43. Holiday Pet Health, Heartwarming Stories & Christmas Cheer

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00:00:00:04 - 00:00:14:13
Voice Over
Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonifati powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

00:00:14:15 - 00:00:32:23
Chris
All right. Hello, everybody. Welcome to another very special episode of the Pets Add Life podcast. And why is it special? Well, we're getting mighty close to Christmas, so we've got two awesome guests plan, two amazing products, two fun stories.

00:00:32:23 - 00:00:48:07
Chris
We're going to answer two of your questions, but we're also doing some giveaways. We're going to get into the details of that later, but I'm hoping that everybody stays tuned because we want to give some stuff away. Ho ho ho. Call me Santa Chris.

00:00:48:09 - 00:00:51:11
Kristen
Oh my gosh Santa. Chris. Hey, you know what's.

00:00:51:11 - 00:00:53:03
Chris
The Christmas note?

00:00:53:05 - 00:01:00:21
Kristen
Hanukkah starts on Christmas this year, so we got a double double holiday on the 25th.

00:01:00:23 - 00:01:16:06
Chris
I like I like the the double holiday. That's good stuff. That's good stuff. So we're getting mighty close. We're just about a week away, from Christmas. Christian, what are your plans like this year for Christmas? I know you used to go to Colorado, right?

00:01:16:11 - 00:01:36:18
Kristen
Yeah. We did. My sister lives out there, but this year we're going to kind of lay low. We're going to stay here, in western North Carolina. My mom, moved here for the summer, so she's going to be here and then we have some neighbors coming over on Christmas Eve. So we'll just kind of have a nice, quiet little Christmas Eve, and then, mom's going to cook up a big Christmas Day dinner.

00:01:36:18 - 00:01:49:10
Kristen
We've had a head on over to her house, so. And I bought her dog, Ben, the cutest little red and blue plaid sweater for his gift. So I hope he's not listening. Is that what I wanted to say?

00:01:49:12 - 00:01:51:00
Chris
And if he has somebody cover his ears?

00:01:51:00 - 00:01:52:19
Dr. Haworth
Harry, that's awesome.

00:01:52:21 - 00:01:57:12
Chris
But we're actually at you. Yeah, we're heading down your way. We're going down to South Carolina, to.

00:01:57:12 - 00:01:58:05
Kristen
Seth.

00:01:58:10 - 00:02:15:01
Chris
Hope's parents for the Galvin family Christmas party, where, Chef Chris will, of course, be making an appearance. We do a family secret Santa with all of them, which is nice. So I don't have to worry about getting, all 500 members of the counting clan.

00:02:15:01 - 00:02:16:00
Dr. Haworth
Wow.

00:02:16:01 - 00:02:31:20
Chris
That's great, because there are. It's an Irish family, and there's a lot of them. You know how to multiply. So it's nice. You just get one person and you worry about that. And we do wish lists and everything. So we got it down to science. So taking the stress out of the holidays, which is that.

00:02:31:20 - 00:02:34:03
Kristen
Is the best way to do it.

00:02:34:05 - 00:02:57:08
Chris
Yes. And speaking of, taking the stress out of the holidays, that's what we're here for, folks. We're here to to give you a nice 45 minutes to 1 hour of easy, easy pet related listening. That'll make you feel real, real good. Stay tuned. Because we have a veterinarian and a and a, prolific. Absolutely. I was looking at, how many books she has.

00:02:57:08 - 00:03:10:10
Chris
Absolutely. Prolific writer. Loves to write dog story. So we're going to be getting to that in a little bit. But before we get there, we gotta hit the story corner. So let's go ahead and write in that

00:03:10:12 - 00:03:14:23
Voice Over
Kristin and Chris present story time.

00:03:15:01 - 00:03:43:13
Kristen
All right Chris. So for story time, I actually have another survey. I did something similar last week, but I'm kind of been to this end of the year kind of thing. So, this is a survey about how much money you're going to spend on your pets gifts this holiday season. So let me just start out by asking you, will you spend between 0 and $25, between 25 and 50, or between or 50 and above on Tiger this this year?

00:03:43:15 - 00:03:55:12
Chris
Honestly, probably between 0 and 25. Her gift is likely going to be people food. It's going to be some some like boiled shredded chicken.

00:03:55:14 - 00:03:56:14
Dr. Haworth


00:03:56:16 - 00:04:12:10
Chris
She wants for not you know she's older. So there's you know she won't wear like any cute little outfits or anything like that. So the best gift I could give her is some cat safe cheese, a little bit of butter, a little bit of cream and.

00:04:12:11 - 00:04:14:23
Kristen
Cat safe American cheese.

00:04:15:01 - 00:04:17:13
Chris
Well not like the American cheese is not cat safe.

00:04:17:16 - 00:04:19:13
Kristen
I know, I know.

00:04:19:15 - 00:04:36:15
Chris
You'll have a little bit of that. Yeah, but they, they do make like, like cat safe. It's guys. So they take all the salt out. That's what sets the cat. So yeah. No she. Yeah I don't I spend a lot on like her regular food and her litter. We just got her, you know, that automatic feeder and stuff like that.

00:04:36:15 - 00:04:40:00
Chris
But those nice those are gifts for me because it makes my life easier.

00:04:40:00 - 00:05:11:18
Kristen
That's exactly. Exactly. Well, if you're curious to know what other pet parents, are going to be spending, I surveyed my pet living audience, last week, and I learned that 36. Yeah, 35% of them will spend 10 to $25 on their pet, 31% are going to spend 25 to 50, and 5,013% said they're going to spend 50 to $100.

00:05:11:20 - 00:05:13:12
Kristen
Do I say that twice? No, I didn't.

00:05:13:14 - 00:05:14:18
Dr. Haworth


00:05:14:20 - 00:05:24:07
Kristen
And then another third, another 13% said the sky is the limit, and only 4% said they were not going to spend any money on pet gifts this holiday season.

00:05:24:07 - 00:05:25:19
Chris
So Scrooge.

00:05:25:21 - 00:05:31:03
Kristen
I know right? Only 4% of Scrooges. That's that's right.

00:05:31:05 - 00:05:34:18
Chris
But it's still pretty good. Wow. Skies. Yeah. What was that? 13%.

00:05:34:19 - 00:05:36:23
Kristen
13%? Yeah, sky's a lot.

00:05:36:23 - 00:05:42:13
Chris
You've got a wealthy audience. You got a wealthy audience.

00:05:42:15 - 00:05:44:10
Kristen
Goodness, goodness.

00:05:44:12 - 00:05:49:20
Chris
Zuckerberg reading your blog over there.

00:05:49:22 - 00:05:54:19
Kristen
All right, so that's my story. How about what do you have for us this week?

00:05:54:21 - 00:06:20:14
Chris
Yeah, I it's in a similar vein. It's not really a story, more of a call to action that I want to make people aware of because I'm sure we have some listeners, obviously, who have pets, but then we have some who may be thinking about getting pets or some who may be between pets. And if you're considering adopting, now is a great time because a lot of shelters are part of the home for the holidays.

00:06:20:16 - 00:06:50:21
Chris
I don't know what to call it. Spree. Adoption spree. Right? Adoption fest? I'm not sure, but it's something that shelters can opt into. And the charity helps cover the adoption feeds. So the idea is to clear out the shelters for Christmas. So all of these wonderful animals, I can spend a Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's or other non secular holidays, with a, brand new family in a nice warm home.

00:06:50:23 - 00:07:12:23
Chris
So if you are thinking, is now the right time, I'm hoping that we're convincing you slowly but surely that the answer is yes. And if you do think it is the right time, call your local shelters, see if they're participating in any holiday drives for adoption. Because it might be a good time to get some of those adoption fees waived.

