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Meet Pet Pro & Blogger Rachel Marie Sheppard

I finally caught up with Rachel Sheppard, the author of the blog My Kid Has Paws. She has some pet care skills that give her good street cred. Check out this sweet interview and please visit her Rachel Sheppard | Dianerosesolomon.com blog!

DRS: How did you get started blogging?

RMS: I spent 3 years working at veterinary hospitals as a technician and once I left, I felt something was missing. I had a unique opportunity through my grad school program to meet Kristen Levine. She is a pet-lifestyle expert and I thought that was amazing! Her advice to me was to start a blog and share all the knowledge I had gained throughout my undergraduate degree in Animal Science and my experience in veterinary hospitals.

DRS: That’s awesome. How does your blog help both animals and people?

RMS: I focus on helping people learn more about pet health and rescue. Occasionally, I post about products, travel, etc., but my true focus is on teaching pet parents how to keep their pets healthy.

DRS: What is your connection with animal rescue?

RMS: I have friends who work at several rescues, including Muttville in San Francisco, CA. Occasionally, I have an opportunity to make a donation to a rescue as part of a campaign, which is amazing! As a result, I have also worked with Queen’s Best Stumpy Dog Rescue in LA.

DRS: Fabulous. Do you have a favorite pet or animal story?

RMS: I actually have two stories. The first is how my husband and I adopted Rooney.
We had already spent 5 months looking to adopt our dog. It was one of those things where we met with several dogs, but we hadn’t really met the perfect dog for us yet. Then, I reached out to Golden Gate Pembroke Welsh Corgi Rescue about a Corgi I saw on their website. I received an email a few days later saying that the dog we reached out about was probably not the best fit for us, but they had another dog in mind who had just arrived at the rescue. A few days later, we drove a few hours to meet Rooney, and then he burst through the dog to greet us, and we both thought, “he’s perfect!”

I also really love the second story about Bella the Basset. We were able to raise money for her surgery and find her a new home, and it’s still one of the best campaigns I ever participated in 🙂 You can read about how a special family adopted a truly special dog here: http://mykidhaspaws.org/?s=Bella+the+basset

DRS: Can you share a pro tip for pet parents?

RMS: My number 1 health tip for pet parents is to keep their pets at a healthy weight. There is so much that can affect our pets that is out of our control, but we can make sure they maintain a healthy weight, and that can help prevent disease and make their senior years more joyful.

DRS: Cool! What’s next up for your blog?

RMS: More content and hopefully more consistency! I am so grateful for every single person who has taken the time to read anything I write. The fact that I get to do this as a hobby is incredible!

DRS: We’re looking forward to reading more. Where can we find your blog?

RMS: http://mykidhaspaws.org

Thank you, Rachel, for your contribution on so many levels to animals and the people that care for them.

Are you looking for your perfect Rooney? Do you already have a dog and have questions? Pick up a copy of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog for some answers!

It’s Not Snake Oil. It’s Horse Oil.

It’s not snake oil, it’s horse oil. And it’s horse oil that’s amazing for humans too! I know it’s not snake oil because I use it and love it. The product I love is called Soothing Salve and it’s made by a company called Equine and Human.

Equine and Human was developed by a horse massage therapist, named Kim Moran, in Los Angeles. First of all, let’s stop there for a moment. Kim is a horse massage therapist. What an incredible service she performs. Intuiting a horse’s needs and then aiding them is quite a gift. Next, she created soothing and effective products to use on the horses. Apparently her friends all liked the smell and feel of the products and they started using them. Kim’s product line Equine and Human was born.

I got a chance to speak with Kim, so I’ll let you hear her story straight from the horse’s mouth- so to speak…

DRS: How long have you been an equine massage therapist? How did you get into it?

KM: I have been practicing equine sports massage for 8 years. I always wanted to become a veterinarian but that dream just got away from me so I thought about ways I could help animals and be able to spend more time with horses. Equine massage therapist and energetic body worker was where I landed.

DRS: That’s so cool. So then what made you decide to develop a product?

KM: I was looking for a complimentary modality of treatment for my massage work, a product that would help the horse maintain suppleness and vitality for longer periods of time. I tried other products and either didn’t like the smell or something about the product just didn’t work for me. I liked and used essential oils and just started noticing some of the emotional benefits and researched some of the physical benefits of the oils and just kind of tinkered away until I got products that I liked. I have plans to expand the line. Stay tuned.

DRS: We will definitely stay tuned. How did you decide to try them on humans?

KM: I needed to see how the products worked so I started using them on myself and I thought they worked well and then asked friends and family to try them and give me feedback. Everyone really liked them so I thought, why not? In the horse world the rider and the horse try and become one, so you’ll often see a rider with a pain or injury that puts them off balance and then the horse also suffers. A product that both horse and rider can use is a win-win.

DRS: This is so genius, Kim. What is the benefit for horses? And how does it map over to humans?

KM: The basic idea is to make a product that not only helps you physically but also delivers a very uplifting and also grounding emotional or energetic feeling. Horses are prey animals and tend to flee or freeze when frightened and humans are predatory animals and tend to want to stay and fight. Energetically we need to come into harmony to achieve whatever goals you set up for yourself and your horse. And really the horse is just a metaphor for life- unpredictable. Anxiety, depression, trauma, insomnia, fear, rage are pretty common in people so hopefully the blend of essential oils and other high quality plant and mineral ingredients in my products help all living beings feel happier and perform better.

