Raising Your Paws- Your resource for dog & cat pet parents

Today’s creature feature is about a diamond in the ruff.  Hear a story about a dog named Duque, a mutt that was worth 15,000 dollars, at least while the diamond ring he had swallowed, was inside of his stomach.

Are you allergic to cats? Or you may not be, but one of your family members is? Wish you could have a cat or already do and suffer the consequences of your allergic reactions? Cat allergies can seem like a really hopeless problem.  My guest today, Diane Morgan is the author of “The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner: Allergy Management & Breed Selection for the Allergic Cat Lover” and her suggestions for how to treat your allergy, and changes you can make in the home will give you hope and help you realize there is much more you can do to lessen or eliminate symptoms than you might have known about. Cats and cat allergies can co-exist.

Have you ever wondered where the term “kitty corner” comes from? It describes something that is diagonal to or from us, but why do we say this? What does it have to do with cats? Absolutely nothing, actually. Curious?  I’ll explain in this episode.

If you’re enjoying this podcast please let your friends and family know. They can subscribe for free on all popular apps by visiting www.raisingyourpaws.com.

Additional Resources for the show.

Source for the story about the diamond in the ruff – “Amazing but True Dog Tales” by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, compiled by Muriel MacFarlane.

How to order “The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner: Allergy management & Breed Selection for the Allergic Cat Lover” by Diane Morgan.

To see photos of “hypoallergenic” cats, spoken about in segment 2, visit the blog page for this episode #87 at www.raisingyourpaws .

 

Source for the story about the term, kitty corner – “A Fine Kettle of Fish: And 150 Other Animal Expressions” by Michael Macrone.

In today’s creature feature -three stories from England about cats bringing presents home to their humans – but not the dead rodents you would normally expect.  Sometimes felines hunt out and capture more people friendly things.

Does your dog ever have times where they behave in uncharacteristic ways like acting all hyper and crazy, other times, becoming mopey and rather sad looking or even taking up a bad habit that no amount of training seems to be able to stop? Can't figure out for the life of you what is going on in the dog’s mind?  Today, you'll hear that the reason for your pet’s behavior may have nothing to do with its mind but has everything to do with your emotions. In a posthumous conversation, Kevin Behan, veteran dog trainer and author of the book, “Your Dog is Your Mirror, The Emotional Capacity of Our dogs and Ourselves,” talks about the startling and radial new way of understanding your dog that can explain why dogs act out at times. The answer is as close as your own heart and emotions. I think this will surprise you.

Have you ever wondered why your cat spends so much time licking and grooming themselves?

Of course, you know cats clean themselves this way, but they still seem to continue and repeat this a lot even after they are spotless. Why?  Turns out there are other benefits for all that attention to their fur coats. I’ll explain them in this segment.

We’d love to hear your comments. You can leave them for each of the shows on the episode pages at www.raisingyourpaws.com.

Additional Resources for the Show.

Source for the stories about the cats – “Exploding Pigs and Other Bizarre Animal Stories” by Ian Simmons.

Natural Dog Training - The Official Website for the Theory and Practice of Kevin Behan's Natural Dog Training.

Natural Dog Training on Facebook

Order “Your Dog Is Your Mirror: The Emotional Capacity of Our Dogs and Ourselves” by Kevin Behan.

 

Source for the story about cats grooming – “Why Does My Cat Do That” by Catherine Davidson and “Think Like A Cat,” by Pam Johnson-Bennett. (https://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Cat-Well-Adjusted-Cat-Not/dp/0143119796/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=think+like+a+cat&qid=1612813354&sr=8-1)

For this show’s Creature Feature, you’ll hear three stories about a few dogs who ate unbelievable things – to the point that it is hard to swallow. Then, watch a Twin Cities Live TV show segment where I teach you what to do if your dog is choking and can’t breathe.

Are you getting bored doing the same old things with your dog as the pandemic drags on?  Wouldn’t it be nice to get some fresh ideas for things your dog can do to liven up their day? I’ve got the perfect resource for you. It’s a website called Sidewalk Dogs and their mission is to help you spend more time with your pup by discovering and sharing activities you can do and places to go together. Ali Jarvis is the Founder and CEO of Sidewalk Dogs and she is joining me to share some great ideas.

Cats spend a lot of time asleep – it can be up to 20 hours a day, although, the average is about 12 hours, but do they dream like we and dogs do?  Hear what research has discovered about their sleep phases.

Did you know I’m doing a monthly TV pet expert segment about dogs and cats on an ABC TV show, called Twin Cities Live? It airs in Minneapolis, Minnesota but you can see each of the archived segments on our website. RaisingYourPaws.com. Just click on the TCL logo at the top of the homepage to watch the videos.

Additional Resources for the show.

Source for the creature feature stories: Amazing But True Dog Tales, by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, Compiled by Muriel MacFarlane.

Website: Sidewalk Dog.com.

Sidewalk Dog Blog.

Sniff out Sidewalk dog on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

 

Source for the Story about cats dreaming: “What Your Cat Knows,” by Sally Morgan.