00:07:13:05 - 00:07:39:04
Chris
And then you can be, like, one of Kristen's big spenders and blow that $300 on on stuff for your new furry friend. So go ahead and check it out. Call your shelters. And if you, we're looking for a sign, to adopt a new pet, perhaps this is. All right. Coming up next, this guest will not just be gracing our, ears and screens here on the Pal podcast.

00:07:39:04 - 00:07:45:14
Chris
You're going to be able to spot them on dog TV's new series. That's A to Z. So let's go ahead and get into that.

00:07:45:14 - 00:07:50:07
Voice Over
Beyond the leash exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionals.

00:07:50:09 - 00:08:18:07
Kristen
Joining us now is Doctor David Hayworth, a veterinarian, entrepreneur and visionary in the field of animal health and wellness. Doctor Hayworth has led some of the most impactful organizations in veterinary medicine, including PetSmart charities and Morris Animal Foundation. You probably heard of one or both of those. He's now the founder and CEO of the Institute for Pets and Society, where he continues to drive innovation and support for animals and the people who love them.

00:08:18:09 - 00:08:41:03
Kristen
With his extensive background in veterinary oncology, strategic consulting, and nonprofit leadership, Doctor Hayworth will share insights today into improving pet health, the latest in cancer treatments, and the evolving role of pets in our lives. He's also one of the speakers on dog TV's new series vets A to Z, and we're thrilled to have him today. Welcome, Doctor Hayworth.

00:08:41:05 - 00:08:43:15
Dr. Haworth
Thank you so much. It's nice to be here.

00:08:43:17 - 00:08:52:11
Kristen
Oh, it's great to have you on the show. Gosh, with your background, we need, like, an hour to interview you, so.

00:08:52:13 - 00:09:00:00
Dr. Haworth
You know, actually, minutes, I. I just keep a job, guys. I mean, that's that's that's the bottom line of it.

00:09:00:02 - 00:09:09:20
Kristen
Well, let me just start with this. What inspired you to focus your career? Because obviously you've had a lot of great experiences. But why folks, why did you want to focus on animal health and wellness?

00:09:09:22 - 00:09:27:01
Dr. Haworth
You know it because and thanks for the question. It's a ever since I was a kid, like literally, this is one of those things that veterinarians say all the time. But when I was four, I told my parents patently, this is what I want to do as I grew, you know, it never really changed. It's not that I don't like people, I do.

00:09:27:01 - 00:09:47:16
Dr. Haworth
I mean, I'm married one. I've been married to one for 35 years. I had we had two together. We raised them. They're lovely young people. But, you know, I find them something really magical about dogs. And, you know, not to wax philosophic too much, but I've, I've never met an evil animal. I've met scary ones. I've met, you know, hurt ones.

00:09:47:16 - 00:10:06:20
Dr. Haworth
I've met. I've never met an evil one. And and I can't say that about humans. And so all the different opportunities that I've had to move over into a more human health centric space, it's just it's never really been appealing to me. Something I tell veterinary students a lot because veterinary medicine, of course, you guys know it's it's got some challenges, particularly right now.

00:10:06:20 - 00:10:30:00
Dr. Haworth
It's it's, we have obstacles and hurdles, especially things like mental health and and life balance, but no other job. Do you get to consistently be a healer of the innocent? And that's a that's pretty laudable. So I can't claim any of that for myself. But at least from a professional standpoint, that's what's always drawn me back to to being around animals and being an animal.

00:10:30:00 - 00:10:57:13
Chris
And that's that's a really good answer. I love that, and I want to dial in on some of that animal, health stuff. And, you know, you're you're deeply involved in veterinary, oncology, which for those of you who don't speak science, that's the study of cancer and how to, cure and and, help it. And, some people may know, but my father had prostate cancer, and I was a amazed at the technology that was used.

00:10:57:13 - 00:11:19:14
Chris
And he's cancer free. It's totally different the treatments that are available now than they were even ten years ago. So I'm hoping and I'm hoping you're going to give us some positive news here, that there's similar advancements happening in veterinarian oncology and that and that, things are getting better. The technology is getting better. So are there any advancements that you to share, with our audience?

00:11:19:16 - 00:11:42:02
Dr. Haworth
Yeah. Can I give you, I'm going to give you a balanced answer. So the short answer is yes. Those treatments are available, and we have made such incredible progress. I mean, things like CyberKnife, which if you aren't familiar with the technology, you know, a big x ray beam shooting across the body is bad. Even if it catches tumor on the way.

00:11:42:04 - 00:12:03:00
Dr. Haworth
But if you take 5 or 6 or sometimes 100 smaller intensity beams and focus them through different than most of the body is not getting anything but that point at which all of those beams intersect. It's like Ghostbusters that when they enter from the beams cross, that's a lot of energy being focused. And so that's technology we couldn't have possibly had without the computers that we have today.

00:12:03:00 - 00:12:26:04
Dr. Haworth
And and the technology and the balance to that answer is it's not available to most pet parents, most pet parents, you know, you have to be extraordinarily committed to be able to get the same kind of technology for your dogs. The genomic analysis of the tumors, the third, the personalized, individualized medicines, and you have to be persistent, but the technology is there.

00:12:26:04 - 00:12:40:02
Dr. Haworth
And so, yes, first of all, very sorry to hear about your father. Great. That he's on the road to recovery. Second of all, those technologies are coming. And, so the future is very bright for for cancer in our pets.

00:12:40:04 - 00:13:01:06
Kristen
That's fantastic. That's fantastic news. Let's just shift gears for a minute, since we're coming up on a big holiday in a few days, with the holiday season, that we're already already in right now. What advice would you give to our listeners who have, dogs, cats or other pets, to keep their pet healthy and out of the veterinary er this holiday season?

00:13:01:08 - 00:13:19:09
Dr. Haworth
Yeah, it's always this game. It's, you know, Christmas, Christmas and New Year's are the second and third most dangerous, holidays for pets after the 4th of July. You know, I think it is always I think the best general advice is just remember and put yourself in your pet's eyes. They don't know these people. You may have known.

00:13:19:11 - 00:13:36:02
Dr. Haworth
You know, your cousin Larry for the last 50 years, but your pet's never met them. People forget when they're not in your house. For us, it's second nature. Of course you're going to close the door behind you. Some people don't. Dogs bolt. And then lastly of course, there's the GI issues. You know, just be careful. There's a lot of food.

00:13:36:02 - 00:13:53:06
Dr. Haworth
There's a lot of people who maybe not are used to being around dogs or think that it's okay to feed dogs from the table and, dogs can get into some difficult problems. So, yes, our ERS and our urgent care facilities are awfully busy this time of year. But most of those are preventable.

00:13:53:08 - 00:13:53:18
Kristen
Absolutely.

00:13:53:18 - 00:13:57:16
Chris
Yeah. Don't be, don't be giving your dog those those poultry bones. They're going.

00:13:57:16 - 00:13:58:20
Dr. Haworth
It's a bad idea, man.

00:13:58:20 - 00:14:03:05
Chris
It's that idea. The poultry barns, those are cartoons.

00:14:03:11 - 00:14:24:14
Dr. Haworth
It's not right. They're cartoons for a reason. And, you know, I think they're also. It's interesting. I was having this, really great conversation with a 100 year old veterinarian the other day. And he was saying I was like, so obviously things are different, so most things are different. But we used to have dogs eating scraps all the time.

