Blog

A reader wanted to know what apps and devices I like for pets and pet owners. I pulled in my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, and here’s what we came up with! Q: Do you have any favorite apps or tech toys for training, playing with or protecting dogs and cats? A: Do we ever! There […]

I can’t remember a time I’ve been asked more repeatedly and persistently for an update on anything as I have been about Lazaruff. He’s the dog Teresa and I met while I was volunteering at the opening of a new clinic attached to the St. Landry Parish animal shelter in Louisiana, at an event spearheaded […]

Cats on leashes? Yes, it’s a thing, although not all cats or cat owners are on board. This reader wanted to increase the chances a new cat would take to it, so I asked my daughter, trainer Mikkel Becker, to join me in some recommendations. Q: I want a cat who will enjoy walking on […]

In my almost 40-year-career, I’ve owned all or part of seven veterinary practices. Some were free-standing buildings and others were in shopping centers, but they were basically all of the same design. From front to back, reception counter, waiting area, exam rooms, pharmacy/treatment, surgery, radiology, offices, and kennels. It’s the same template for probably 99 […]

As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with our dogs — heartworms, ticks, fleas — now they are at risk from “kissing bugs.” The blood-sucking insects, found primarily in the southern United States and into Mexico, Central America and South America, seek out animals on which they can feed, including dogs, birds, reptiles […]