Episode 11: The Inside Scoop on the Westminster Dog Show & Celebrating Dog Mom’s Day

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00:00:00:04 - 00:00:14:19
Chris (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.

00:00:14:21 - 00:00:20:14
Kristen
Hey Chris, we got a busy show today. It's a big week for the dog world, and Mother's Day is coming up.

00:00:20:14 - 00:00:39:18
Chris
Yeah, mother's day is coming up. If you're listening to this right now and you haven't bought your mom something, this is your. This is your public service announcement. get your mother something nice. Mother's day is this Sunday. Do not forget. so we have a nice little Mother's Day themed episode. We're going to be hearing from some folks at the Westminster Dog Show, which is happening next week.

00:00:39:20 - 00:00:42:20
Chris
we got a really exciting, show coming up. Kristen.

00:00:42:22 - 00:00:48:02
Kristen
Yeah, I think actually, tickets to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show will be a great Mother's Day gift.

00:00:48:04 - 00:01:06:06
Chris
Don't you? Absolutely, absolutely. I believe it's being held in Queens, New York, this year. So if you're if you're in the New York area, check out ticket prices. Maybe you could go with mom and see the dogs. but thanks for joining us. It's the the Pets Add Life, the PAL podcast. we're your two pals, Chris and Kristen.

00:01:06:06 - 00:01:17:07
Chris
We're going to bring you, two excellent stories. Host. Two excellent guests. recommend two great products. And then we're going to answer two questions from the audience today.

00:01:17:09 - 00:01:21:22
Chris (Voice Over)
Kristen and Chris present story time.

00:01:21:23 - 00:01:50:12
Kristen
Okay. It's story time. Chris. And, I yeah, you know, my story is is actually about May being National Pet Month. And, last week, you might recall, I mentioned that there's a lot of, pet brands and retailers that are getting jumping on the bandwagon for National Pet Month to save pet parents money. So I mentioned last week that Amazon Pet Days are actually today, if you're listening, the day the show drops, it's May 7th.

00:01:50:12 - 00:02:10:09
Kristen
So the pet days on Amazon are the seventh and eighth. But if you missed those, don't worry, because I just read that Instacart is celebrating National pet Month all month long, and they've got lots of brands on the platform that are offering really great deals. I checked out a couple and noticed they had some buy one get one deals.

00:02:10:11 - 00:02:29:02
Kristen
they have deals where if you put something in your cart, they tell you how much more you have to spend to get either free delivery or, I think it was extra bucks to spend. So. Yeah. So this is a good time. Good month to save money on, pet toys, pet food, litter, whatever you need.

00:02:29:04 - 00:02:30:16
Chris
A great chance to stock up.

00:02:30:17 - 00:02:31:05
Kristen
Yeah.

00:02:31:07 - 00:02:55:17
Chris
Get those bulk deals and those bulk bulk deals of of cat food is what I'm like. Cat food and cat litter, especially with Instacart. Have somebody else lift that heavy litter for you instead of. Right. Like best of both worlds. that's great for all our pet parents. my story is for potential pet parents, for folks who, don't have a pet but are considering getting one.

00:02:55:19 - 00:03:19:06
Chris
one of the biggest barriers to entry, with pet adoption is the upfront cost in, yes, fees that you owe to the adoption center and local license taxes and all sorts of other fees that sort of just get bundled together ends up being hundreds, if thousands of dollars at points. so I, I read about a new, pet foundation I wasn't aware of.

00:03:19:06 - 00:03:44:17
Chris
This is the Bissell Pet Foundation, and in celebration of National Pet Month, they host, a program called Empty the Shelters, which is a program that you, as a potential pet parent, don't have to opt into at all. It's something that the adoption agencies opt into. And basically, the Bissell Foundation, caps the adoption fees at $50 for for a family.

00:03:44:19 - 00:04:03:11
Chris
So if you're considering adopting a dog or cat and you've, you've been mulling it over and you think, oh, this would be great, I just don't have I just don't want to spend that upfront money. This this might be your your time to shine here. So they have a great website with a shelter finder where you can find the participating shelters.

00:04:03:13 - 00:04:23:15
Chris
looking at the heat map here, it looks like there's plenty across the United States and even some in Canada. So you're going to go to Bissell, PSL, Pet foundation.org, and you're going to see a little button right on their homepage that says empty the shelters. And yes, find the find a shelter near you. They have an FAQ page.