00:14:24:15 - 00:14:40:16
Dr. Haworth
That was the norm. And I said, well, what's different? You know, why are we seeing all these dogs in the air now? Because I don't think the dogs know how to eat the scraps. Like, what you're saying is absolutely right. Like, you know, you give up, you give a big turkey leg to a dog. If they know how to eat it, it's fine.

00:14:40:16 - 00:14:56:10
Dr. Haworth
I can promise you, my golden retriever would try to shove that thing down his throat immediately. Yes, he would obstruct the bone would still be on there and he just doesn't know. Nobody ever taught him how to eat. How to eat the the bones in the right way. That's not advocating that we should teach them that. But it is.

00:14:56:12 - 00:15:01:02
Dr. Haworth
Yeah, yeah. Guess. Be diligent. Not everybody knows your dog as well as you do.

00:15:01:08 - 00:15:17:16
Chris
Yep. And talking about your your golden retriever. You were a former leader of the Morris Animal Foundation and you spearheaded headed so many groundbreaking studies. But one of them, the golden retriever lifetime study. So why don't you tell our audience a little bit about that study and some of the findings?

00:15:17:18 - 00:15:40:18
Dr. Haworth
Well, that Golden retriever I just referenced is the is participant number 1199. And the golden retriever lifetime study is his name is Bridger. The the slightly funny story is that we were having a difficult time recruiting cases. And so the staff all said, you know, David, it would be a really good idea if the CEO had sort of a poster dog or I think they said it more like, we need a poster dog.

00:15:40:19 - 00:15:58:23
Dr. Haworth
And then your dog passed away a couple of years ago and I well, you gonna have to. Yeah, you're gonna have to. I don't like the what I stated to the board is that the lifespan of a golden retriever was tragically, not as long as it should ever be is actually a lot longer than the lifespan of a CEO of a nonprofit.

00:15:59:00 - 00:16:27:08
Dr. Haworth
But golden retriever lifetime study, for those of you don't know it, it's it's a, 3000 golden retrievers that were recruited in 2010 through 2012. And every year, those owners would bring the vet, bring the dog to the vet and get a bunch of blood, urine, saliva, hair samples, male samples, all collected and moved and then analyzed so we could track the health of those dogs.

00:16:27:08 - 00:16:50:13
Dr. Haworth
And over time, some of those dogs got sick. We were specifically looking at cancer, but we saw all sorts of diseases and some of them didn't. And so the real value in all of that amazing data is to tease out what was different about those dogs, what was different genetically, what was different in their environment, what's different in their nutrition as they grew up?

00:16:50:15 - 00:17:11:00
Dr. Haworth
And so, yeah, it's a, it's a it was a really I think the the value of that study has yet to even be cracked open. The folks at Morris who are running it now are doing a fantastic job. And we're just getting sadly, for those of us who own those participants, we're kind of getting to the end of those dogs natural lifespans anyway.

00:17:11:00 - 00:17:19:00
Dr. Haworth
So, sorry, except mine. He's not allowed. He's he's not allowed to go. So. Well.

00:17:19:02 - 00:17:22:17
Kristen
So done. UVA. Oh, what is his name, by the way?

00:17:22:19 - 00:17:25:21
Dr. Haworth
Bridger bridge. He's Bridger, the wonder dog.

00:17:25:23 - 00:17:29:07
Kristen
Oh, yeah. This is gorgeous. He is?

00:17:29:09 - 00:17:32:18
Dr. Haworth
Yeah, he is. He is a tremendous dog.

00:17:32:20 - 00:17:35:04
Kristen
Everybody dog is the best dogs ever.

00:17:35:06 - 00:17:36:04
Dr. Haworth
Best I know.

00:17:36:04 - 00:17:36:09
Chris
Yep.

00:17:36:13 - 00:17:40:14
Dr. Haworth
Everybody's right and everybody's right. That's right. There are a lot of good.

00:17:40:19 - 00:17:57:05
Kristen
Ones I want to ask you about the human animal bond. You've been such a vocal advocate. For the human animal bond. How do you think pets are shaping our lives and our communities in new ways? Especially as their roles in families continue to evolve.

00:17:57:07 - 00:18:35:12
Dr. Haworth
Sure, sure. You know, you know, it's fascinating. I think, where I've really been interested in is for those of us who've been raised with animals or, you know, who are probably listening to this podcast, we get it, right. I mean, there's nobody has to tell me that there's a special bond between dogs and people. But what we were finding, particularly back in the 90s and early 2000, was there were a lot of facilities that were breaking that bond, either in housing restrictions or like, you know, very real way in hospitals that wouldn't allow, a dog therapy program because it would go all the way up to the chief medical officer and

00:18:35:12 - 00:18:55:06
Dr. Haworth
the chief medical officer say, nope, they're dirty, they're not hygienic. There's no way we're going to let those people and even though in our hearts we know, that those are really powerful, that's really powerful medicine to have, have a very empathetic dog who can come and set a bridge or, by the way, was a therapy dog at Phoenix Children's Hospital with my wife.

00:18:55:06 - 00:19:24:01
Dr. Haworth
They were a therapy team, and it was just extraordinary the story she would come back with, about how she could go into any room and immediately sense who needed him most. And sometimes it was the, you know, the the child on the bed. But as often it was, you know, the, the little abuelo in the corner who hadn't said a word, but was really hurting because our grandchild was sick and in the hospital.

00:19:24:01 - 00:19:44:17
Dr. Haworth
And so he would just go over, put his head on and and give incredible comfort. So why? You know what? Where how could we get scientific evidence to tell those medical directors, like, actually, you're doing yourself a disservice and you're doing the patients a disservice by not allowing these things, or at least, not allowing the option, but the role.

00:19:44:21 - 00:20:16:13
Dr. Haworth
I mean, the question that you ask was around the changing role that dogs have had and, you know, since the 1950s, really, and we could point to a few specific reasons why in the 1950s. But dogs have really moved from the backyard to the kitchen, from the kitchen into the living room, from the living room, into bedrooms, in the bedroom, up, to the bed and and now we're seeing a generation, of pet owners coming in who were saying, I actually, I'd rather have my dogs than I'd rather have them children.

00:20:16:15 - 00:20:17:06
Kristen
Yeah.

00:20:17:08 - 00:20:42:10
Dr. Haworth
That can be troubling from a societal standpoint. Are they being surrogates for, human families? And I think there's to be honest, even as big of an advocate as I am, I think that there is some concern that we should address. Why is it that traditional families are being perhaps put off by a significant proportion of young people in and being replaced by this relationship with dogs also, is that fair to the dogs?

00:20:42:12 - 00:21:06:07
Dr. Haworth
Because you'll see a lot of dogs not being actually treated like dogs, and so they don't even know what they're supposed to be doing and what role they're supposed to be playing. But, I think it's it is both beautiful, especially when you see all the positivity that comes out of that, of pets in our world, whether it's a dog or a cat or, or one of the more exotic pets, I it's, it's kind of cool to to see this continue.

00:21:06:07 - 00:21:12:06
Dr. Haworth
And, you know, the, the commercial aspects of that bond are undeniable.

00:21:12:07 - 00:21:38:23
Chris
Yeah. I mean, I agree, I agree, but it's all about convincing people with, much deeper pockets than mothers, to see the value in such research. So if you're, if you're one of our billionaire listeners, perhaps consider a charitable donation to a, human animal bond research institute. But, hey, before we let you go, Doctor Hayworth, I want to ask, looking at the future, you know, you're you're well plugged in.

00:21:38:23 - 00:21:49:20
Chris
You've clearly got your your finger on the pulse. What are some of the next big innovations that we could expect from animal welfare or something that you're really excited about coming down the pipeline?