DRS: That’s so beautiful and so true. I’ve been using the salve and loving it, but you have a whole line. Do you have a favorite product from your line?

KM: I like that there is something really for every occasion. I guess working with horses I like the Soothing Spray because it covers a large surface area with a perfect amount of product. For people, in winter, I like the salve for hands, and in summer definitely the gel because it feels great on a hot day. I also diffuse the oils in my house to create a mood.

I would also like to add that products like the diffused Whoa oil and the Soothing products (when used correctly) are great for other animals. Anxious dogs can benefit from the calming properties of the diffused oil. The soothing products can also be used on dogs etc. but they tend to want to lick smelly things so you just have to be careful to apply correctly and sparingly.

DRS: Thank you for the reminder to be cautious. That is so important. Your new website is wonderful. Is there anywhere else people can find your products?

KM: I’m just now working on getting the products into some local tack stores and boutiques. I also sell at small boutiques, horse shows, and other equine related events.

I met Kim at a holiday boutique in December and tried the salve. My hands get crazy dry during winter and sometimes crack and bleed. Not this year! I’ve been addicted to this stuff and my hands are better than ever. Plus, my dogs like the smell. I have another salve that I can tell they aren’t thrilled with, but they like this one. Thanks, Kim for being an angel for the horses, and for creating a product that not only soothes them, but that your human friends can benefit from as well.

To learn more, please check out https://www.equineandhuman.com/

Bonus photos: Me horseback riding when I was 10 or 11!

Oh- one more thing. If you love horses but are considering adopting a dog (or know someone who is), pick up a copy of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog to get some inspiration.

My Big Secret

I’ve been carrying around a secret for years. I was bitten by a dog. There. I said it. It’s hard to admit when you are a humane educator and someone who teaches kids how not to get bitten, that it happened to me. So, other than the scar on my butt cheek, and the story I’ve told friends, I haven’t discussed it publicly. (Note: Neither of the dogs pictured here are the dog that bit me.)

That is until I read that my friend and colleague, Justine, was bitten too. I was so inspired by her honesty and ability to share what she did wrong that I decided it was time for me to share too. Here’s her story: http://www.thefamilydog.com/blog/when-the-dog-safety-expert-gets-bitten/. What makes this so powerful is that not only is she a dog trainer, but she’s a dog safety expert and her company, The Family Dog, offers a wonderful video program about keeping kids safe around dogs. Her work is incredible and opening up to share her experience is commendable. So please read her story here and learn what she did wrong so you can avoid that same scenario if you find yourself in a similar situation. Thanks, Justine, for your vulnerability and candor.

So here’s what happened to me. About five years ago, I was driving down a busy street and saw a dog off leash in a front yard. I did what I usually do which is stop my car, get out and start calling out loud to see if someone was nearby but not visible. “Hello- is this your dog? Your dog is out! Whose dog is this?” I was concerned that he could wander into the street and get hit by a car.

There were no humans around that I could see and I started walking a little closer to the dog to see if maybe a front door or gate was open. Well, that dog decided that I had come too close to his territory and started chasing me off. Unfortunately, I did NOT listen to my own advice, which is to “stand like a tree.” Our natural instinct is to run when being chased, which is what I did. Even if I was a fast runner (which I’m not) I probably couldn’t have outrun this dog. He leaped up and took a bite out of my butt and then luckily for me, turned around. I suppose he was satisfied that I got the message with that warning bite. He was right. I was fortunate that he didn’t maul me. Hopefully, I’ll never be in the situation again, but if I am, I’m trying the tree method.

He had bitten through my pants and it was pretty gory so I went to urgent care where they cleaned me up. I called animal control to let them know that there was a dog loose and I had been bitten. The most upsetting part is that this is the fault of the caregiver/owner/pet parent (whatever you like to call them). Actually, I’m taking responsibility for not reading his body language sooner. Yes, dogs get out sometimes. Mine have too. This dog was just doing his job and protecting his home. We’ve all read stories of dogs that jump over fences to attack people in the street. This wasn’t the case here. But this dog should not have been outside, off leash with no one around.

Never mind that I was getting on a plane to fly across the country to drive around the East coast and could barely sit. It was an uncomfortable few weeks while I healed but I learned a couple of lessons. First, from now on, if I don’t 100% trust a dog that is loose, I’m calling Animal Control. I have their phone numbers in my phone now and I call them when I see a dog. Second, it’s important to share these stories when they happen because maybe I can help someone else avoid getting bitten. Just like Justine did by sharing her story. Doggone Safe has some great materials and I continue to recommend The Family Dog because their information is great, not just for kids. For more information from professionals about safety around dogs, pick up a copy of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog!

Guest Blog: Low-Cost Ways to Better Care for Your Beloved Aging Pet

This blog post about caring for senior dogs is written by Nick Burton of ourbestdoggo.com. Note: all opinions are strictly the author’s.

Photo by Unsplash

Just like humans, pets’ needs change as they age. Your beloved dog or cat can be happy and healthy throughout their “golden years” if you, their caring owner, know how to better care for their needs. However, doing what’s right for a senior pet doesn’t have to break the bank (a common myth about caring for older animals). Here are some budget-friendly ways to improve the quality and quantity of your companion’s final years.

Prioritize Preventative Health Care

Major medical procedures for older pets are usually pretty expensive. You can keep your pet healthier and avoid these big bills by practicing preventive care. The main way to do this is to never skip their routine checkups. Your senior pet needs wellness checkups more often than younger pets (every three to six months instead of every year). While a simple checkup visit will only cost $50 to $100, a major surgery could run you thousands.