00:04:23:16 - 00:04:40:23
Chris
but this is a great program. They started this back in 2016. They've helped nearly 190,000 pets find a home through this program. So it's no small, it's no small beans type program. This is a national program, and it could be your opportunity to get that, that pet that you've been wanting.

00:04:40:23 - 00:05:05:18
Kristen
Yeah, I'm. I'm glad that you shared that, Chris. I actually got to meet Kathy Bissell a long. Well, probably about probably ten years ago. I actually used to do some work with them. Is to write for their blog. And, I met her in person, and she is the most genuine person, most genuine pet lover ever. So this is a family owned business and they they really put their money where their mouth is when it comes to their pet programs.

00:05:05:23 - 00:05:28:10
Kristen
And obviously this empty the shelters has been going on for a while. So it's a great company to support. And they have great pet cleaning products too, if you need those. And, why not adopt a pet during May and save with the Bissell program? And then jump on Instacart, load up on 6 to 12 months worth of supplies, and you'll be way ahead of the game savings wise.

00:05:28:12 - 00:05:45:08
Chris
I mean, you heard it here. For first people, this is advice you can only get on the Pal podcast. It doesn't get much better than that. so we'll have the link, links as always in the show notes. So if you're interested, check out the show notes. And, be sure to check out your local shelter this May.

00:05:45:08 - 00:06:02:03
Chris
It is kitten season two. Oh, that is typically born in spring. So if you're thinking, oh, I don't want an adult cat, I want to experience those kitten years because that, you know, I think the stars are aligning for some of you out there, so be sure to check it out.

00:06:02:05 - 00:06:06:00
Kristen
So, Chris, you're going to get to meet our next guest in person at the West.

00:06:06:00 - 00:06:27:05
Chris
I am so exciting. Yeah, I can't wait to attend. I'm jealous I know, I know, next time, next year. There's always next year. so we're going to be speaking with, Mister Don stirs of the Westminster Kennel Club. He is going to be talking all about the Westminster Dog Show that's going to be held, starting May 11th.

00:06:27:05 - 00:06:33:05
Chris
I believe it's their 148th annual show. and we're going to learn all about it.

00:06:33:07 - 00:06:38:08
Chris (Voice Over)
Beyond the leash exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:06:38:10 - 00:06:45:18
Kristen
Okay, Chris, I'm so excited about our guest today. He is downstairs president of the Westminster Kennel Club. Let's introduce him now.

00:06:45:20 - 00:06:48:13
Chris
Hey, Don, how's it going?

00:06:48:15 - 00:06:50:17
Don
Good morning. Good morning. Thanks so much for having me.

00:06:50:17 - 00:06:52:16
Chris
Absolutely. It's an absolute pleasure to have you.

00:06:52:16 - 00:06:59:14
Kristen
In the Westminster Kennel Club. Dog show starts in just a few days. this show drops on May 7th, so we're getting real close.

00:06:59:16 - 00:07:16:19
Don
perfect. Yeah, we're we have, we start on May 11th with our canine celebration day. We're out at the Billie Jean King U.S Tennis Center in Flushing, for our second year. And also the canine celebration day on Saturday is really cool. It's a great family day, and it's the day before Mother's Day. So it's kind of a kind of a nice link.

00:07:16:21 - 00:07:37:06
Don
we have our masters agility trial, Masters obedience trial. We've got doc diving, we've got a breed showcase with over 50 breeds of dogs. we've got a demo ring with herding demonstrations, center dog show, one on one, all of that. we've got a great merch store will be open, and, lots of good things to eat out on the courtyard area.

00:07:37:06 - 00:08:00:15
Don
So. Yeah. So a good fun day. So fingers crossed on the weather. And then on Monday, May 13th, Tuesday, May 14th is the 148th Annual Westminster Dog Show. And that's, it's a big deal. We're closing in our 150th anniversary, so we're getting more and more pumped. we'll we'll come back and talk about that one another time, but, it's it's, it's it's really it's it's going to be wonderful.

00:08:00:15 - 00:08:30:05
Don
You'll be excited. And we've got, a lot of the top dogs in the country actually, coming to compete. Almost every group has every one of the top ten dogs ranked are entered in the show, which is phenomenal. and we've got dogs coming from all over the world. I was just looking at the list yesterday, and, yeah, it's pretty awesome when you think that, you know, Westminster, although it's clearly a New York City institution for dog lovers, it's actually become this international media event.

