A common thought is that there is a fine line between a child that has pets at their home and a zookeeper who takes care of wild animals. It is true, that both pick up after their animals, but there are a few more differences. Next time you are at an aquarium or zoo, be aware that zookeepers can
Read moreAnthropomorphism was one of the first vocabulary words that I ingrained to memory. It was an interesting concept to me at a very young age: using words, that are only characteristic to humans, to describe animal attributes. Examples include describing your pets as happy, sad, jealous and playful. Animal behaviorists and biologists for about 300 years have been told that
Read moreLast week this column talked about how to capture a behavior or take a snap shot of what an animal does so we could see that behavior performed again. Sometimes animals don’t perform a behavior that we would like to see in its entirety. An example would be dog agility. Dogs are not going to go through the weave pole,
Read moreBeing able to communicate with animals is something all animal lovers and trainers aspire toward. Having an expression that signals to the animal that they did something correct and a treat will be provided, is essential if you want that behavior to be presented again. This expression is called a bridge. Bridges in training like actual bridges make an association
Read moreWhen talking about fact and fiction, going to Snapple caps might not be the most accurate way of learning new information. The very first Snapple fact for instance says that “A Goldfish’s attention span is three seconds.” I can reject that fact quite easily, but for the sake of science I have done some research. Performing a quick Google search
Read moreHow do I get my cat to stop scratching on the furniture? Tracie D. Niagara Falls I can understand if both your furniture and your nerves are shredded. I would strongly advise against declawing your cat. Scratching is a natural behavior in cats and can’t be stopped. So our option is redirection. I just moved from a wood floor house
Read moreWe show our love through food. Roasted peanuts in creamy caramel covered on milk chocolate must scream affection. Avocado and tomato-garlic bruschetta sends signals of romance at any fine restaurant. I know I feel cherished when I bite into a vanilla ice cream cake shell with chocolate ice cream, fudge, and crushed chocolate sandwich cookies in the middle. And what
Read moreLetter from reader, Christy Z. H from Amherst, NY. Letter has been edited to fit columns length. Hi Kenny, We’ve had Forrest a 7 year old male Solomon island eclectus parrot since he was 3mos old. He’s essentially the perfect parrot. Fully flighted, at least 4-5 hours out of cage time a day, several perching spots in the house, a
Read moreThere will be howling, barking, screaming and squawking and that is just from the children. Halloween is right around the corner. So much commotion is sure to make even the most composed pets a little nervous. Marty Becker, a veterinarian at North Idaho Animal Hospital, said in a Good Morning America interview last year that Halloween is the second most
Read moreThis summer I met several fascinating people from around the world, below are three stories that I recently wrote for other sites including a Botanical Illustrator, Anthrozoologist and Parahawker: For the Love of Plants Meet botanical illustrator Mindy Lighthipe, who practices environmental activism through art. and From Anthropologist To Anthrozoologist: Meet Patricia K. Anderson Her love for birds started this
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