Be Especially Vigilant About Signs of Arthritis

When you head to the vet for those frequent checkups, be sure to inquire about arthritis. Although the American Veterinary Medicine Association notes that arthritis is most common in larger dogs, any older pet can experience this debilitating illness. Luckily, treating your pet’s arthritis is somewhat similar to treating it in humans. Dietary changes (anti-inflammatory) and low-impact exercise can help. Specific veterinary medication can be helpful, and it can be fairly inexpensive if you do your homework.

Modify Your House to Make It More Senior Pet-Friendly

While you can mitigate the symptoms of some conditions like arthritis, some consequences of old age can’t really be treated. Your pet will become less mobile and less agile — sadly, it’s just the way it is. They will require more comfortable living arrangements. They may suffer from hearing and vision loss, and you can’t do much about it.

What you can do is make your home more conducive to their needs. For instance, consider installing ramps or adding non-slip track padding if they have trouble with stairs. If they suffer from incontinence, try tiling the room they hang out in (remove carpet and rugs) or installing a doggie/kitty door. Make sure their food, water, or litter box is up high enough or down low enough (whatever makes sense in your situation) for maximum accessibility. None of these modifications are serious enough to cost too much coin.

Get Deals on Products That Make Them Healthier and More Comfortable

You can’t halt the aging process, but you can make your beloved pet’s life easier through modern products and technology. Some options include padded and heated beds, comfort harnesses (to take the place of a leash and collar), pet steps (to access a litter box with ease), and pet supplements to promote better bone health, digestion, and more. You can shop online and use a Walmart promo code to make this a lower-cost endeavor.

Give Your Pet the Attention They Crave

“Bonds with our older companions are special and we rely on our cats as much as they rely on us. Elderly cats often crave more attention than they had earlier in life,” says CatFriendly.com.

This is true of dogs as well. Older pets often need more attention than younger pets. This attention and care can actually boost their mood, which, in turn, can help them live longer. Petting your cat or playing tug-o-war with your dog is fun and 100 percent free. Don’t neglect your pet in their senior years because you think they are “tired” or “worn out.”

While aging is inevitable, deterioration is not. Through a combination of smart medical preventative care, comfort products, home modifications, and proper diet and exercise, you can give your furry friend the best gift of all: love, health, and happiness in their twilight years.

PetHub Does More Than Get Your Pets Home Fast

As the blog title says, PetHub does more than get your pets home fast. That’s a big deal as it is. But they do so much more!

What is PetHub?

Whether you’ve heard of PetHub or not, take a moment or two to peruse this interview with Lorien Clemens, VP of Marketing and Operations. There’s not only great information about PetHub PetHub | Dianerosesolomon.com products which could potentially save your pet’s life, but Lorien shares wonderful stories and lessons that we can all learn from.

Diane Rose-Solomon: Lorien, I’ve known you for a few years and I know some of your story, but not all of it. Would you share how you got started in your pet business?

Lorien Clemens: PetHub [Modern Pet ID Tags], actually began in February 2010. It was founded by my significant other who was previously at Microsoft. He left Microsoft to start PetHub. Back then I was working for a private Montessori school and was looking to leave. He was bringing stuff home that he and this team he had formed with a group of students at the University of Washington were creating and getting my feedback. I found myself just doing a lot of work for this new project that he was doing to help pets. So, after a couple months of it taking up my living room and every one of my evenings I jokingly said to him “well maybe I should leave education and go into the pet industry and you could actually pay me for this work that I’m doing for you.” And there was a quick conversation of “oh my God that would be terrible to bring working together into our relationship, let’s not even go there.” But I still kept doing more and more work. So I decided I needed to leave education just because it was time for me to move on and I started looking for what else I would do. At that point Tom said “Hey, would you like to come work with us?”, and he actually mailed me an official offer letter. So that’s when I started working at PetHub and it was really exciting. I had been part of PetHub since it started, I had never been part of a startup company before. I’ve had many careers, I’ve been in theater, education, design and several other offshoots. But for the first time I really got to bring in all of my skills and help animals, which I’m obsessed with. It has been the single most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.

DRS: That’s so cool, Lorien. How does your business help both animals and people?

LC: In a nutshell we help pet parents prepare for the worst. And the “worst” being your pet goes missing. We are set up so that a pet parent can come in and set up a pet profile for their fur kid, or not even fur we even have reptiles and birds.

DRS: Oh really?

LC: Yeah, we’ve actually gotten a Sulcata tortoise home, but that’s another story. Our clients are able to enter a ton of critical information that could help their pet in a time of crisis. Generally speaking that time of crisis that we’re able to help with is in a lost pet situation. So if your pet ends up in a shelter over night, you can actually enter items like medications, conditions, vaccinations, allergies, diet into their profile so that the shelter would be able to help them get the care that they need should they have to spend the night. If they, unfortunately, get hit by a car or something and they have to go to a veterinarian, the veterinarian would be able to know: “this animal has epilepsy and has to have phenobarbital twice a day, etc. and is current on all their vaccinations” and all that information is right there and it allows for care to happen immediately. It also helps in other situations too which we’ve most recently seen in things like the hurricanes. We’ve had major hurricanes in the United States and people were able to use this free setup. Pet parents can take the time when they have a calm moment to set up their pets profile as soon as they get their Pethub tag. Then if there is a disaster, and “now have to evacuate and put my dog in a shelter and it’s a different shelter than the one I’m able to stay in but the identification that they have on their collar and the card that they have on their crate links to all of that information that I already put in”. It allows that critical information to help your pet in that time of crisis because it’s already there. And you can change it at any time you want. So in the example I just gave about an animal being in a different shelter from me which happened a ton, and then I’m consolidated to yet another shelter as they continue to get people out and back into their homes, I can still update that on my pet’s profile and the animal shelter automatically has access to that profile and knows that I’m at a different shelter. So for pet parents we give them that peace of mind that they’ve done everything they can to prepare for the worst.