00:08:30:05 - 00:08:40:18
Don
And, yeah, I've got friends texting me from Japan and Korea saying, like, we're coming next week. You know, like like, oh, wow. Like like, is it they're coming from Stamford, Connecticut, you know, in.

00:08:40:20 - 00:08:58:14
Chris
Year no big, well, down for me as somebody who's not heavily involved in the show Dog World, I've always kind of seen and viewed Westminster as like the super Bowl of of show dogs. Would you say that's a pretty fair comparison?

00:08:58:16 - 00:09:08:14
Don
Absolutely. I've always said, you know, Super Bowl, Olympics, Oscars, Tonys. It's like it's that, for the dog show world for sure. No question. Nobody would argue.

00:09:08:14 - 00:09:28:17
Chris
That. And that's great. And, you know, you were mentioning on Saturday that there's all these other events beyond just show dog. So, how did how do you guys kind of fall into that? Was it about making the event more, of a family event where you could really bring, the entire family and make a full day or weekend out of it?

00:09:28:22 - 00:09:45:08
Don
Yeah, I think, you know, I think it's a couple of things came together. one was the venue itself kind of lent itself to doing something like this. the tennis center is, you know, when we first announced we're going there, people like the tennis center, like they're going to be on the tennis courts. Like people just couldn't process this.

00:09:45:10 - 00:10:05:19
Don
And but we transformed the venue completely. I mean, we actually start up, will be Sunday of this week. And as we move in and start, you know, building and, you know, we bring engineers in to create flooring over all of the courts. And then it's turfed and tents are put up over all the courts. And yeah, it's a it's a big production.

00:10:05:23 - 00:10:37:16
Don
So you know, it's a whole week before we even get to, you know, the first event and the family fun day. This canine celebration is something that, as you mentioned, was a way for us to try to connect people to this notion that you Westminster's for everyone. the you know, I think there's a difference between the word elitist, which I think sometimes Westminster in the past may have been viewed as and I like to frame it as it's an elite event and everyone can access an elite event.

00:10:37:16 - 00:11:05:20
Don
And much like everyone goes to the US open, everyone can go to Westminster and enjoy the excitement, enjoy the dogs. So that's you know, that's kind of where it came from. Was trying to bring people in and get them to know us better and see us in a different way, and then hopefully have them connect and say, yeah, we want to come back Monday or Tuesday to see the rest of this, you know, so that's, you know, it was kind of along those lines, the, the, the notion that dogs can do so many different things.

00:11:05:20 - 00:11:23:19
Don
You know, that was also a part of it was, you know, this celebrating what dogs bring to our lives as companions, you know, as partners in jobs that they do for us. And at the end of the day, that's really what's most important to Westminster is that celebration of dogs as companions in our lives. You know, the love they bring to us every day, right?

00:11:23:19 - 00:11:28:16
Don
They ask very little and they give so much. And so that's that's really where we.

00:11:28:18 - 00:11:40:18
Kristen
You know, our whole podcast team. Well, most of our podcast team is actually going to be there with the exception of myself. So I'm a little bit jealous. But, what for? I know, I know, next year, you know.

00:11:40:20 - 00:11:42:22
Chrissy
May not have wanted.

00:11:43:00 - 00:11:44:22
Kristen
no, but, which which.

00:11:44:22 - 00:11:46:08
Don
Okay. Okay, great.

00:11:46:10 - 00:11:51:14
Kristen
All the events will be televised for folks who maybe can't travel to the actual show store.

00:11:51:16 - 00:12:12:16
Don
there's lots of way to access it from home, so, Yeah, sure. It's got a bit of a list, so hang in there with me. So on on Saturday, Saturday that the, the Masters agility championship is actually streamed and you can access that through Westminster Kennel club.org. Then on Sunday, the agility finals, which is so exciting to watch.

00:12:12:19 - 00:12:40:05
Don
These dogs are flying through the course, you know, so fast and going over all these obstacles. that's going to be aired on Fox Sports from 2 to 4 on Sunday, May 12th. Yeah. And that's our down day. We have no events happening that day. And then on Monday and Tuesday, there's live streaming all day long. You go on the Westminster Kennel Club website and find a breed you want to watch, and you can watch the breed judging as a live streaming.

00:12:40:07 - 00:12:55:00
Don
Then Fox has a, a live broadcast from 1 to 4 on Monday and Tuesday, and that is on Fs2. And then in the evenings you would tune in to FS1 to see the live broadcast of the groups and Best in Show.

