Sarah Hodgson

Ah, the warmth of spring. It delights all of us, including our dogs, who are eager to run and play after a restless winter cooped up indoors. It seems the buzz question, at least for the dog-loving population, is “Do you know a good dog park?”

More than a choice meeting spot for dogs, a dog park can be a great place to meet like-minded people as you relax your vigilant leash-walking responsibility and let your dog play. Of course, no view of paradise is without its own dose of reality. Dogfights can erupt, dogs can overheat, and you’ll need to be mindful of where you tread! Here are a few tips to keep in mind this dog park season:

1. Bring bags to clean up after your dog. Not only is this practice socially expected, but it also protects your dog’s health and the health of the other dog park users.
2. Carry enough water for both you and your dog. Although some parks offer water or may enclose a natural water source, communal pools or springs often contain bacteria that your dog would do better without.
3. Remember that many dogs are friendly, but many others are not. Don’t expect that all dogs will play nicely with others. Some people use dog parks to accelerate the socialization of their otherwise fearful or aggressive pets. These dogs often become threatened or defensive when approached; in a dog park setting, they might attack a person or dog out of fear.
4. Be mindful of whom you let your dog play with, immediately separating her (by a leash if necessary) from dogs who make you feel uncomfortable. Don’t take a person at her word if she says that her dog is friendly but you’re feeling uneasy; listen to your instincts and act accordingly.

With these thoughts in mind and a pocketful of your dog’s favorite snacks, go out and enjoy a romp in the dog park. Muddy paws and dog slobber -- what better way to herald the coming of spring?

(Sarah Hodgson has taught dog training for 20 years and is the author of seven dog training books, including Puppies For Dummies®, Miss Sarah's Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People, DogPerfect, PuppyPerfect, and Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ Dog Training. The owner of Simply Sarah, a dog training school and supply catalog based in Westchester. Hodgson has a degree in psychology and animal behavior from the State University of New York. For more pet advice please visit www.howellbookhouse.com)

Go to AnimalRadio.com

Mary Ellen

Many people assume that cats cannot swim!
When we moved into a new home that had a pool, we decided that we didn’t want to cover it, empty it, or put up a fence. But, we were worried about our 5 cats, should they ever fall into the pool. At the time, they were outside cats and we were afraid that while chasing butterflies, they might fall in, states Mary Ellen.

My daughter, a lifeguard, swim instructor and EMT, then decided to teach our five cats to swim.

To start with, we walk our cats into the water… talking to them with love. They were raised with kindness and trust us. As you know not all cats will react this way in water!

As you hold your cat, they begin to move their front feet in panic to swim to shore. You gently caress them and their fear leaves (most of the time!).

They then start to calm down and you can see it in their eyes. They've learned how to move their front feet and feel confident in the water.

We catch and release the cats five times. By the fifth time, they are fast and strong swimmers. The look of confidence in her eyes is amazing.

We let the cats climb out of the pool so they feel a sense of accomplishment, and if they ever fell in they know they will be OK...and so do we.

Unfortunately, clean up with one single pink tongue takes hours! We finish swim class by towel drying them and then the hot summer sun and wind blow them dry.

See video of these awesome swimming cats! Pictures and links to video at: http://AnimalRadio.com

(Note: This is a safety article and not an encouragement to casualty test if your cats can swim. Our swim lessons were carefully structured and conducted in a series of safe steps, and we did everything so the cats would not feel terrorized. If you have a pool, however, your cats (and dogs!) may well benefit from similar lessons.)

Listen to Mary Ellen on Animal Radio®

Dr. Pomerleau was reluctant to get his children a dog, as his wife is allergic, plus they are a quite a handful. So to satisfy his kids’ desire for a pet, and to get a lower maintenance pet, fish seemed like the natural alternative. But once the children obtained the fish, they were not satisfied.

So, he decided he wanted to make fish ownership more interactive and fun for his kids. His work focused on using marine mammal training techniques to teach his common goldfish. One of Dr. Pomerleau's fish, named "Albert Einstein", turned out to be a pretty good student. Albert is recognized in the Guinness Book of Records as the fish with the largest repertoire of tricks.

As a result, The R2 Fish School Kit is the world's first complete pet fish training system, which includes an extensive collection of fish training tools, as well as an illustrated manual and DVD that provide step-by-step instructions.

"With the correct tools and the basic promise of a food reward, fish can very quickly learn complex tricks - like the limbo, slalom or playing fetch. Now people in the market for a dog might want to consider a fish instead," Dr. Pomerleau said.

