A recently published study has shown that cats are attracted to music that was specifically designed for them. This is important work, given all the claims that are made about effect of music "designed for" dogs and cats. Although there are several interesting studies this issue, the studies have traditionally compared different types of musical genres, always with music that was written for people ("classical" versus "rock" for example). There is some music that has been specifically designed for dogs or cats, but its development was not based on an analysis of the animal's species-specific vocalizations, nor is there robust scientific evidence that it is effective. Indeed, see my post from 2013, in which researcher Kogan found that slow-noted classical music increased the amount of time Read More
Archives for March 2015
All About Dog Poop
Because it isn't necessarily a fun topic, I thought I'd start off with my favorite story about dog poop. Imagine being at a sit-down lunch at two-day seminar I was giving on canine behavior and training. Picture a large room, with 150 people or so, sitting at round tables covered in white table cloths, the food delivered by hotel conference staff. You know the drill. We had finished a good lunch and looked with happy anticipation to what was promised to be a special dessert. Imagine our surprise when we each received a small plate with a perfect replica of dog poop on it. The cook thought it would be just too wonderful to feed us chocolate pudding in the shape of a brown, coiled snake of dog poop. It was impressively realistic. Apparently the chef was shocked that every plate was returned, Read More
Fish Falling From the Sky
[I had planned to write a blog on poop (stay tuned, who could resist the topic?), but am a tad under the weather, so I'm just going to post this for your amusement... You've heard of fish falling from the sky, yes? Apparently it is more common that one might predict. A quick internet search found multiple references to such events, many of them quite credible. They can even fall by the hundreds, as experienced by the residents of a small town in Australia. But I've never known anyone who could beat the story of my veterinarian, Dr. John Dally, who lives on the Wisconsin River, and below the flight path of a Bald Eagle flying between her nest to her fishing grounds on a daily basis. Imagine John's surprise when he went outside early in the morning to pick up a dish pan, and a fish fell Read More
Fund Raising 2015: Love Song to Lassie
French Vanilla. Ice Cream. Summer Day. Those were the six words I wrote for my Lassie girl, the day she died. That was a little over five years ago, and I still miss her more than I can say. She was pure and simply the sweetest dog I have ever had. She was Cool Hand Luke's daughter, and a dog I never expected to have. I had turned down a puppy in return for Luke's stud service, having more than enough dogs at the time. Lassie's breeder brought the litter to Black Earth so that Luke's many admirers could pick out the puppies they had reserved. "I know you don't want one, but if you did, which one would you take?" I was asked. "This one," I said after spending the day with all the puppies, enamored of a small female with a raccoon black patch around her left eye. A year later, that Read More
When Is It Time to Put Down a Dog Who is Aggressive to People?
If there is anything harder than euthanizing a beloved dog for serious behavioral problems, I don't know what it is. And yet, sometimes, that is an option that dog owners have to consider. These were some of the hardest cases I worked with when I was seeing clients full time. I would drive home, sick at heart, and wonder why the hell I hadn't found an easier way to make a living. Often I'd run into people who would say "Oh! What a wonderful job you have!", no doubt envisioning me spending my days running through fields of daisies with Golden Retriever puppies. As hard as it is to talk to clients about whether to put down an aggressive dog, it is nothing compared to what the owners are going through. Euthanizing a physically healthy dog, one who is joyful and loving part of the time, is Read More