Now for pets, we get them home quickly. Over the last seven years that we’ve actually had our tags out there in the market, every year we come back with our statistics we find that 96% of PetHub covered pets are home within 24 hours or less. That’s huge. And of those pets that are getting home through the PetHub system, less than two percent are ever hitting a shelter door. And depending on where you live in this country, let’s face it, that could be a lifesaver. Certain breeds, if they end up in a shelter, that’s not good. We’re very proud of those statistics, they’ve held and they keep improving. So that’s what we do for pets, we get them reunited with their families quickly. Also we’ve got some pretty stylish tags, and they’re durable and reliable and all these other things too. That’s basically it, in a nutshell.

DRS: Yeah, your tags are awesome. I recently realized I still had an old tag from the rescue group on my dog’s collar; you couldn’t even read the tag anymore so I took it off. He had about 4 different tags until he got his PetHub tag.

LC: But you can read his PetHub tag right?

DRS: Absolutely!

LC: To your point about having all those tags on there, you can consolidate everything into your one PetHub tag. Since it links to this online profile you can go in and enter your microchip number, your rabies tag number, and your pet license. And our newest thing that we do now, and actually our primary business, is we work with municipalities to switch out from those stamp metal ID tags that are what most people know and wear off quickly into a PetHub ID tag. We now have over 45 municipal clients representing over 250 communities (cities, towns and villages) in 21 states that use PetHub tags as their pet license! You are now able to reduce the number of tags you have on your poor dog so they can just have that single tag that links to all the information that you need.

DRS: That’s so cool. How familiar are veterinarians with the PetHub tag?

LC: It’s growing. In the communities that we are in, I’ll use Miami-Dade as an example, the veterinarians are actually the ones that hand out the tags. We do training sessions with the veterinarians, we show them what the system is and they’re so excited about it. They’re actually looking at this as a health and care benefit to the animal. It’s not just a license. But we get calls all the time from veterinarians, groomers, pet sitters, from all kinds of pet care providers that say “I just saw one of your tags for the first time, it’s so cool, tell me more”. As we continue to grow and expand our base of municipal licensing programs more and more people are understanding. And that’s exciting. The San Diego area is slowly doing a rollout of all of our tags. I think right now about six of maybe a dozen municipalities in San Diego have PetHub tags and the rest are scheduled for the near future. The more an entire community starts to use our tags as the main license and identification, the more people are able to facilitate pets quickly getting home because they immediately understand the system. Like anything new there’s a learning curve and now we actually have several veterinarians and pet stores that are recognizing the PetHub ID and understand immediately. And they’ll even call us, this is funny, and say ‘hey I got a lost pet in, they don’t have any tags on them at all but I thought maybe they’d be in your system’ which is awesome but we’re like, yeah we don’t have a way to look them up. But they know that PetHub is servicing that community and so they’re coming to us first with lost pets which is pretty cool.

DRS: So the answer is, tell those owners to get a PetHub tag.

LC: Or, you know, a lot of times it’s because the pet doesn’t have a collar on, you know you wash your dog or whatever you take the collar off. If I was to say one thing to pet parents it’s ‘get that collar on that dog, even if they’re still wet’.

DRS: Yeah, I know somebody locally who doesn’t keep a collar on her dog and it drives me bananas. This is all so interesting, Lorien. Now I’d love to know about your relationship with animal rescue.

LC: Well, professionally PetHub works with a lot of different rescues. We provide tags for all nonprofits at our cost. We also make tag donations for events and things like that. And for me personally, three of our four animals are rescues from three different places. Within my extended family, my mom and dad my brother, my sisters all of them were big proponents of adoption and I have a Boston Terrier that I was able to adopt from a puppy mill raid. That’s not what they called it at the time, they said it was a hoarding case but I know now that it was more likely a puppy mill situation. At PetHub HQ we are huge supporters of Wenatchee Valley Humane Society and they have been huge supporters of ours. They allow us to make them our guinea pigs when we’re trying out different things because they want to be supportive of us as a business. So we’ll ask ‘hey guys we have an idea, a crazy idea, can we try it with you guys?’ And they actually serve, I think, seven or eight different cities within our region. They’re fantastic.

DRS: I love that. One of the groups that I’m connected with in LA is called Shelter Transport And Rescue Team and they pull dogs out of LA shelters and they put them on this giant bus called ‘The Beast’ that they’ve outfitted for animal transport to the Pacific Northwest because there are way fewer dogs up there than there are down here.

LC: Yeah, especially small dogs. We have a big desire for small dogs up here. I know that we got a ton of dogs from Texas after the hurricane. And I know that we’ve gotten dogs from as far away as Georgia and Florida where there was a massive extraction of death row doggies. At any given time it always seems like there’s always dogs over there at the Humane Society but they don’t seem to stay that long. Unfortunately except for the pitbulls. Whenever I see posts that this is day 89 for Lucas or whoever it is, it’s always those pitbull doggies and it’s upsetting. In our family, we’ve already had the discussion ‘okay, when we have space…’ (which we hope we don’t have space anytime soon – we have our 4 pets already that we love dearly) we want to go out and rescue one of those pitties because they’re such amazing dogs.’ We couldn’t bring them into the house right now just because we are full.