Dr. Pomerleau and the R2 Solutions development team spent the last year testing and developing the ideal tools for fish training. Dr. Pomerleau and his son Kyle host a DVD, which stars "Comet", a common goldfish showing off all his advanced fish trick skills. Click here to view the video of Comet. http://www.r2fishschool.com

"When people see the tricks, after the initial disbelief, they want to learn how it’s done and teach their own fish too," R2 Solutions President Russ Ronat said. "Not only is this product fun, but it also has great educational value."

Currently, there are not a lot of fish trainers out there, but with this new kit – who knows!

Listen to Dr. Pomerleau on Animal Radio®

Toxic pet food caused the recent deaths of more than 100 dogs nationwide. But improper food storage and handling at home can also threaten your pet’s health.

Sometimes people buy too much pet food so that it will last six months. But within a few months, it isn’t very fresh anymore, and some of the vitamins and nutrients are starting to break down over time. A better strategy is to buy only enough to last 2-4 weeks. Pet food should be stored in an airtight, hard-plastic or metal container. Paper bags are subject to insect and rodent infestations. Pet food shouldn’t be stored near stoves, hot water pipes or heating ducts. Heat and moisture can cause food to lose quality much faster.

The FDA continues to investigate the Aflatoxin poisoning incident involving 19 brands of diamond, Country Value and Professional dog food.

Listen to Dr. Humphries on Animal Radio®

We Can’t Stay Together For The Dogs

Jennifer Keene learned firsthand the importance of how to facilitate a dog-friendly breakup after successfully navigating her own divorce. It seems at the time, there were no books available on the subject. So she set out to do something about that.

The divorce rate continues to hover at around 50 percent, and marriages ending within the first five years often have dogs, not children; and statistics show that dog ownership is at around 43 percent nationwide. This breakup guide, We Can't Stay Together for the Dogs, is for both dogs and their humans, and explains how to choose dog-friendly solutions and make compromises during a split.

By integrating training tips, success stories, expert opinions, checklists, and a bit of humor, this self-help guide shows that breakups can be dog-friendly. As the first book on the subject of dogs and splitting up, it features simple step-by-step directions and offers a dog-centric point of view. Figuring out who gets the dog and whether to have joint custody, split the pack, have sole custody with visitation, or place the dog with a new family is only one of the many decisions couples face. Sections on deceptively simple subjects like housing, finances, training, food, and grooming make the transition into the new lifestyle much smoother. Quizzes and checklists are provided to help determine the need for additional assistance, and the book also offers resources to find professional help.

Whether you are going through a divorce, ending a long-term relationship, or splitting with a partner, We Can't Stay Together for the Dogs can help you. Dogs are family members who have no say in the breakup process, so dedicated pet parents need to learn to be their dogs' own advocate and respect the unique human-canine bond.

Jennifer currently lives in Beaverton, Oregon with two dogs – and has visitation rights with a third. http://www.jenniferkeene.com

Listen to Jennifer Keene on Animal Radio®

Emmylou Harris, Rebecca Kolls, Carol Moran, Dr. Marty Becker, Clive Pearse, Victoria Pettigrew, Jon Provost, Dr. Jim Humphries, Jennifer Pryor, Sheena Easton, Gary Burghoff, Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, Vladae the Russina Dog Wizard, Jai Rodriguez, Britt Savage, Alex Tsakiris, Ed Begley Jr, Dr. Donald Bramalage, Rue McClanahan, Tyson Kilmer, Eddie Money, Bobbie Hill, Kaye Browne, Jennifer Keene, Kay Cox, Betty White, Joy Turner, Jan Sluizer, Dr. Dean Pomerleau, Debbie Ducommon, Christopher Michaels, Mike O'Connor, Dr. Jill Richardson, Vinnie Penn, Mary Ellen, Amy Ammen, Dr. Debbie White, Susan Sims....

You're invited!

Listen to Animal Radio®

It’s hard enough for a veterinarian or a trained team member to give pet medications, let alone your average pet owner.

Pet owners struggle to follow the vet’s orders to give their pets medication, and we know the pets need the medication but they don’t want to take it, and just like with toddlers, we have to give pets a prescription they don’t like.

There’s a recent study that shows that only 10% of cat owners and 30% of dog owners succeeded in medicating their pets correctly. What this means, is that prescriptions sent home by the veterinarians often end up in the cupboard or on the person, and not in the pet. And what happens, is that the pet owner is too embarrassed or hesitant to go back to the veterinarian and admit failure.

Dr. Becker always admits to his patients when asking them to give meds to their pets, that it is going to be difficult, even for trained people. If they are not successful, they have plenty of company and to speak up so that they can be given other alternatives.