00:21:49:22 - 00:22:16:02
Dr. Haworth
Yeah, yeah, I, I am, I am, habitually excited about the future. It's, it's something that my family always points out, like, you know, that's one of us. There are things are there are reasons to be afraid. But there are also lots of reasons to be joyous. You know, I, I'm a big fan of the philosopher and, neuro linguistic guy named Steven Pinker who's out of Harvard.

00:22:16:04 - 00:22:34:06
Dr. Haworth
If you get a chance to read. He wrote a book called Enlightenment Now, I, I am not kidding. We were on a vacation, and my children said that I'm quoting this book so often that they made a drinking game out of it. So four days into the vacation, I realized I said something. Both kids had had to step their, put their put their glasses on the table and drink.

00:22:34:06 - 00:23:03:10
Dr. Haworth
And I'm like, okay, that said, I think that I think where we're going with the the marriage of computing power and large data sets is it's kind of it starts to get a little mind blowing. The things that we can do and, and it's for practical examples, I'm associated with a company called Embark Veterinary. Right now, it's the largest breed identification genetic tests for dogs.

00:23:03:12 - 00:23:26:09
Dr. Haworth
And we have we test for 260,000 markers in the genome. We can come out of that and say your dog either has or doesn't have, a mutation for a specific trait. And we're really good at telling you what breed and combination of breeds that that DNA came from. But what's that's a fraction of the information that's in there.

00:23:26:09 - 00:23:46:13
Dr. Haworth
And it's just that we don't have the computing power in between our ears to be able to put all those connections together. And so what do I get really excited about? I get excited about the possibility of us understanding our pets at such an extraordinarily deep level that we can let them be what they most want to be.

00:23:46:16 - 00:24:21:14
Dr. Haworth
And so, you know, I think one of those interesting things to me about dogs, in particular, the unique among vertebrate species, because all of them have been intentionally bred. And so they're what we call closed breeding groups. And what that means is they have behaviors, joys and fears that are hardwired into them. We all do. But because humans are more out bred, cats are very out bred, it's harder to piece them together.

00:24:21:14 - 00:24:40:23
Dr. Haworth
But dogs, we actually have an opportunity to do just that. So whether it's genes for cancer development. So we can be really proactive and make sure that we're watching for this particular cancer that I know my dog is predisposed to, or it's knowing how to train them. So, you know, a dog is reactive to something. Well, you could yell at it.

00:24:41:00 - 00:25:00:21
Dr. Haworth
Sometimes that works. German Shepherds actually kind of like it if you get it, if you give them firm boundaries. Small dogs really don't like it. You could also ignore it. Corgis hate it when you ignore things. So how do we get to know how to be the best owner that we possibly can be? And that's what gets me excited, because we've got these new tools that are coming down the pike.

00:25:01:01 - 00:25:05:14
Dr. Haworth
So, yeah. And of course, dog TV. I'm excited about.

00:25:05:16 - 00:25:26:20
Kristen
TV. Well, we love how you bring you just create such a holistic picture of veterinary medicine, the research, the human animal bond and and the animal welfare, pulling it all together. And you're right, there's lots to be very excited about, especially in the world of our companion animals. So thank you so much for joining us today. Doctor Hayworth.

00:25:26:22 - 00:25:30:10
Dr. Haworth
It was a joy, guys. Thank you so much for the conversation. That's been fun.

00:25:30:12 - 00:25:31:10
Chris
Our pleasure

00:25:31:12 - 00:25:33:20
Voice Over
Pets Add Life

00:25:33:22 - 00:25:41:06
Chris
I'm feeling better already. Yeah. Me too. Yeah. I mean, you really brought some unbridled optimism. Feeling. I'm feeling great.

00:25:41:08 - 00:25:50:07
Kristen
Sure did. And, Wow, he's his smart guy, too. He's involved in so many different areas of the pet world, so I gotta watch for sure.

00:25:50:09 - 00:26:06:14
Chris
Yeah, and I think we're all picking up that, that Pinker novel. Are not novel book. I always say novel because I read so many fake books. Enlightenment. Now I'm picking it up. I need to feel good. I'm putting the economics books down. I'm. I'm picking up some some stuff that'll make me. Make me smile. Like.

00:26:06:14 - 00:26:08:08
Chris
Doctor. He was.

00:26:08:10 - 00:26:10:18
Dr. Haworth


00:26:10:20 - 00:26:27:22
Kristen
Our next guest is a prolific writer. She's written something like, oh, I don't know. Let's wait and find out from her how many books she's written. 20 million books, 20 million books. But she's also done some musical theater with pets in mind. So I'm excited to meet her.

00:26:28:00 - 00:26:56:14
Chris
And we are thrilled to welcome the legendary Amy Shoji, a nationally recognized pet behavior consultant, a prolific. And I don't use that word weekly. A prolific author and creative powerhouse, Amy is the author of over 35 pet care books spanning essential guides like Complete Puppy Care and The First Aid Companion, as well as her thrilling thrillers with Bite Fiction series, of which there are many.

00:26:56:14 - 00:27:24:08
Chris
I mean, you just can't stop writing. Not only is she a go to expert for understanding and improving cat and dog behavior, but she's also a passionate advocate for pet centric education through her writing, speaking engagements and appearances on Animal Planet's Dogs 101 and cats 101. When she's not educating parents, Amy's creative energy shines through in her original musical theater productions like strays musical What Can't This Woman Do?

00:27:24:11 - 00:27:39:11
Chris
So thank you so much, for spending some of your valuable time with us. Wow. Amy. I mean, there's just so much here. Where do you draw this inspiration from to just pour out into all these outlets?

00:27:39:13 - 00:27:42:05
Amy
I'm easily bored.

00:27:42:07 - 00:27:43:17
Dr. Haworth
It's kind of.

00:27:43:19 - 00:28:02:21
Amy
I don't know, I think I think part of it, I mean, I was, in, in school, I was, I was a double major, music theater communication. And so, when, when I couldn't do theater for a while, I just, I became a writer, and I call myself the Accidental writer. For that reason, I never planned this.

00:28:02:21 - 00:28:26:22
Amy
My brother was going to be the writer. I was going to do theater and and, look what happened. So, you know, I, I started out in a very small town where there weren't many, jobs available. And then, a young man came back home from studying veterinary medicine, opened his own clinic. I interviewed for the job, and the rest is history.

00:28:26:22 - 00:28:50:03
Amy
I started writing about my personal experience stories. That's how I got my start. I learned that a lot of pet parents didn't really understand what the vet was saying, or the veterinarian didn't necessarily had time to explain. And so my job was to translate the medical leaves into everyday language. The rest of us, common folk can understand.

00:28:50:03 - 00:29:12:12
Amy
And that really, became my career as a nonfiction. And then later on, the fiction thrillers with Bite Again and God's Got a Hand of Animals in it. So and I was my, you know, my tagline with the thrillers is, you know, it's it's very thrilling, very exciting. The dogs and the cats never die, but the bad guys make.

00:29:12:15 - 00:29:14:22
Dr. Haworth
So it's never.

00:29:15:00 - 00:29:16:06
Chris
Never best kind of writing.

00:29:16:06 - 00:29:16:10
Kristen
That's.

00:29:16:11 - 00:29:18:23
Amy
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the way that works.

00:29:19:01 - 00:29:19:22
Dr. Haworth


00:29:20:00 - 00:29:38:04
Kristen
Yeah. So Amy, we're obviously going to talk more about your books and, and your musical theater and, and more, but I'm curious to know, since we're doing this show during the holiday season, with the holidays approaching, a lot of families are adding new pets to their homes, whether it's through adoption or getting a new puppy or kitten.

