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Feline Fastidious Foodies
By Patience Fisher
From cat food commercials to cartoons and internet cats, it is something of a running joke that cats are picky eaters. But is this common assumption correct?
According to C.A. Tony Buffington, a leading researcher in the field of feline ...
Saving Detainees and Dogs, One Life at a Time
By Lisa Waggoner
“The rehabilitation of inmates requires a willing state of mind, a helpful attitude which insists upon finding something of value even in those who have devalued themselves ...
BARKS Podcast with Geek Week Sponsors Sara McLoudrey, Gina Phairas, Revell Horsey and Malena DeMartini
Join Niki Tudge as she Chats and Chuckles with Geek Week 2021 sponsors Sara McLoudrey of Decisive Moment Pet Consulting, Gina Phairas of dogbiz, Revell Horsey of PocketSuite and Malena DeMartini ...
Latest Articles
Front Door Freakout
If you come to my house, brace yourself.
You walk up the stairs, ring the doorbell. Suddenly...the shrieking of a hundred banshees? Maybe an exorcism in progress? Or fiery-eyed, froth-mawed Cerberus guarding the gates of Hades?
Nope. It’s my people-loving hound Huckleberry going freakshow ...
Pain Underlying
By Dr. Lynn Bahr
Most people who work professionally with cats know what stoic creatures they are and how well they can hide their pain. There are many different theories as to why this is. Until relatively recently, it was thought cats did not experience pain at all, based purely on the ...
It is Unwise to Say, “Just Ignore the Problem Behavior!”
By Niki Tudge
Last week, while perusing my Facebook news feed while I drank my morning coffee, I came across a link to a blog advocating for force-free dog training methods. This short blog had a video link which was showing a dog trainer punishing a dog for a problematic behavior. In ...
Do Helicopter Moms Impede Pups’ Success?
Talk about a tough graduate research assignment: Watching puppy videos. Where can I sign up?
Seriously … it’s been done. A research team watched hundreds of hours of video of puppies interacting with their moms. The goal was to evaluate how the way moms treated their very young puppies ...
“Naughty” Dog Or Normal Dog?
I've lost count as to how many times I've heard that Fido is 'really naughty,' 'he's doing it deliberately,' 'he's trying to spite me,' or, if an owner has more than one dog, 'they're trying to gang up on me!' But are these labels in any way helpful? Let's consider this for a moment.
Ask ...
Having a Bit More Fun with Our Dogs
When I got my first dog as a child no one in the family knew much about dogs, puppy preschool classes were unheard of and the average dog just somehow became part of the family. My father mainly got the dog because I probably pestered him for too long. He was a Dalmatian called Lord, he was ...
So Tell Me What You Want, What You Really Really Want: Nine Ways Preference Testing Can Go Wrong
What’s your favorite color?
Do you prefer pie or ice cream?
Which shirt do you like better: the striped one or the solid green one?
Most of us have been asked our preferences since we were children. Sometimes we are being asked to make a choice: if we choose the striped shirt we ...
Does Breed Specific Legislation Work?
Recently a dog incident occurred in the tiny northern village of Plain, Wisconsin. As reported by TV news in the southern part of the state, a lady was walking her dog when three Pit Bulls escaped their home and rushed up to her. The lady ended up on the ground and was “scratched”.
The news ...
Labels and Limitations…..
By Kamal Fernandez
Do you have a nickname for your dog? I mean, an endearing title or word that describes or captures who they are? This can often be a positive thing… all of my dogs, have a ‘second name’, that I often use to reference them… Sugar is ‘shu-shu’….. Punch is ‘P dog’… ‘Super’ ...