One trick is to use Pill Pockets. Rather than giving one Pill Pocket as recommended with the medication, you give three. The first one is an empty Pill Pocket as a tease. The second one is the Pill Pocket with the medication. The third one is the chaser.

And for the animal that won’t take any medication, they seem to spit everything out, try a compounding pharmacy. There are several companies out there, FlavoRX is one of them, and they will make your pet’s medication into pet flavors, such as Salty Bacon, Atlantic Salmon, Angus Beef and Bubblegum. Some companies will even send you samples to find out which flavor your pet prefers. About 70% of dogs and cats will lick this medication right out of the spoon. You can do this with both pills and liquids.

And, if nothing else works for your cat, there is the new transdermal system. The medication is put into something that is simply absorbed into the skin, so you wipe put the medication in the cat’s ear. While not all medications can administered this way, many of the common medications can.

However, if your pets takes pills easily, be aware that many pills can be lodged in the esophagus up to five minutes later. While this is uncomfortable for your pet, it can also lead to inflammation and can cause severe problems long term. So, for both dogs and cats, if you are not using something that is chewable, give a water chaser. When you give the water to help flush the pill down, simply grab the corner of their lip, tip their head back, and squirt it in the corner of their mouth, and it will act like a funnel and run down behind the back of their teeth and right down their esophagus. If you try to put the water on their tongue, they will just spit it up right back on you.

Listen to Dr. Becker on Animal Radio®

ASK YOUR ANIMAL: RESOLVING BEHAVIORAL ISSUES THROUGH INTUITIVE COMMUNICATION by Marta Williams (New World Library). Sure, we all talk to our animal companions (and sometimes they talk back!), but have you ever wondered what they’re thinking? In her new book “Ask Your Animal,” Marta Williams (author of “Learning Their Language” and “Beyond Words”) points out that we all have the ability to communicate with animals—both domestic and wild. “I am sure they can understand us whether we talk out loud, think thoughts to them, or send them afeeling or a mental picture,” says Williams, who can track lost or stolen pets, resolve behavior problems, and assist sick and injured animals.

Through step-by-step instructions, true stories (like the one shared in the foreword by actress, Vanessa Williams) and fun exercises, Williams guides readers into the wondrous world of animal communication. For anyone who loves animals and would like to foster a greater bond with the natural world, this book is a great place to start. http://www.newworldlibrary.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=510

FARM SANCTUARY: CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS ABOUT ANIMALS AND FOOD by Gene Baur (Touchstone, a division of Simon & Schuster). The sign at the entrance to Farm Sanctuary reads: “YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE ANIMALS’ SANCTUARY. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A GUEST IN THEIR HOME.” It is here, in Upstate New York and at a sister sanctuary in Northern California, that you can find cows contentedly grazing on grass, pigs rooting in the soil, and chickens clucking in the sun. It’s a far cry from the horrific modern “factory farms” where animals are housed in overcrowded, disease-riddled warehouses as they await their fate as someone’s dinner.

“Our idea was to help prevent ‘factory farms’ and give refuge to its victims, especially the animals so weak or sickly that even the slaughterhouses did not want them,” writes Baur, the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, the largest farm animal protection organization in the U.S. and author of a book by the same name. When he’s not immersed in rescuing animals and running two farm animal sanctuaries, Baur, a passionate and persuasive animal advocate, is involved in passing legislation that would ban abusive cruel and inhumane factory farming practices like the one at a Chino, California slaughterhouse that made international news earlier this year.

In addition to dozens of touching animal tales, “Farm Sanctuary” is brimming with interesting facts. For instance, we learn that Cesar Chavez, who organized and advocated for exploited farm workers and lent his voice to animal protection efforts, was a vegan. And that California now surpasses Wisconsin as the number one producer of dairy products (and, as Baur points out, California cows are NOT happy cows). And remember the brouhaha over the feral sheep on Santa Cruz Island some years back? Well, they happily set up housekeeping at Farm Sanctuary’s Orland, California sanctuary!

If you care about animals and the health of you and your family, read this inspiring, insightful book and learn about the horrors of factory farming and what you can do to help. And if you get a chance, visit one of the sanctuaries where visitors are always welcome. http://www.genebaur.org

THANKING THE MONKEY: RETHINKING THE WAY WE TREAT ANIMALS by Karen Dawn (HarperCollins). When you think of animal rights activists, what’s your first thought? Extremists? Perhaps. Outspoken? Undoubtedly. Compassionate? Definitely. Funny? Uh, not really. If you believe an animal advocate can’t be humorous, then you haven’t met Karen Dawn. The Australia born, U.S. raised news researcher and talk show host founded DawnWatch.com—a media watch organization focusing on stories pertaining to animals—nearly a decade ago.