DRS: I totally get that. We have a pittie mix and he’s awesome. I’d rescue them all if I could. Do you have a favorite pet or animal story?

LC: When I was still in college, like 1990 or so, I was doing an outdoor theater Shakespeare in the Park in Oklahoma. After the show, we saw this white something up the hill and it was moving. We went up there and it was a white cat who had been tied to a tree and left there after the performance. So, of course, being a bunch of college theater kids we untied the cat and put him inside and we gave him a bowl of popcorn and some water because that’s what we had available to us. The next day we came back and he was asleep on some costumes. He hung out with us for the rest of the summer. Then at the end of the summer the theater director, who was really cool, said, “somebody has got to take this cat home”. We had put up signs and lost pet ad in the paper and nobody came to claim him. This was before the days of microchips. We ended up drawing straws cause three of us that wanted this cat. And I got the straw so I got to take Bardolph home. We named him Bardolph because we were doing Henry the IV part one and two that summer and Bardolph was a character there. And Bardolph had fallen asleep on the statue of Julius Caesar, which was, I guess, cool to the touch for him, and he got a sunburn on his nose. It got red and bulby and Bardolph in the play has a red and bulbous nose so that became his name. Anyway, that cat had been through the ringer. He wouldn’t take his claws in. He was always in a defensive posture. I had him for 19 years and he tested positive for Feline Leukemia but never actually showed any symptoms and he eventually got diabetes but he was a stud about taking the insulin. Both he and my current dog Penny, who was an abused dog, and who has also been through the ringer and is not gonna leave a beautiful corpse because she has so many scars, have taught me so much about enduring whatever comes your way. Neither one of them ever gave up. They were both cranky animals and maybe that says something about me although all my other animals have been delightful, but they both have taught me a lot about not giving up and not letting setbacks keep you from living your fullest life. Penny, literally, has so many scars, she’s broken bones, she’s dislocated things, she’s got one eye and yet she goes full head-on into everything she attacks and it’s more about that enduring no matter what.

DRS: That’s so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Can you offer three professional tips to my readers?

LC: Realize that pet identification, when it works, needs to be comprehensive. In the industry we say it’s a three-legged stool and if any of the legs are missing then you have got a problem. These are the three legs:

1) So you’ve got microchipping; it is the ultimate safety net but a lot of people, when they microchip their pet, then they have a false sense of security: “my pet’s microchipped and I never need to worry about it again” and you and I have both heard those stories where a cat gets home after 7 years because of a microchip. That’s like a tragedy for both families. Microchipping is key and you need to keep it up to date. I would recommend with that microchipping that you not only register it with the microchip company but also a microchip registry like foundanimals.org or found.org which are free registries and they make it a lot easier to update than a microchip company.

2) License your pet. A lot of people say “oh it’s a tax on my pet, I shouldn’t have to pay a tax”, the bottom line is if your pet gets lost or if there’s an outbreak of something in your community you, personally, and your pet are going to need the services of your local animal care and control. Pet licensing helps fund that. So a lot of people are like “oh my pet will never need that” until your pet gets lost and gets picked up by animal care and control and then you’re really lucky that they had a place to spend the night and not get eaten by the coyotes. So, license your pet. It’s also a public health thing so that we understand that all of our animals are properly vaccinated. I don’t want to read any more stories about a child getting bitten by a potentially rabid dog because the pet parents didn’t think that the dog really needed the vaccination. It’s a deadly thing.

3) And the third is to have external identification on your pet at all times. Including cats. It’s critical. The number one way animals get home is through external identification; a tag. 90% of the pets that get home are getting home because of external identification. That doesn’t mean that 90% of pets are getting home but it means that the ones that are getting home are getting home because of external identification. If the identification is not readable and not current, it’s not going to help. So that’s three pieces right there.

DRS: What is next for the PetHub business and what can we be looking for?

LC: We’re going to be adding more and more municipalities onto our pet licensing program so hopefully there’s pet licensing coming soon to your hometown. If you don’t have PetHub licensing in your community at this point and you want to help us move that forward feel free to drop us a note. You could just send it to support@pethub.com. Particularly if you know someone in animal care and control in your community, that can often help with the conversation. And the other really cool thing that’s happening, we’re launching a big website update right now. I’m so excited- it’s gorgeous. We’re totally readapting the UI, which is the user interface, so it’s gonna be even easier to keep track of all your pets’ information. And then finally we are launching some exciting strategic partnerships. We already have a great partnership with Petplan. You can get discounted pet insurance through PetHub. But we have a couple others that are getting launched that are equally exciting that are new, out of the box ways of thinking about pet care. A couple of examples are keeping your veterinarian records safe and sound and ways treating anxiety through modern technology. With some of those partnerships preventing and treating anxiety is a key part of lost pet prevention because one of the main reasons that a lot of pets go missing is because they get startled or scared. These strategic partnerships are going to bring more great resources to pet parents. We named ourselves “PetHub” because that was our ultimate vision. Bring all those things for your pet into one hub and then work from that place.

DRS: This is all so brilliant. And the best place to get more information is at Pethub.com.

LC: Yes, exactly.

DRS: Great. Anything else you would like the people to know about you or your business?