00:29:38:06 - 00:29:47:08
Kristen
So what advice do you have for new pet parents? Especially those that are navigating the early stages of of bonding and training those puppies and kittens.

00:29:47:10 - 00:30:16:14
Amy
Oh boy, that's a great question. And it used to be, and probably you've heard this too. We said, oh, don't adopt at Christmas. It's a terrible time. Well, actually, it's a pretty good time. And, you know, the SPCA and a lot of the folks have done surveys and have learned that, puppies and kittens or even aging pets or other abled pets that are adopted during this period of time, they stay in homes just as well as those that not.

00:30:16:14 - 00:30:47:06
Amy
It's just it's just the commitment there. The holidays is a good time because the kids and oftentimes the parents have some time off. And so just spending time with the new puppy dog or the new kitty cat and, letting them figure things out, really, patience is key. If you've never had a pet before, invest in some information from the shelter where you adopt or the breeder, the expert breeder.

00:30:47:06 - 00:31:08:13
Amy
If you choose somebody who is very knowledgeable, they want it to to succeed. So pick their brains. They want to know what's going on. Take some time. Set up with kittens. I usually say set up, and and with puppies, it's a good idea to set up one room in the house that is theirs and theirs alone. Put all their toys in there.

00:31:08:13 - 00:31:38:05
Amy
If it's a cat with a litter box in there, if it's puppies, a little puppy bed and make that puppy central puppy 101. And that's where they go back when they can't be supervised by you. I love the idea of crates. Some people don't care for that depending on the size of the animal, but a leash hooked to your belt will keep them under your supervision so they're not finding a place to go potty under the piano bench where you don't want to go.

00:31:38:07 - 00:31:47:11
Amy
You can scoop them up and prevent the problems. And if they have an accident somewhere, roll up a newspaper and hit yourself over the head for not catching up.

00:31:47:13 - 00:31:49:16
Dr. Haworth
Then you love that problem.

00:31:49:21 - 00:32:09:18
Amy
And you get them outside. Okay, probably it's in Columbus. They don't need to be punished. You want to catch them in the act of doing something right and rewarding that behavior. And that's my number one advice is find good things to praise them. Use their name for all good things. And if you have to interrupt a bad behavior, don't use their name.

00:32:09:18 - 00:32:16:18
Amy
Do you want them to associate that name with everything good in the world? Because I come?

00:32:16:19 - 00:32:19:10
Dr. Haworth
Yeah.

00:32:19:12 - 00:32:38:22
Chris
That's a that's amazing advice. And, you know, I want to keep going here, but you have a blog too, because, of course, you just can't stop writing called and pardon my French here. I'm going to. I'm reading it as is. I'm reading off the paper, people boiling Bitches and Blood, which is an amazing name. But it's sucks.

00:32:38:23 - 00:32:39:08
Chris
You know.

00:32:39:08 - 00:32:40:03
Amy
I do like my.

00:32:40:03 - 00:32:43:06
Dr. Haworth
Base. Oh, yes, you do.

00:32:43:08 - 00:32:55:10
Chris
It's such a unique blend of advice, storytelling and personal musings. How do you even decide what to write about and what keeps your creative juices flowing?

00:32:55:12 - 00:33:21:00
Amy
Well, a lot of it has to do with the questions that I get or what I see on social media. You know, I'm I'm all over social media, on Facebook so people can find me there on, on Twitter in different places or whatever they're calling it these days. So their questions, if they have questions about their, their kittens or their puppies or their, their aging pet, and they want to know something about that that can inspire a blog.

00:33:21:04 - 00:33:44:19
Amy
I had somebody that, sent me a private message and said, you know, the the neighbor, the neighbors are letting their their dogs poop in my yard. What could I do? And it spawned a blog. It's one of my my most popular blogs out there. With anything new in the world of medicine, because I started out as a veterinary, technician.

00:33:44:21 - 00:34:12:04
Amy
So I'll get, press releases from the researchers out there when the, when FIP, the feline infectious peritonitis in cats mutated in the the island of Cyprus. And I was hearing all of this stuff, I interviewed the people on the ground. What was going on there and did a whole series there. So it just really depends on what's going on in the world, what people are asking, what they need to know.

00:34:12:06 - 00:34:39:08
Amy
Oldies but goodies. You know, how many ways can you write about fleas? But they are always there. So some of these things are evergreen. What are, food options, healthy food options that you can treat your dog or your cat, from the table. And what are absolute no nos. And that's really important around the holidays because your family members, we want to include them.

00:34:39:10 - 00:34:58:18
Amy
But we want to do it right to we don't they don't need any more table muscle, so to speak. So, in fact, one on one with my my old cats over here, he's, karma cat is about a little over ten years old now, and he was putting on the pudge and then we had a new kitten show up.

00:34:58:19 - 00:35:20:22
Amy
And that is the best, exercise or, weight reduction option ever is. You get a kitten for the older cat, whether he wants to or not. He's being chased all over the room. He he dropped 3 pounds without even trying, and my veterinarian was just elated. Oh, this is don't let him lose any more. But he's looking good.

00:35:20:22 - 00:35:35:12
Amy
And he's now he doesn't know what he's ten. We've got. I've got a wrestling match playing. And then, you know, they chase the dog and the dog chases them. And it's. It is a lovely, lovely life. I'm living the dream.

00:35:35:13 - 00:35:52:02
Kristen
Oh well, among all the books that you've written and in the blog, you wrote a book called The Dog Who Came to Christmas. Now tell us a little bit about the book, and I think you like me. You've got a little special, story you going to share with us and you're going to read a little bit from it.

00:35:52:04 - 00:35:53:14
Kristen
But tell us first about.

00:35:53:16 - 00:36:23:11
Amy
Yes. Actually inspired to write. I did not write a book. This this was a collaboration. And, Lani Hall DuPont was the editor on that. Her, she goes by a different name on, on the book cover, was her professional, name, and she contacted me and a whole bunch of other people to, submit, different, different true stories about our own pets that had some kind of a Christmas theme.

00:36:23:13 - 00:36:50:07
Amy
So, yeah, she wrote is, Kelly Smith Grant. Unfortunately, she passed away about a year and a half ago. So it's a whole collection of these wonderful stories. And I submitted, the story which was actually, the first story I ever had published as a professional writer. And we don't really have time to read the whole thing, but I will I'll set it up and I'll read parts of it.

00:36:50:09 - 00:37:14:01
Amy
Basically, when when I first got married, I married, my my husband, is from Iran, and he did not grow up around dogs. And so having pets was very new to him. And when we were first married, I knew that this marriage was really going to work, because the first thing he did was he wanted to gift me with a puppy.

00:37:14:03 - 00:37:37:16
Amy
And so we adopted a German Shepherd puppy named foster. And, that's kind of the setup for this whole thing. I mean, foster was my heart dog, and he's really why I'm a writer. So I've got about, let's see, about three and a half pages here. Of the story. And I'll read kind of starting in the middle of this.

00:37:37:18 - 00:37:59:17
Amy
Okay. My, my husband was we were working in eastern Kentucky, and then he got laid off. So in August we moved to Louisville, where he was going to attend graduate school. And less than a week after the move, I found a position as a vet tech near our apartment. And a special bonus I could take Faulkner with me to work.

00:37:59:18 - 00:38:32:04
Amy
Our neighbors small cockapoo named fidget became best buddies with foreigners and things were looking up. Sen fastener developed a limp. He favored first one paw and then another medicine. Temporarily relieved, just limping, but his paws turned red, itchy and swollen. He scratched constantly and only seemed happy when playing tag with fidget. I tried everything, antibiotics made him sick, a special diet didn't help, and his weight dropped to 59 pounds and a German Shepherd.