Do cats see in color? How does your cat’s eyes show you its mood?  You’d think that cats have really good vision – but the truth may surprise you. I’ll take a closer look at those large, beautiful eyes feline eyes.

Then, if your dog picks up garbage to eat when you’re out walking, do you try to take it out of their mouth? To avoid getting bitten in the process, dog aggression expert, Bryan Bailey, author of the book, “The Hammer: Why Dogs Attack Us and How to Prevent It” offers this caution. You’ll also hear exactly what to do if you get attacked by an aggressive dog, in order to survive.

Resources for this Episode.

Source for the story about cat’s eyes. What Your Cat Knows, by Sally Morgan.

Bryan Bailey’s Website.

Amazon link to order The Hammer: Why Dogs Attack Us and How to Prevent It.

 

Bryan Bailey’s “Taming the Wild” Training and Boarding Company.

You know your pet loves food but have you ever wondered what they actually can taste compared to you? I’ll explain the similarities and differences between your taste buds and dogs and cats. Did you know that there is a fifth identified taste detector on your tongue that you share with your pets?  Find out what it is.

Talking about dogs biting people is a disturbing issue.  Contrary to what many people think and you may have experienced, there are very specific reasons that dogs bite and attack people. Dog aggression expert, Bryan Bailey, author of the book, “The Hammer: Why Dogs Attack Us And How to Prevent It” will explain how dogs have retained the survival strategies of wolves, the subtle signs that dogs give that an attack is coming and how you can prevent dog bites and attacks.

Resources for this Episode.

Source for the story about pet’s taste buds - How Dogs Think by Stanley Coren.

First Aid Tip about your dog and anti-freeze.  Blog article for episode 83 – www.raisingyourpaws.com.

Bryan Bailey’s Website.

Bryan Bailey’s “Taming the Wild” Training and Boarding Company.

Amazon link to order The Hammer: Why Dogs Attack Us and How to Prevent It.

To start this episode, I’ll tell you another creature feature.  Do you remember the part in the movie, The Wizard of OZ when Toto and Dorothy are swept away in their house by a tornado?  If you think a dog being carried away is only fiction, wait till you hear this.

Then, I’ve got news.  After a stay-at-home order, due to the pandemic, Rocket, the NutriSource Pet Food’s sponsored, M Health Fairview - University of Minnesota - Masonic Children’s Hospital dog, is back at his job - helping children and families again deal with all the aspects of a hospital stay. His partner and handler, Anna Dressel, tells the stories of how Rocket keeps surprising her with the profound ways he affects others, what he particularly excels at in helping children and all about his third birthday celebration.

 

What can you do to create good mental welfare for your cat?  Follow the guideline: Don’t stimulate the emotions of RAGE, FEAR or GRIEF in them if you can help it and do stimulate SEEKING and PLAY as much as possible. These are core emotion systems in the brains of both you and your pets. Today, I’ll explain how FEAR affects cats and what you can do to keep your cat from feeling it so much.

Additional Resources for the show.

Source for the story about Sadie and the Tornado – Amazing but True Dog Tales by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, compiled by Muriel MacFarlane

See photos of Rocket and Anna Dressel on the website episode page, #82.

Anna Dressel talking about Rocket when he first started working at the Children’s hospital – Episode 64.

Stories about Rocket helping people when they needed it the most – Episode 65.

My conversation with Canine Assistants, the organization that raised and educated Rocket. Episode 66

M Health Fairview - University of Minnesota - Masonic Children’s Hospital website.

NutriSource Pet Foods website.

Source for story about reducing fear in cats – Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson.

Hear about the core emotions you share with your pets in episode 74.

Does your dog ever initiate scrapes or scuffles with another dog? All of a sudden, they are at each other. You may not know what started it, if someone is getting hurt or not, and the human owners watching nearby are screaming, and yelling sometimes louder than the dogs. No injuries may result, but it’s still upsetting when this occurs. Even if we don’t think there was any provocation, there are reasons your dog can become physically assertive or aggressive that we may not understand simply because we do not have canine minds. My dog, Rosy acted out three times in the last few days.   I do know, the two things that trigger her to go on the offensive with other dogs, one is normal adult canine behavior, the other is a weird quirk. I know how to manage them, yet sometimes it gets away from me. This happened recently and I was distressed. I’ll tell you why in my story.

If you also have a dog that gets into minor fights with others, let’s talk about it.  Write me at [email protected] or you can leave a comment on the episode page, (number 81) on our website or on the Raising Your Paws Facebook page.

I’m sure you’ve heard that pet adoptions are at an all-time high during the pandemic of 2020. Besides, the obvious reasons that people bring these animals home, there are other effects that dogs and cats have on us that you may be unaware of, that can profoundly change a person’s life.  An organization, called, Mutual Rescue, shares compelling, true stories through short films and a book that demonstrate that when people adopt animals, their own lives can be dramatically transformed in positive and often unexpected ways. Carol Novello, the founder of Mutual Rescue, a national initiative of Humane Society Silicon Valley and the author of the book, with the same name, is on the show today and will share a few of these engaging stories.

