly diverse county, and the one...
Greedy Pup in Texas Almost Burns Down House Scrounging for Cookies on Christmas Day
We’re usually worried about our cats jumping on the stove and accidentally turning the gas burners on only to start a fire. Well, this Christmas a family in Frisco, Texas, found it wasn’t a feline that almost burned their house down but actually their gluttonous pup in search of cookies! Photo: Pixabay/ArtisticOperations Pet-Related Accidents It wasn’t such a merry Christmas when Megan Black’s home started to burn on December 25. She was celebrating the holiday with her family in Celina when she got an alert on her...
Vet Says a Large Part of Behavioral Issues in Dogs is Due to their Owners
Anyone who’s ever watched dog behaviorist Cesar Millan knows that more often than not, it isn’t the dogs that are the problem but their humans. So it should come as no surprise when Rory Cowlam, aka Rory the Vet, told Country Living, “It’s lovely that people care so much about their animals, however, it leads to a large part of the behavioral issues that we see in pets these days. We are seeing an absolute behavior pandemic in our dogs, and the issue is the owners.” Photo: Pixabay/825545 Happy Dogs Most pet...
This Little Package of Dynamite Needs Someone to Keep Up with Her
It’s all well and good being called sweet, dazzling, adorable, pure fun, and other compliments that border on platitudes, but they ring hollow when nobody wants to be your best bud or a part of their family. If she could talk, that’s probably what Luna would confide to you, but she can’t, so she won’t, but we will. Luna is a gorgeous German Shepherd and Pit Bull Terrier mix that has been at the Pima Animal Care Center shelter in Tucson since March 20, 2022, through absolutely no fault of her own. She’s spayed,...
The Story of Swoop and Mowgli: How a Magpie and a Cat Became Fast Friends
This unlikely story of friendship between a rescued magpie and a family cat will definitely warm your heart. It seems one day a volunteer firefighter in New Zealand by the name of Matt Owens saw an injured magpie chick on the side of the road. Too young to fly, he named the bird Swoop and brought it home to care for it there. There was only one hitch: Matt had a cat. Photo: YouTube/@swoopandmowgli5226 Unusual Friendships While you’re probably assuming the story ended badly after Swoop’s arrival or that, at the very least, it took...
Pharmacological treatments for separation anxiety: they’re all the same, right? Puddin’ says “no!”
Separation anxiety is an emotional and behavioral disorder that creates distress not only in pets, but also their caregivers. Dogs with separation anxiety often vocalize, cause destruction in the home, injure themselves, and/or eliminate in the house when left alone. Each of these problems could be caused by other issues so it is important the dog’s health, including emotional health, is properly assessed with a veterinarian. Also, separation anxiety is often part of a broader anxiety issue with many of these dogs experiencing noise...
Long-Stay Shelter Dog Has No Idea Why Someone Hasn’t Snapped Him Up Yet
Meet Boomer. When you hear the name, you may instantly think of the generation laughably accused of the ruination of the planet (it started long before they were born), the economy, and property values, thus spawning the obnoxious phrase “OK, Boomer.” Well, this is not that Boomer! This Boomer is just a dog that knows nothing of property values and even less about the state of the planet. To be fair, though, he’s not just a good dog, he’s a very, very good dog! Boomer’s also a long-stay shelter resident at the...
How to Make Sure You’re Starting Your Pet’s Year Off Right
There’s no better time to reassess your pet’s overall health and wellness than the start of a new year. We’ve put together a list of our best pet parent tips for 2023 to help make sure you’re starting your pet’s year off right. Schedule their annual veterinary appointment Pets are notoriously good at hiding signs of illness, so it’s not uncommon for pet parents to be unaware something is wrong until it becomes serious. This is why our best pet parent tip for 2023 is to schedule an annual vet appointment at...
Lab-Grown Meat – Should It Be Used in Pet Food?
Once you get beyond the “ick” factor, lab-grown meat may have profound ethical and environmental advantages. But will it be good for our dogs and cats (and us) and should it be used in pet food? Lab-grown meat? It sounds like something out of a science fiction story, but it’s a concept being explored by a growing number of companies. This article takes a closer look at lab-grown meat and how it’s made – and more importantly, whether or not it should be used in pet foods. How Is Lab-Grown Meat Made? Also known as...
Today is the last day to apply for an Online Instructor-Led Course!
Today, January 10, is the last day to apply for Maddie’s Fund® Online Instructor-Led Courses! If you’re looking to implement a new program, learn more about a specific subject and create positive change for pets and people in your community, then look no further! These courses require completion of: self-paced online materials, (4) 90-minute Zoom classes with your instructor and classmates, and a final project. Class size is limited and the selection process is competitive. “Our instructor-led offerings are a really cool...