00:38:32:06 - 00:38:59:09
Amy
Despite my discount, the treatment costs added up and up and that's never good for anyone, but especially newlyweds around Christmas time. Nothing seemed to help. It turned out foster was allergic to the air. He breathed the most pollens, the allergies, the Ohio Valley region. We cleaned the carpet. We tossed out the holiday candles. We even got rid of our Christmas tree, thinking that might make a difference.

00:38:59:11 - 00:39:24:14
Amy
But as the holidays approached, Solskjaer's condition grew worse. Day by day, he could no longer play. He hurt too much. He had lost so much fur. You no longer looked like a German shepherd. His once expressive years were naked on the outside and tender inside, saw with angry looking scabs, constant licking and chewing, stained his tummy black from the saliva.

00:39:24:16 - 00:39:57:06
Amy
He limped like an aged arthritic canine and he smelled. He was only 14 months old. Had love, blinded my eyes and my logic. If this poor creature belonged to somebody else, would I also shrink from touching him? How could I justify continued treatment? Was there a better, maybe a more compassionate option now? I veered away from that thought before it fully formed, but a smaller voice of reason insisted I face the facts and realities as my dog's condition.

00:39:57:07 - 00:40:25:09
Amy
Was I being selfish? Would death be the kindest treatment of all? For two days and nights I argued with myself one moment, sure that any life was better than an early separation from my beloved dog, and the next, trying to find that strength and thin myself to stop his suffering. The third morning, driving the short distance to work, it was hard to see the street to my clear, tear clouded eyes fastener in the back seat.

00:40:25:09 - 00:40:51:02
Amy
He licked my neck, excited as always, to visit the clinic and see his friends. Maybe get a sniff a cat. Today. The busy morning moved quickly from case to case while forcing arrested in his usual kennel. Each time I dug in my pocket for suture scissors or a pen, I touched the crumpled paper. It was the euthanasia authorization form I decided to complete during lunch break.

00:40:51:04 - 00:41:18:15
Amy
After playing with foster one last time. Then an emergency case arrived. A young woman, nearly hysterical with fear, carried a Pomeranian puppy into the clinic. It's foxy. Please help. He chewed through an electric cord on the Christmas tree. The woman's two young children watched with wide, tearful eyes. The veterinarian began immediate treatment. A transfusion would help since the pups and shock.

00:41:18:15 - 00:41:45:09
Amy
Lucky we have softener here as a donor. I froze for an endless moment. I couldn't breathe. Then, without a word, I brought my boy out of the kennel. His eyes lit up at the chance to sniff foxy small shivering, body softness. Bald tail waved and he grinned. I had to coax him away to draw 12 ccs of precious blood from his four leg to be given to his tiny new friend.

00:41:45:12 - 00:42:11:06
Amy
He might look sick on the outside. That softness blood was perfectly healthy. By lunchtime, Foxy's gums transformed from white to healthy pink. Can he breathe normally? The red puppy even managed a feeble wag and sniffed back when foster nosed him through the kennel bars. For the first time in three days, I could smile through what had become happy tears without looking at it.

00:42:11:06 - 00:42:43:08
Amy
I pulled the euthanasia paper from my pocket, crumpled it, and tossed in the trash. What if I made that decision even an hour earlier? If foster hadn't been there, Foxy, the puppy would have died. Foster grinned at me, and I realized he didn't care how he looked. Fastener patiently put up with the unknown in his world with uncomfortable baths, bitter pills, and scary needle sticks he couldn't control simply because he loved and trusted me to keep him safe.

00:42:43:10 - 00:43:06:01
Amy
Falconer willingly came to Foxy's rescue just as he'd rescued me during the first troubled months of my marriage. That's what we do for our friends, for the ones we love, and we pass it on to strangers two simply because it brings such joy. My husband never blinked over the extra medical expense, and that made me love him even more.

00:43:06:03 - 00:43:33:22
Amy
Six months later, he got his master's degree, found a great job, and we moved away from the outdoors instead of plagued him, foster quickly recovered and no longer needed medication. My heart swelled with quiet thanks during each afternoon walk when neighbors admired Foster's proud stride and glowing coat and begged to pet him, pet him. I began to write about my experiences working at the vet office.

00:43:34:00 - 00:44:01:09
Amy
My first published article told Foster's story as his Christmas gift to a tiny red puppy, and launched my pet writing career. Today, I now understand how humans stress impacts our pets health, so it makes sense that the challenges Mahmud and I faced were reflected in Foster's help. Foster has been my furry muse ever since, and will forever live on in my heart and the writerly works he inspired.

00:44:01:11 - 00:44:23:08
Amy
He and the furry wonders we've loved since, turned Mahmud into a passionate pet advocate as well. More than that, Foster's infectious grin, his quiet trust, and his delight in meeting new critters filled the pages of my heart with a joy beyond words.

00:44:23:10 - 00:44:26:04
Kristen
Oh, that is. That's beautiful.

00:44:26:04 - 00:44:27:15
Chris
That's something in my eye, I swear.

00:44:27:16 - 00:44:31:20
Kristen
And. And that's my new fiance. My new favorite Christmas story.

00:44:31:22 - 00:44:35:10
Chris
Yeah. All right, I'll buy the book. Damn it. Oh.

00:44:35:12 - 00:44:36:01
Dr. Haworth
Yes.

00:44:36:03 - 00:44:43:18
Kristen
So we have softener, too. We have Faulkner to thank for all your great work. Amy. That's. I really love that you shared.

00:44:43:18 - 00:45:09:13
Amy
That he actually, he became my, my, hero dog in the thriller series. And this is this is the latest one in this thriller series. And, you know, I actually I changed changed the dog's name. But, he's he became kind of the reason why I did the did the fiction, too. So, Yeah, it's funny how that happens.

00:45:09:15 - 00:45:10:21
Dr. Haworth
Yeah, yeah.

00:45:10:23 - 00:45:29:18
Chris
So everybody listening. Go ahead, head on to your local bookstore. Look for the thrillers with bite series. Look for the dog that came for Christmas. Amy, thank you so much for sharing your insights and your story with us. This is truly an amazing interview. I don't think we've ever had one quite like this.

00:45:29:20 - 00:45:32:14
Amy
Well, that could be good. Or.

00:45:32:16 - 00:45:35:02
Dr. Haworth
Thank you very much. No, it's a good. It's good.

00:45:35:04 - 00:45:37:01
Chris
It's a good thing, I swear.

00:45:37:03 - 00:45:40:13
Amy
It's good. It's good. Thank you so much.

00:45:40:15 - 00:45:41:09
Kristen
For joining.

00:45:41:11 - 00:45:46:19
Amy
The that. Yeah. Happy Christmas and go pet your pants for me. Yes.

00:45:46:19 - 00:45:50:02
Kristen
All right. Absolutely.

00:45:50:04 - 00:45:53:17
Amy
You just got to have a last word.

00:45:53:18 - 00:45:54:13
Kristen
As usual.

00:45:54:13 - 00:45:59:04
Chris
Right.

00:45:59:06 - 00:46:01:17
Chris
All right, Kristen, now that we're emotionally recovered.

00:46:01:19 - 00:46:02:22
Dr. Haworth
I brought.

00:46:02:22 - 00:46:11:09
Chris
That one. I believe we have a, a special giveaway opportunity, this year. Right.

