Cat Behaviorist Helps Cats To Help People For Free
As a certified cat behaviorist counselor, I am often asked: “Why do you spend all of your time helping cats? With your doctorate in education, why aren’t you helping people?” But the truth is, when you help cats, you are also always helping people. People tend to assume that if a cat has a behavior problem, the problem must be...
Saving Koalas Who Desperately Need Our Help Right Now
Saving Koalas Is Vital Saving koalas from the bushfires in Australia is vital in the preservation of this endearing species. As you know these bushfires have devastated wildlife and their habitat and none more so than the Koalas in South Australia. Have you seen the TV footage of the various animal charities rescuing these beautiful creatures and removing the...
Is Human Food Bad For Cats? Find Out!
Why Some People Feed Their Cats Human Food Is human food bad for cats? Though dogs are said to be man's best friend lots of people are actually huge fans of cats. As it turns out these purring animals do not only attract rich pet lovers but also those who care for strays. With this, the rise of cat food...
Animals and Autonomy
Can this vitally important ethical concept be meaningfully applied to animals? In conversations about quality of life in animals, I often hear people say things like this: “Well, animals can’t say what they want, so we have to decide for them.” “Animals obviously don’t have autonomy, so we are in absolute charge of their care decisions.” Statements of this kind...
Dogs’ Noses Know More Than Doctors About Cancer Detection
Dogs are highly accurate sniffing out various diseases and outperform humans A recent essay in New Scientist by Liz Bestic called "The cancer sniffers: Dogs could be the best tool for diagnosis" is a very good summary about what we know about the ability of dogs to sniff out cancer (the title in the print edition is "The nose knows"). Because Ms....
Walking a Dog Can Help Us Walk the Talk About Other Animals
Dogs can help people learn about the inconsistencies in how we treat animals. Nonhuman animals aren't less than human animals "Man in his arrogance thinks of himself a great work, worthy the interposition of a deity. more humble and, I believe, true to consider him created from animals." —Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man At the end of each year, I try to...
Companion Animals Help People with Mental Health Problems
A review of research analyzed the extent, nature, and quality of the evidence For many people, sharing their lives with a companion animal (aka pet) has positive benefits while for some it doesn't. My own take on these matters is that regardless of what the science says, if living with a nonhuman companion works for you, then do it. I just learned...
Trainers Worry About False Claims That Dogs Lack Emotions
Confusing statements about the emotional lives of dogs ignore scientific facts. Dogs don't lack real emotions. "We like to see ourselves as special, but whatever the difference between humans and animals may be, it is unlikely to be found in the emotional domain." —Frans de Waal Dogs and numerous other nonhuman animals (animals) are sentient, conscious, and emotional beings. An extensive comparative database shows this unquestionably to be a bona...
Do Dogs Love Us More Than Cats?
A recent essay by Elyse Wanshel, "Who Loves Their Humans More—Cats Or Dogs? Here’s The Answer" caught my eyes and those of others around the world. How could it not? Dog people and cat people seem always to be talking about how dogs and cats compare with one another—who's smarter, who's more loyal, who loves us the most—so Wanshel's title...
Perfect Photography Poses for Dog and Horse Owners
What are the perfect photography poses for dog and horse owners? As a photographer specialising in horse and dog portraits, I always try to coax owners to be involved in the picture. While it’s lovely to have a treasured canvas of your four-legged friend, it’s really the relationship, the special bond between the two of you, that I hope...
Why Dogs Matter
Dogs matter because they're alive, have intrinsic value, and are feeling beings. Why dogs matter, what's a dog worth .ugb-cc16bd5 .ugb-blockquote__quote{width:70px !important;height:70px !important}I love my dogs because she is One of my favorite books by the late British philosopher and animal advocate Dr. Mary Midgley is titled Animals and Why They Matter. It's worth quoting the book's brief description because the subjects with which Dr. Midgley...
Dog Rescue Gives Old Dogs New Life
Man's Best Friend It is no casual claim that of all God’s creatures, one is universally “man’s best friend”. From guiding the blind to keeping our soldiers out of harm’s way, from working beside first responders in search and rescue to helping bring in the herd; from serving as our protectors to providing silent comfort; dogs constantly forgive us our...