LC: Well, I’ll tell ya, there’s another resource that’s sponsored and run by the PetHub team but it’s slightly different – it’s called PetLoverGeek.com. It’s a radio show through Voice America along with blog posts. It’s a great resource for pet parents to see the latest in pet technology. We also work hard to debunk some of the marketing BS that’s out there. You know when you read like “New and improved, technology-driven”… what does it really mean? A lot of times it’s just a bunch of empty buzzwords so we try to help people see what is new and out there and what actually seems to be working and of value. That’s another cool resource that PetHub provides that you wouldn’t know that PetHub provides it because it’s mostly behind the scenes.

DRS: Thank you, Lorien for sharing Pethub, your exciting plans, and your wonderful stories. You, Tom and everyone at Pethub make a difference to the lives of people and animals in so many ways.

And thank you, Lorien for your contribution to What to Expect When Adopting a Dog.

This Old Dog is Learning New Tricks

So the old dog in the blog title is me, not my 9-year-old pups. I’ve admitted this before and I’m here to admit it again: I am not a perfect pet parent. And as dog savvy as I am, I’m also not a dog whisperer. But I know where to find one when I need one.

Gonzo and Ninja on the sofa.

Nine years ago, just a few months after we adopted Gonzo, he began exhibiting less than stellar behavior. In fact, he was lunging at people when they came in the house- including kids. And my kids were young at the time, so it was scary. My friend, Sam, told me about an animal behaviorist (she called her a dog whisperer) who had helped her with her newly adopted Golden Retriever. So I called Teka, of k9 Toddlers in LA, who came to our home to investigate.

Teka saw Gonzo’s body language and our body language and she taught us how to show him who is boss (lovingly of course), which is what he needed. He needed to feel secure and know his place in the pack. She also gave us a slew of helpful tips to help him, and help keep visitors safe. (Hint: He goes into the crate when the doorbell rings. When the energy in the house has settled, we introduce the newcomer to Gonzo, assuming the visitor actually wants to meet our nutty dog. Gonzo must sit and then he’s rewarded with a treat.) He’s still an insecure dog but we love him and we’ve got a system that works.

Seven years ago, Ninja joined our family and he and Gonzo have been buddies since day one. Every once in a while they’ll get into a scuffle, but up until recently, it hasn’t been an issue. A few months ago, however, they starting fighting regularly. The fights usually start when food is involved, or sometimes they’re over who gets to sit near me on the sofa, and it’s exhausting. To me it appeared that Gonzo was being aggressive. My son, Zander thought Ninja was starting it somehow. But Ninja has this really goofy innocent look on his face and I didn’t think so.

Then came the big fight. While Zander and I were pulling them apart, both of their collars came off and my son got bitten in the fray. Just a small bite, but that was the last straw. It was time to call Teka again.

Gonzo and Ninja on guest bed.

The minute she walked in the door, she could see what was going on. Both dogs would sit in front of her but Ninja was using his body to take up more space and push Gonzo out of the way. I had never noticed it before. It’s subtle dog language. Basically, when Ninja does this, Teka explained, he’s poking Gonzo. Gonzo will move aside for a while, and then when he can’t take it anymore he lunges at Ninja. He’s just been pushed over the edge. It’s actually fascinating once you break down the dynamic. And vice versa, when Gonzo is on the sofa taking up space and not allowing Ninja up, he’s poking. But for the most part, Zander was right! Ninja is not as innocent as he appears.

Gonzo taking care of Ninja.

Teka taught us how to use our bodies to move the dogs away from food areas, or away from under the chair while we eat, or off the sofa. Dog behavior is not like training where you ask them to do a command and they do it and get rewarded. Instead, it’s understanding what they are doing and then learning how to respond in their language.

Now we are proactive and we decide who can sit where when. Every once in a while one of them will try and exert power but for the most part, we’re wiser to their ways and can mitigate any situation before it escalates. They really do love each other- they snuggle all day long (as evidenced by their photos). They’re just dogs and doing their dog thing and it’s our responsibility as humans to learn their language to keep them and ourselves safe and happy.

I’m so grateful for Teka. She’s been a blessing to our family multiple times now. If you are in the LA area and need an animal behaviorist, contact her at: teka@k9toddlers.com If you are out of the area, search for a dog behaviorist in your community.

Fun and Free Activities Over Holiday Break

The holidays are coming fast and school break is just around the corner. Will you be traveling? Visiting with family? Staying home with your kids?

No matter where you will be, there’s always plenty of downtime over break. Having some good quiet activities on hand for the kiddos is essential. Bonus points if the activity is not only fun but also offers a humane education teaching opportunity rolled into one.

I am happy to offer many FREE downloadable activities on the Fun Stuff page on my Team Kindness website. Here’s a bit of what you will find there:

? Crossword Puzzles, Word Search Puzzles and Coloring Book Pages from the JJ The American Street Dog book series.

? Additionally, Lakes Animal Friendship Society has shared some worksheets from their Be Kind and Stay Safe Living With Cats and Dogsactivity book.

? Pima Animal Care Center offers a whole activity book Fred and Wynona’s Animal Care Activity Book that teaches kids about kindness and empathy.

? Shelter Me Photography shared a beautiful page from their wonderful coloring book Color Me Home.

And if you are looking for wonderful gifts, JJ the American Street Dog and JJ Goes to Puppy Class are on sale right now if you purchase them here. With each purchase you will receive signed copies of either book plus a FREE handmade stuffed animal that helps support animal rescue services with our friends at Compassion for Animals.

