Present time is here. If you are hurrying around looking for something great to give to your animal enthusiast, here are some of my favorites this holiday season. “Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine” by Marion Nestle I just got the book, although it is a few years old now. This book is a serious yet important
Read moreYou step up to the seven dots on the floor. You have the bowling ball in your hands. You walk your three and a half steps and release the ball. The ball spins and turns down the lane. As it veers away from the middle, your torso starts leaning in towards the head pin. As you lean, the ball changes
Read moreWe adopted an 11 month old puppy with little to no previous training. She is a mixed breed (basset hound, beagle, daschund). She gets over excited when playing and gets nippy grabbing at the toys and then our hands whether we have a toy or not. Jim & Carol B – Niagara Falls “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pyror
Read moreWe’ve all heard that senior animals are harder to adopt. Visitors walk by the black cat with a gray muzzle that is sitting quietly and go over to the kittens playing with toys. Or the adult wire haired dog that gently wags their tail is overlooked because of the velvety puppy in the next kennel. While puppies and kittens are
Read moreA 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 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 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
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