Chewie is one of my newer puppy clients. To say Chewie is cute is very much of an understatement. When I first met him, he was 9 weeks old. He’s now coming up on 12 weeks and he’s simply a beautiful English Bulldog. [Read more…]

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. As a child, I used to dress up as my favorite spooky character and trick-or-treat around the neighborhood with my best friends. As a grown-up, I’ve always loved seeing the neighborhood children come to my door all dressed up. I’m always amazed at how creative children are and how they are able to bring out the child in all of us. [Read more…]

I lost a good friend the other day. Jacquie was my first client. Her parents wanted to have freedom to travel so they needed someone reliable who was able to take care of their elderly dog. I was hired to do the job. My lifetime experiences of taking care of elderly pets and people allowed me to meet this challenge head on. I knew what to expect and I also knew how the assignment would ultimately end up. [Read more…]

A lot of people I know who own dogs are reluctant to take their dogs on walks because of aggressive behavior. If a dog isn’t trained to behave, he/she wouldn’t know that aggression is bad and can result in accidents or injury.

Training a dog to walk without aggressive reaction is easier than you think. For instance, I have a client with two dogs. They’re both male and middle age. One is more dominant than the other. [Read more…]

Professional pet business mentor, coach and consultant, Kristin Morrison, recently wrote on her Facebook page about an article that recently appeared in the New York Times called, “Lost Dog and Other Pet Sitting Disasters.” It was a lighthearted attempt to portray ‘pet sitters’ as bumbling amateurs taking care of the neighborhood dog or cat. [Read more…]

You haven’t lived until you’ve tried to give a pill to a cat. There are a few things to consider before you attempt this daring feat. The first thing is, does the pill require food? Some pills require food in order to be effective. If not, then it means it’s up to you to administer the pill to the cat directly. The next thing to consider is, does your cat have front claws? If it does, you will need to protect yourself with either an old sheet or towel. And finally, how docile is your feline friend? The more docile he is, the easier the task. [Read more…]

Can you feed people food to your cat? An occasional table scrap or two won’t hurt kitty. Just make sure your kitty’s diet is nutritionally complete and feline-friendly. [Read more…]

Do you ever wonder what your cat is thinking? Well, cats have their own way of communicating their feelings. For instance, I have two cats.  Fred (mostly) uses his tail to let me know how he feels. But Stumpy is a lot more vocal. His “meow” or “purr” will give me insight on how he might be feeling that day. [Read more…]

When I got Skye (a Lab mix) 4 years ago, I noticed he had a very sensitive stomach. What made matters worse, he was the type of dog that would sniff out dead critters or discarded food on the street, whenever we took our walks, and tried eating them. There were multiple occasions where I would stick my hand inside his mouth to pull out anything he grabbed so he wouldn’t digest it. [Read more…]

I have two cats: Fred and Stumpy. Fred is a rescue I got when he was only 12 weeks old. He’s the one who thinks he’s a dog because he was, essentially, raised by my dog, Beau.

But this article isn’t about Fred, it’s about Stumpy. Don’t laugh, but if there’s such a thing as a “spirit guide,” Stumpy is it. [Read more…]