Plus there are many other wonderful recommended books on the Book Club page on Team Kindness that you can purchase as gifts for friends and family.

While staying safe and having fun are essential, having plenty of activities to choose from makes your role as a parent or a humane educator that much more pleasant. Wishing you, your families and friends- human and furry alike the happiest of holidays and a wonderful 2019!

Education and Teamwork to Save More Animals

I’ve been an entrepreneur for a long time and love the idea of making a difference in this world. That’s why I’ve been writing books about animal rescue for the past eight years. Yet I believe I’m here to make an even bigger impact than I have so far and thought that it might be a good idea to learn some more skills. After about two minutes of research I discovered the Social Entrepreneurship and Change masters program at Pepperdine University.

I never thought I’d go back to school but in September found myself at Pepperdine in a diverse cohort with 19 other people. One class this semester is about leadership and service and is an internal exploration. Isn’t knowing ourselves the first step in being able to lead others?

And the second class is a hands-on social entrepreneurship class where we are helping an entrepreneur launch their business or a segment of their business. Luckily, my team of five was paired with Compassion for Animals (CFA) whose vision is: “A world where humans and animals can co-exist, and that humans treat all animals with compassion, care, and respect, without harming their existence.”

Image credit: Denisismagilov

On the first day of class we were tasked with coming up with a project that we wanted to work on. Anything in the pet space was fair game. We brainstormed few ideas but mostly came up blank. Then Michelle Ellena, the founder of CFA, and our team mentor, said: “There are a couple of projects that we have been approached to work on but haven’t started.” She shared them with us, and one of them sounded interesting.

The idea was an off-shoot of the billboard slogan campaign from God. Maybe you’ve seen it. It was clever messages that were being delivered from God.

For the CFA project, the clever messages instead are authored by O-Dog. (Get it? Flip Dog and God backwards). The idea we came up with was to help spread the message of dog adoption via messaging. We started by testing the market to see which of the messages people preferred. Most importantly, we wanted to find out who our audience was, so we created and administered a questionnaire.

Image credit: Statista

After many discussions and mapping out plans we realized that a billboard campaign, while clever, might not directly impact dog adoption. Either way, it wasn’t measurable so we backtracked and narrowed down our focus asking: How can we impact the animal overpopulation and homelessness crisis using the slogans?

After a few weeks of narrowing down and more brainstorming, we decided that if we could raise money to help defray spay and neuter costs, that would help more families be able to afford spay and neuter and would help cut down on the overpopulation. While the numbers of dogs being euthanized has improved dramatically over the years, there’s still more work to do.

Image credit: portageanimalwelfaresociety

We decided to design tee shirts with the slogans that people can buy. Proceeds from tee shirt sales will go to veterinarians that offer reduced-fee spay and neuter. In class, we had to share where we were in the process so far and created a presentation. The presentation showed how many pets are still being euthanized in the shelters and how quickly unneutered pets can reproduce.

Our next steps are to design tee shirts, and go back out and test the market with a minimum viable product. That means our goal is to create a product or a mock-up of a product and see how many people express interest. We will use the power of the Internet to help us target our audience and get feedback. We believe our target audience is people who support animal rescue, spay and neuter and maybe even have a pet already!

If there’s interest, wonderful! We will create and sell tee shirts and then decide if we want to expand our product line and/or the slogans and designs. If not, then we will have learned, without spending a lot of money, if this was a product the market might be interested in.

Anyone purchasing the tee shirts will not only be financially contributing to supporting spay and neuter but when they wear their tee shirts in public, they will be an ambassador for animal welfare as well.

Our goal as a team is to first and foremost gather as much information as we can for Compassion for Animals. By taking on this project we are doing the market research legwork for a non-profit.

Ideally, we will get positive feedback from the market and many people will purchase our tee shirts in support of spay and neuter and animal rescue and together we can make a difference to animals. I’ll be back in a few weeks with our designs so you can let us know if you’d like to buy one and support spay, neuter and animals in need!

A Coloring Book that Saves Dog’s Lives

I have been in awe of Shelter Me Photography for a few years. Nanette Martin, the creative mind behind Shelter Me Photography helps get dogs adopted by taking beautiful photos of them. Most shelter photographs are mere snapshots and they don’t bring any heart to the animal.

Enter Nanette who brings out the beauty of their soul helping the dogs to become more adoptable.

“The Image changes the Heart and the Heart changes the Mind.” – Nanette Martin.

And she travels around the country teaching shelters how to create their own effective photographs as well.

Nanette just co-authored a beautiful coloring book called Color Me Home. The coloring page images are of real dogs that she has photographed. Facing the coloring page is a description of each dog, their story, their breed and maybe something about the rescue group or shelter that saved them and a bit about the plight of their situation or region.

Get it. It’s a great gift and it’s supporting Shelter Me Photography to get to her next gig where her photography will save more shelter dogs. Get your copy here.

And if you recognize her photography style, it’s because Shelter Me Photography provided the photos we used for the cover of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog!

CONTEST: Win a free copy of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog!

Enter by:

1) Purchasing a Color Me Home coloring book and emailing me your proof of purchase. You will be eligible to win a paperback copy. (Limit of 5, so first come, wins!).

2) Win a copy of the ebook by:

– Correctly identifying the dog on the back of the coloring book that also appears on the cover of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog. Comment here or on Social Media with your answer, or email me at Diane (at) dianerosesolomon.com

– Share the Color Me Home book and purchase link on social media.