00:46:11:11 - 00:46:21:10
Kristen
I believe this is, Yeah. If you go to dog TV.com, you can spin the wheel and there's a whole bunch of prizes that you can win, including, Amy's.

00:46:21:12 - 00:46:22:17
Dr. Haworth
Book.

00:46:22:19 - 00:46:24:05
Chris
Which book? Yeah. Lost and found.

00:46:24:05 - 00:46:24:21
Kristen
The lost in Town.

00:46:24:21 - 00:46:33:22
Chris
Lost the first entry in the thrillers with bite series. So you have a chance to get hooked on those? Yes. Your ebooks in there.

00:46:34:04 - 00:46:39:21
Kristen
Also, my separation anxiety book is in there, and there's also all sorts of goodies that you don't have to read as well.

00:46:39:21 - 00:46:52:06
Chris
Yes, it's not all books, some of it. So yeah, we're giving everybody the gift of literacy. No. Give it a go. Go ahead and check that out on dog dog tv.com. And enjoy your free Get

00:46:52:06 - 00:46:54:15
Voice Over
The product of the week.

00:46:54:17 - 00:47:07:07
Chris
All right, folks, it's time for the pop up product of the week. And this week, I'm, bringing you all a, product for you furniture lovers out there.

00:47:07:09 - 00:47:31:00
Chris
For you who may have your couch covered in throw blankets or if you live in Long Island plastic, to protect it from every every which thing? And I know a lot of people who may not let their dogs up on their couches, for that very reason. Well, I've got some good news. Pooches who may be wanting to snuggle up on the couch during TV time.

00:47:31:01 - 00:47:55:23
Chris
Orvis makes a full size sofa. Couch cover? That is. I mean, it's great. It comes in quite a few colors so you can get it to match your grade. But it covers the whole thing. Covers the seat, covers the armrest. It goes up and over the back, even skirts down the front. And the best part about it is you could just take this thing, ball it up, and throw it in the washing machine.

00:47:56:00 - 00:48:17:08
Chris
So it is a great solution. If you are caught on the fence of, I really like this piece of furniture, and I really want my dog to be comfortable or for some trouble training your dog to stay off off of the furniture. I just think it's absolutely great. It's made of really, you know, high quality, thick material, but again, machine washable.

00:48:17:08 - 00:48:24:23
Chris
I love machine washable. Ever since I got to Washington, I'll tell you this much about everything goes in there, even some stuff that they say, don't put it in there.

00:48:25:01 - 00:48:25:11
Kristen
I don't know.

00:48:25:14 - 00:48:27:19
Chris
What's the worst that could happen. That's the worst that could happen.

00:48:27:19 - 00:48:29:06
Dr. Haworth
I just put it on delicate.

00:48:29:06 - 00:48:31:20
Kristen
If it's hand wash only, you just put it on delicate.

00:48:31:22 - 00:48:47:11
Chris
Yeah, we just put it on delicate. We don't worry. We don't worry about stuff anymore. Because everything goes in the in the washing machine. So if you're like me and you want to snuggle up to your pet after a long day, but you want to make sure that that couch retains its comfort and value, check out Orbitz.

00:48:47:11 - 00:48:59:09
Chris
Link is obviously going to be in the show description and making all sorts of sizes and shapes and colors. So find the one that's right for you and enjoy some cuddling this holiday season.

00:48:59:11 - 00:49:19:11
Kristen
Oh okay Chris. Oh my. My gift, ironically, is also something you can cuddle your pet with and you can also throw it over the sofa. Oh wow. But it's not a it's not it's not a cup of furniture cover. This is a wearable blanket that I discovered from bed. Sure bet your make some cool pet beds and pet blankets.

00:49:19:17 - 00:49:41:22
Kristen
Well, this is like a. It's like a blanket hoodie that has big ol pockets. It's super warm and fuzzy and they make they have a lot of different designs, but the ones I want you guys to check out are the cat and dog designs, because they are made for pet lovers. There's one that has corgis all over it, and then they have another one that has kitty cats all over it.

00:49:42:00 - 00:49:59:00
Kristen
And these are, let's see. They're they're lightweight, they're warm. They're great for curling up on the sofa with the kitty. Or you could even wear it outside, you know, on a chilly day to take the dog for a walk. I noticed on Amazon it's a bestseller. They've got some really great reviews, and it's only about 30 bucks.

00:49:59:00 - 00:50:13:12
Kristen
So this would be a great gift for if you're, like, last minute, planning, last minute shopping, I should say this would be a great gift for the pet lover in your life or for yourself. And then you can use it to snuggle up with your pet,

00:50:13:14 - 00:50:18:11
Chris
Or throw it over the cat. We're we're both on the,

00:50:18:13 - 00:50:19:15
Dr. Haworth
The snuggle bus.

00:50:19:17 - 00:50:24:13
Chris
Yeah. The snuggle. Get it? Yeah. All aboard the snuggle bus.

00:50:24:15 - 00:50:27:16
Dr. Haworth
All aboard. It's snuggle.

00:50:27:16 - 00:50:29:11
Kristen
Season. It's chilly outside.

00:50:29:16 - 00:50:34:00
Chris
Yeah. It is. Well, Kelly's inside, I hope. I hope you didn't leave chilly outside.

00:50:34:01 - 00:50:34:23
Kristen
No, no.

00:50:35:01 - 00:50:40:16
Chris
It gets a fun little good one right there. Good. Let's, let's let's keep the show going. Let's keep the.

00:50:40:18 - 00:50:42:23
Voice Over
Q and A's.

00:50:43:01 - 00:51:06:10
Chris
And it is time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our wonderful listeners. And I know you're asking yourself how do I get my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well folks, it is simple. Head on over to Petsaddlife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of the page.

00:51:06:10 - 00:51:28:17
Chris
You're going to see a form to submit your question. Or if you are feeling as brave as Rudolph the Red-Nosed reindeer, folks, I've got great news. You can record a voice memo as your question. You can do it. You can do it. I believe in you. You could do it. So go ahead and try and you'll hear your question played live on this very show.

00:51:28:17 - 00:51:42:14
Chris
So without further ado, let's get into today's questions. All right Kristen, I've got one for you. This question comes from Kevin in Denver, Colorado. Thank you, Kevin.

00:51:42:16 - 00:51:44:22
Dr. Haworth
For shout out to Denver question.

00:51:44:22 - 00:52:03:01
Chris
Shout out to Denver. Kevin asks. My dog gets overly excited and pulls on the leash when we go on walks through snowy weather. I imagine that's dangerous. What are some tips to manage this behavior to ensure we both enjoy our winter walks safely? Great question.

00:52:03:01 - 00:52:29:05
Kristen
Kevin. Yeah, that is a really great question because it's probably snowy and icy where you are right now. Kevin. So, and, you know, I bet our last guest, Amy, could have answered this question with her dog behavior and training background, but I'll do my best to tackle this one. So when I was learning to walk tulip on a leash, I, I worked with a dog trainer, and tulip would, of course, pull ahead of me, and she.

00:52:29:05 - 00:52:59:09
Kristen
She encouraged me to stop walking when your dog starts to pull, and only proceed when the leash is slack. Now, this requires a lot of patience, especially if you have a dog that's already, you know, kind of used to pulling you along. But a little trick you can use is to keep some high value treats in your pocket and, you know, gather up a few in your hand and keep your, your dog close to you as you're walking because you're going to kind of feed some of those little treats as you go.

00:52:59:11 - 00:53:20:16
Kristen
And and if he starts pulling the treat, stop. So that's that's one thing you can do. Also one command that worked really well with my dog chili was the command watch me. I taught Charlie to look me in the eye when I wanted his attention. And then, of course, I would give him a, you know, a high value treat.