Finally, in the last segment, I’ll tell you another Creature Feature, a short amusing true story about animals – this one is about a dog that got in trouble with a librarian.

Additional Resources for the show.

You can hear the segment about why adult dogs physically correct puppies on Episode 68 here.

Mutual Rescue’s website.

How to order the book, Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, too” by Carol Novello with Ginny Graves.

Source for the story about Wofford the dog. “Amazing But True Dog Tales,” by Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, compiled by Muriel MacFarlane.

I’m starting a new segment, called Creature Feature, remarkable, funny, or heartwarming short tales es about animals. Here’s the first creature feature, “Sometimes, wishes come true in the funniest of ways.”

Do you feel like you get unconditional love from your dog? Do you ever wonder why it is that they do love us so much? Science is revealing now, how dogs are positively affected by us.  My guest today, is Dr. Clive Wynne, the director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University and the author of the book, “Dog is Love, Why and How Your Dog Loves You.” He’s here to tell you about some of these fabulous discoveries being made into the minds and hearts of dogs.

 

Have you ever seen your cat do this? Suddenly it starts running at top speed around the house, a somewhat crazed look on their face, leaping on and off furniture in their path, tearing up and down staircases, dashing around the rooms as if the very devil was chasing them?  This behavior is fairly common for inside cats, and there is a specific reason this happens. I’ll explain what it is and what to do so your cat does not get so crazed at times.

Additional Resources for the Show.

Dr. Clive Wynne’s at Canine Science Collaboratory.

Clive Wynne’s website.

How to order “Dog is Love, Why and How Your Dog Loves You” by Clive D.L. Wynne, PhD.

Source for the story about cat zoomies: “Why Does My Cat Do That”?  By Catherine Davidson.

Do you wonder why your dog loves to eat up your shoes and what to do about it if they’ve made a habit out of it? There are three specific reasons dogs chew slippers, high heels and dress shoes and one of them does have to do with the feet you put in that footwear. I’ll explain this and offer a few suggestions for saving the shoes short of giving away your dog.

Then, you can greatly improve the daily health of your cat by doing a few things in the home to create their perfect environment. My guest, Dr. Kelly Ballantyne, a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist, and contributing author to the book, “Decoding Your Cat”, talks about her chapter, “The Feline Dream Home, Creating an Enriched Environment for Your Cat’s Mind and Body.”

Did you know that dogs can understand the emotions you show on your face?

A study published in 2018, reveals that dogs are capable of understanding the emotions behind the expressions on human faces. The dogs were evaluated for how they turn their heads, how their heart rate changes and what behaviors they showed in response to different expressions on people’s faces. You’ll find out the fascinating results that shows how connected canines are to us, in this episode.

 

Additional Resources for the Show.

Source for the story about dogs and shoes – “The Secret Lives of Dogs” by Jana Murphy and the editors of Pets part of the family.

Dr. Kelly Ballantyne’s website: Insight Animal Behavior Services.

How to order, “Decoding Your Cat” by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, with the chapter, “The Feline Dream Home, Creating an Enriched Environment for Your Cat’s Mind and Body” by contributing authors, Kelly Ballantyne, DVM, DACVB and Amy L. Pike, DVM, DACVB.

Source for the story about dogs understanding human expressions –

https://www.springer.com/gp/about-springer/media/research-news/all-english-research-news/dogs-understand-what-s-written-all-over-your-face/15835462

The actual study results: Reference: Siniscalchi, M. d'Ingeo, S. Quaranta, A. (2018). Orienting asymmetries and physiological reactivity in dogs' response to human emotional faces, Learning & Behavior DOI: 10.3758/s13420-018-0325-2

There is a simple way to tell if you are feeding your dog too much, that is not about how much the dog weighs. Find out what it is.

Then, being aware of your cat’s capabilities in this one particular area can make caring and living with your feline, so much easier and better provide for its needs. Pam Johnson – Bennet, a certified cat behavior consultant and author of Cat Wise, Americas Favorite Cat Expert Answers Your Cat Behavior Questions, tells you this truth about cats that we tend to overlook.

Also, I tell you the story about the first time I called the ASPCA poison control hotline about my dog, Rosy because I thought she had eaten a scent diffuser stick from the bathroom.

Hear the story of another time I had to call the hotline when I stupidly and mistakenly fed Rosy a human medicine that’s toxic for dogs in episode 1 – segment 1.

Finally, does your dog keep repeating certain behaviors even though you try to stop them? They may be getting encouraged to keep doing them, in ways that you are unaware.

 

Additional Resources for the Episode.

Source for the story about overfeeding your dog – “The Royal Treatment, A Natural Approach to Wildly Healthy Pets” by Dr. Barbara Royal.

Pam Johnson-Bennet’s Website and ordering her book.

ASPCA Poison Control Hotline Phone number – 888-426-4435.