Contest runs until November 26th And is limited to US Participants only.

Meet Dog Nutrition Expert Kimberly Morris Gauthier

I met Kimberly Morris Gauthier years ago when she was speaking about social media at a conference. It turns out Kimberly is a Dog Nutrition Blogger and author and she was captivating and hilarious. She’s a straight shooter and I enjoyed learning from her. Her nutrition blog is uber popular and helpful, especially for people who are choosing a raw diet for their dogs. Here’s Kimberly!

DRS: Kimberly, how did you get started in your pet business?

KMG: I began blogging in 2009 and when we adopted puppies in 2010, I slowly started writing about raising littermates and that lead me to launch Keep the Tail Wagging® at the end of 2011.

DRS: How does your business help both animals and people?

KMG: I began writing about raw feeding for dogs in 2014, a year after transitioning my dogs to raw. Learning how to feed a raw diet was overwhelming and the social media groups weren’t always welcoming to new raw feeders. I felt that if learning how to feed a dog a species appropriate diet was a challenge for me, then I probably wasn’t alone. So I began to write for people who were trying to learn about raw feeding — through my blog, we’re learning together.

Raw feeding has many benefits for our dogs. My dog, Rodrigo, has a laundry list of health issues and 99% of them cleared up when I switched him to a species appropriate diet. This includes chronic ear infections, skin rashes, digestive issues, joint issues, and more.

Every time a dog parent shares that my blog has helped them switch their dog to raw, I feel an amazing high.

DRS: That is so cool. Can you tell me about your connection with animal rescue?

Kimberly & her dog Rodrigo.

KMG: One of my dear friends runs a local rescue group and I donate many of the things I receive from brands to her fundraising events and the dogs she fosters. Rescue is a heart-wrenching passion and I respect everyone who is working to make the lives of our pets better. I hope by donating quality products, I’m able to make life easier for the rescuers.

DRS: That is wonderful. Do you have a favorite pet story you’d like to share?

KMG: I have many stories about my dogs that make me smile. What I love is knowing what each of my dogs is saying to me although they can’t speak in my language. Rodrigo loves hugs and will come in for a lean or sit as close to me as possible on the sofa. When he does this, I can’t resist immediately changing my focus to him.

In the morning, Sydney never immediately goes outside, she stops at the doggy door, turns to look at me, then wiggles her entire body as she walks back to me for a hug. Then she bolts through the door barking the neighborhood down.

Scout is very vocal, very affectionate, and I swear he laughs. He makes a sound when he’s having fun and it sounds like a quiet laugh. I love it.

And Zoey is the shy dog in my pack, but when no one is watching, she’s pretty bossy and when she’s ready to go to bed, she comes to me and practically jumps up and down in excitement because it’s Night Night time.

Kimberly & her dog Scout.

DRS: I suppose when you have four dogs, it’s hard to come up with just one story. Kimberly, can you share any feeding tips for my readers?

KMG:

1) While I prefer to recommend that we feed our dogs a species appropriate diet of raw, I respect that this isn’t feasible for everyone. Therefore, it becomes important to add fresh food to our dogs’ diet. We can add vegetables for fiber and antioxidants, bone broth for nutrients and moisture, and canned/boiled oysters for zinc and manganese. The trick is to educate ourselves about how can improve our dogs’ diets.

2) When feeding a raw food diet, it’s important to keep in mind that every dog is different. There is a tremendous amount of information online that tells us how we should feed our dogs and while this information is valuable, it may not meet the needs of every dog. Therefore, use this information as a starting point, continue to educate yourself, and adjust your dog’s diet to meet his or her individual needs.

3) The veterinarian community isn’t completely on-board with pet parents taking control of their dog or cat’s diet, however, it’s still important to have a discussion with your vet about nutrition. While this discussion can be uncomfortable if your veterinarian isn’t open to raw feeding or a home cooked diet, we can bring many around when we show them the work we put into understanding and meeting our pets’ nutritional needs. If your vet still isn’t supportive, find a vet who is – having a veterinarian on the same page is a valuable resource.

DRS: That is super helpful, Kimberly. What’s next up for your business? What can we be looking for?

KMG: I’m working on my second book, 101 Novice Questions About Raw Feeding for Dogs and I’m really excited to begin leaking information on social media soon. A Novice’s Guide to Raw Feeding for Dogs was published on August 31, 2017 and has been well received by the pet lover and raw feeding communities. My goal is to publish this new book in November 2018 and it will focus on what I’m learning from others in our community.

I’ve also begun hosting local workshops for people who have questions about raw feeding for dogs.

DRS: Wonderful. I’m sure there are a lot of people who are grateful for your contribution. Where can we learn more about you and your business?

KMG: Please learn more about me by visiting my blog, KeepTheTailWagging.com, and finding me on Facebook and YouTube.

DRS: Is there anything else you would like for people to know about you or your business?

KMG: It’s not easy putting yourself out there day after day. While it’s a great way to build an audience, blogging also attracts the critics. I want people to know that if you want to follow a similar path with your passion or business, don’t pay attention to the critics because for every mean-spirited person, there are a thousand people who you’re helping every day.

DRS: Truer words were never spoken. Thank you again for sharing this information as well as for your contribution to What to Expect When Adopting a Dog. I am most grateful.

CONTEST: Win a free copy of What to Expect When Adopting a Dog!

Enter by:

***Contest runs until November 26th And is limited to US Participants only.***

Contest runs until November 26th And is limited to US Participants only.