00:53:20:20 - 00:53:39:01
Kristen
So that's another, trick you could use. You have to train your dog first to teach them to watch you. And I did that by holding the treat right up to my one of my eyes. So they learned that that command means to look you in the eye. So essentially, you're just trying to get their attention to stop pulling.

00:53:39:03 - 00:54:04:12
Kristen
In terms, there's also some really great tools on the market, for dogs that are pullers. And, I'm not talking about those choke chains. We don't we don't need those anymore. We've got much better, more humane solutions. One of my favorites is, the. I think it's called the freedom No pull harness. And, it kind of gives you more control of your dog that's pulling because it latches onto them in the in the front and their chest area as well as on their back.

00:54:04:14 - 00:54:23:13
Kristen
And then the last tip I wanted to give you, Kevin, is make sure you've got some, slip resistant boots or shoes when you're out there on the snow and ice because, you know, it's not going to be an overnight spend the money, make sure your dog's not going to be able to pull you down and and injure you.

00:54:23:13 - 00:54:34:13
Kristen
So, good luck with that. And I know it's possible to get those pullers to to put some slack in that leash. So, I know you can do it.

00:54:34:15 - 00:54:38:06
Chris
That was very thorough, Chris. And you, I mean.

00:54:38:08 - 00:54:39:06
Kristen
Well, I've been the.

00:54:39:08 - 00:54:42:00
Chris
Guest on this show.

00:54:42:02 - 00:55:02:15
Kristen
I've had the problem that he's having, so. All right, Chris, I have a question for you. And this one comes from Margaret in Seattle. So Margaret says, my cat loves to climb the Christmas tree every year. And I'm worried about her safety with the ornaments and lights. How can I keep my tree cat friendly while still enjoying holiday decorations?

00:55:02:17 - 00:55:27:11
Chris
Yeah, this is the, This is guest, you know, classic. It's like Yankees or Red Sox, right? Athens versus Sparta. Cats for Christmas tree. You know, we've been waging this we've been waging this war since Christmas. Trees were brought into our homes. And the first recommendation, if you're a cat owner, fake tree is step one.

00:55:27:12 - 00:55:49:08
Chris
Because they're not, they're it the smell. It smell. When it smells like tree, they're going to want to climb it. So now I've said if it smells like tree. So if you if they're still climbing the fake tree or if you just love having a real tree, which I don't blame you. What we need to do is make the tree smell less like tree and smell more like stuff that cats don't like, but humans do.

00:55:49:10 - 00:56:22:01
Chris
And, cats strongly. Most cats, and I say most because some cats are getting weirdos who don't agree with any of the rules. Most cats hate the smell of citrus. So what you do is you get yourself a little spray bottle, go ahead and get a lemon and an orange, peel a bunch of the skin off. Make a little like cocktail, twists really express, that peel, get it into a, spray bottle with a, mostly water and a couple dashes of vinegar.

00:56:22:01 - 00:56:46:01
Chris
The vinegar is just acidic, and it's going to help, express the oils out of that citrus, but really go heavy on the citrus, like, imagine you are making a glass of ice water, but instead of ice, it's citrus peel. And what you're basically creating is, an essential oil. Go ahead. And tree a Christmas tree with that, it's going to smell like oranges and lemons, which is pleasant to people.

00:56:46:03 - 00:57:03:18
Chris
And the cat is going to avoid it. If that doesn't work, you're going to want to wrap the bottom of your tree and like the, the skirt in aluminum foil. That's a little I don't know what evils about cats and a limb foil, but I don't know if you've ever seen the videos on the internet where like, yes.

00:57:03:20 - 00:57:27:03
Chris
And it touches aluminum foil. They hate it. Like, the thing was that it was like charged with electricity. They fly through the air. They absolutely hate it. So, like, I know that aluminum foil is probably not what you want to put under your tree. But if it comes between, doing that and, the safety of your cats and I'm sure Margaret is your beautiful Christmas tree.

00:57:27:05 - 00:57:35:21
Chris
Yeah. Yes. A little skirt of aluminum foil. And you know what? If you put an extra string of lights around the bottom with the aluminum foil, you kind of get a disco ball effect.

00:57:36:00 - 00:57:37:06
Dr. Haworth
Hey, I like.

00:57:37:06 - 00:57:50:08
Chris
That. It could be worse. So that that's what. That's what I would do. And also avoid a lot of people. I don't know what it is with this. I don't know where this tradition comes from. The bells on the bottom of the tree. Kristen, is that something your family does?

00:57:50:13 - 00:57:52:07
Kristen
No. Like, bells?

00:57:52:09 - 00:57:58:15
Chris
It. No. Maybe it's an Italian thing. Something my my family always said. Bells on the bottom. And cats love bells, man. They're going to go up and they're going.

00:57:58:15 - 00:58:00:07
Dr. Haworth
To play the bells.

00:58:00:09 - 00:58:01:08
Kristen
That don't do.

00:58:01:12 - 00:58:02:23
Chris
Anything fun at the like.

00:58:02:23 - 00:58:04:23
Kristen
Hanging cat toys at the bottom of the tree.

00:58:05:00 - 00:58:18:04
Chris
It's exactly what it is. So you guys want them, to to not pay attention to to to the tree at all. So hopefully that works. Margaret. And, if not, I'm sorry.

00:58:18:06 - 00:58:24:11
Kristen
Yeah. One last suggestion. If none of those solutions work, you can hang the tree from the ceiling.

00:58:24:13 - 00:58:25:13
Dr. Haworth
Yes, yes.

00:58:25:15 - 00:58:28:01
Chris
That I would do that and send us pictures.

00:58:28:04 - 00:58:28:15
Dr. Haworth
Yeah, please.

00:58:28:15 - 00:58:31:01
Chris
Let's see. A little like portal tree or upside down tree.

00:58:31:01 - 00:58:32:03
Dr. Haworth
You know.

00:58:32:05 - 00:58:35:09
Kristen
That's great. Thank you. Margaret, that was a great question.

00:58:35:11 - 00:58:58:02
Chris
Yes. And with that question being answered, that unfortunately brings us to the end of our show. But, I was talking giveaways. I was talking giveaways. We talked about this a little bit in our interview with Amy. But if you want to spin the wheel, over on dog tv.com, go ahead and do it. Go ahead. Sign up for for dog TV.

00:58:58:04 - 00:59:19:20
Chris
Go ahead and spin the wheel. You can win some awesome prizes. You can win. Kristen e-book. You can read a book by Amy. There's all sorts of awesome prizes on this thing. So if you're listening to this, what are you doing? Stop. Pause the episode. Pause it. Go spin the wheel. See what you can get your hands on this holiday season.

00:59:19:22 - 00:59:41:01
Chris
And, in the meantime, we're going to be saying, goodbye for now. But we're coming up on Christmas real soon. I hope everybody's staying safe. I hope everybody's having fun. And if you have your burning questions, submit them. If you're listening to this and enjoying what we do, share it with a friend. Maybe that.

00:59:41:03 - 00:59:49:06
Chris
What? How do you feel about this, Chris? And if somebody did get you, like a physical gift, but they gave you the gift of an amazing podcast recommendation.

00:59:49:08 - 00:59:54:00
Kristen
Oh, that's that's as good as some gifts for sure. Or a better.

00:59:54:02 - 01:00:07:02
Chris
Worth its weight in gold. Worth its weight in gold. So go ahead and share this podcast with a friend. And be kind to yourself. Be kind to your animals and we will see you in a week.

01:00:07:04 - 01:00:12:17
Kristen
Happy holidays.