In her first book, “Thanking the Monkey,” Dawn takes a lighthearted look at some serious subjects such as the problem with purchasing a puppy from a pet store. She writes: “Paritney’s (Dawn’s morphed name for Paris Hilton and Britney Spears) tricks have ranged from silly to sad, one double act being of particular concern to animal advocates. No, not that one—when they let their little personal pets out for some air—California’s climate was warm enough that we didn’t protest the shearing. The events of true concern were Paritney’s pet store purchases. First Britney strolled into a pet store in Beverly Hills and walked out minutes later with a puppy. Paris did the same thing, at the same store, a couple of weeks after Britney. If they’d spent those few minutes at the Victoria’s Secret next-door buying panties, we might celebrate. But an impulse purchase of a companion for the next fifteen years? Well, I guess nobody expects them to have the dogs much longer than fifteen months, let alone fifteen years.”

“Thanking the Monkey” is paws-down the best primer on animal rights I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Pick up a copy today – you’ll laugh, you’ll learn, you’ll laud Karen Dawn for her commitment to helping animals. And in the process, you just might come away with a newfound appreciation for the animal rights movement. Or at least you may find that you no longer get your knickers in a knot over those animal rights “extremists.”
http://www.thankingthemonkey.com

More Karen Lee Stevens at AnimalRadio.com

Animal Radio® Correspondent Bobbie Hill

Driving with a dog on your lap may get you fined driving in the Golden State. This week, the California State Assembly passed a bill restricting pets from sitting on the laps of drivers by a vote of 44-11. Assemblyman, Bill Maze (R-Visalia), introduced the bill and said it wasn’t inspired by the paparazzi photos of starlets driving with dogs, instead, Maze said he thought of the bill after seeing a woman attempting to drive with 3 dogs on her lap. Maze says that’s an obvious distraction that puts not only other motorists at risk, but also the lives of the pets. The bill now heads to the California State Senate, where if passed, violators could face a $35 fine.

Listen to Animal Radio® News with Bobbie Hill

What is your most outrageous pet cleaning problem? Perhaps your dog got into something he shouldn't and got sick, or your cat has left you little hairball presents all over the house.

Call Animal Radio® with the worst pet cleaning problem that you have ever had to face. One caller per week will receive a gift basket valued at $70 from Simple Solution and Animal Radio®

The gift basket includes
* Simple Solution® Stain and Odor Remover - the original - for everyday pet messes,
* an all-natural pet stain and odor eliminator,
* a carpet pre-treat product for tough stains,
* a specialized Hardfloors cleaner,
* an oxygen activated remover with the power of orange,
* and to top it off, a U.V. Spot Spotter™ Urine Detector.

Call us now at 866-405-8405 and tell us your worst pet cleaning problem!

Click for $1 off coupon Simple Solution Products!

I wanted to talk to you about something that I have been thinking about lately and which bothers me. A friend of mine who has a five-year-old, just got his child a bowl with two goldfish. It made me think about the goldfish I had when I was a kid, Cheech & Chong.

He was saying the usual thing “You know when the time comes, because they don’t last very long, we’ll do the old ceremony by the toilet, and flush them down the toilet.” Well, I have to ask you, who is the sick person that came up with that ritual? How come you can’t put the goldfish in a jewelry box and bury it in the backyard with a ceremony, the same way you would a hamster or anything else? Why does the goldfish get the un-ceremonious flush down the toilet? Am I wrong to say that that’s almost teaching children disrespect? It’s teaching them frivolousness. How can you shout at your five-year-old not to put anything in the toilet and not to flush their toys down the toilet, but then you’re going to carry over Henry, their beloved goldfish and dump it in the bowl and say, “Anybody want to say goodbye to Henry, anyone have some parting words for Henry?”

I think the flushing of the goldfish down the toilet is not only something that needs to be stopped, but we need to find out who the nut job was that came up with that in the first place and ask him why he was such a hater!

Listen to Vinnie Penn on Animal Radio®

On an AM-FM radio station
Animal Radio® is on-air via satellite to over 90 AM-FM affiliate radio stations nationwide.

On XM Satellite Radio
Animal Radio® is on XM158 Saturdays 12-2pm EST and Sundays 9-11am EST.

Online MP3 Podcast
Animal Radio® is available for download to your MP3 player or computer.

Live Stream
Each Animal Radio® weekly show encores three-times daily on this 24/7 Online Stream.

Cell Phone
Animal Radio® Network is available on ANY cell phone - ANY provider. Simply text "ANIMAL" to 27627. Get the latest breaking news on your cell.

Listen Now