Veterinary Appreciation Day–Join Me!
What would we do without our veterinarians and vet techs?? Not to mention everyone else who helps us keep our companion animals as healthy as we can. This week I'm celebrating Veterinary Appreciation Day and I hope you'll join me. I'll admit to being a bit jaded at all the "special days" we hear about on a daily basis. (With the exception of Penguin Awareness Day on January 20th. I'm all in.) But acknowledging and thanking everyone at our vet and rehab clinics feels like exactly what I want to do right now. I got a start by ordering some foodie gift packages for the two clinics that take care of my dogs and cats. I had planned to deliver them this week, but the packages came with the Read More
“Invites Decrease Bites.” Making Dogs and Young Children Safe
Dogs. Babies. Adorable. Unless you're a trainer or behaviorist, and cover your eyes while watching some of the "cute" on line videos, showing young children at risk of being bitten because the dog was radiating discomfort while the parents cooed and laughed. People like me, CAABs (Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists), Veterinary Behaviorists, and a whole lot of great trainers have been working hard to try to prevent dangerous interactions between dogs and young children for years. One of the best in the business is Jennifer Shyrock of Family Paws, who graciously gave me an hour of her time based on her extensive experience helping families keep dogs and young children happy and healthy Read More
Memorial Day 2021
As always, Memorial Day feels hard to wrap my head around, or maybe it's my heart. It's a day of the beginning of summer and BBQs and, this year especially, celebrations of finally being able to be with friends and family. And it's a day of mourning and respect and gratitude for those who have lost their lives because of their service in the military. My uncle, Lynn Dodwell, according to my mom, his sister, was the only survivor of his squadron of 52 RAF pilots in WWII (Royal Air Force). Every other young man was shot down and lost while defending England. Even though he didn't die himself, I don't think he ever recovered from survivor's guilt--it always felt like part of him died. On Read More