00:12:55:01 - 00:12:56:10
Kristen
That's pretty comprehensive coverage.

00:12:56:11 - 00:12:58:00
Don
Yeah.

00:12:58:02 - 00:13:08:14
Kristen
That's fantastic. Yeah. And I didn't I didn't realize you could. So you're saying you could actually tune in to your favorite breed to to watch the judging? Wow. That's awesome.

00:13:08:16 - 00:13:09:14
Don
Yeah.

00:13:09:16 - 00:13:10:11
Chris
That's awesome.

00:13:10:13 - 00:13:23:13
Don
Yeah. There are there are cameras set up in every ring and you can literally just sit there and watch them. If you say, I know I, I love golden retrievers, but I can't get there, just go on, check the judging program, what time they're on, and then go in and watch them live stream.

00:13:23:14 - 00:13:27:14
Kristen
Well, we'll make sure we put the links to, to the live stream in the in the show notes.

00:13:27:14 - 00:13:30:12
Don
Okay. Great that we. Wonderful. So thank you. Yeah.

00:13:30:14 - 00:13:45:05
Chris
Yeah, I'm a big fan of the toy category because I guess I love seeing those little guys strut their stuff. So I'm going to be heading over the website. Get that all set up. Yeah I'm clear I clear in my weekend plan. Sorry, mom, but I got trouble.

00:13:45:07 - 00:13:47:10
Kristen
In trouble.

00:13:47:12 - 00:13:53:01
Don
Right, Chris? Yeah. Okay. You're hold on one second, and I have a nice surprise for you.

00:13:53:03 - 00:13:59:05
Chris
Oh, man. Don, for those listening, Don has left his seat. And he has. He has. My goodness.

00:13:59:05 - 00:14:24:16
Don
It's been a little. That's a little. This is this is this is. There's a Pekinese. Yes. And this is my Pekinese puppy, Fiona. I see her dog. She is? Yeah. She's just the best. Yeah. She's so great. she actually has been shown already. She's already a championship in her championship at at eight months of age. and so she now she just fulfills her role as the first lady of West.

00:14:24:18 - 00:14:28:12
Chris
That's that's great. That's a most excellent title.

00:14:28:14 - 00:14:32:00
Don
I love it, I love it.

00:14:32:02 - 00:14:40:06
Kristen
Little appearance by Fiona. What's your favorite part of the showdown or the whole event? What is your favorite part?

00:14:40:08 - 00:15:01:05
Don
I think there's a there's a few things that that grabbed me. I, I love walking around and, seeing how people are so connected, you know, and in a world where, you know, there's so much divisiveness over so many things, but there's something about the love of dogs that, like, brings everyone together in this particular moment in time.

00:15:01:10 - 00:15:24:19
Don
And I love that, that the dogs have the power to do that. the, the other moments that I love is that in the morning before the dog show starts, and you could just kind of feel that reverberation of anticipation and excitement and nothing's actually happening in the rings yet, but you can feel it from the preparation and spectators arriving and dogs getting group.

00:15:24:23 - 00:15:53:11
Don
I love that moment. And then I love that best in show moment. There's something that just never gets tired. For me, it's I think because I know how important it is to the sport. I also know the world is watching it again, right? The world is now united around this 20 minutes of 30 minutes of time and, just knowing what that means to the winner, knowing what it means to the judge, it's just so emotionally packed.

00:15:53:13 - 00:16:08:18
Don
that particular moment. So those are probably my, my highlights of the year. But I like it all. And you know, when you see me there, I'm running around. I'm just I'm a very hands on guy, so I'm everywhere, you know? So that's, I feel like last year I was, you know, moving flowers around to see how they just got to be.

00:16:08:18 - 00:16:10:09
Don
Everything's got to be just right. Yeah.

00:16:10:11 - 00:16:34:19
Chris
I could feel that energy pouring through the computer. and speaking speaking of speaking of favorite moments, dog TV launching this week. as you, as as we, sort of, talk about favorite moments in the Westminster show launching this week as you listen to the show will be, the Westminster Archive on Dog TV.

00:16:34:23 - 00:16:54:12
Chris
which is historical content from the Westminster shows, dating all the way back to the 1920s, all the way up to today. So you don't have to just enjoy this show. You can enjoy all of them through dog TV. So be sure to check that out. And I believe we have a quick, 32nd promo to play for that right now.

00:16:54:12 - 00:16:57:06
Chris
Let's check it out.

00:16:57:07 - 00:17:01:18
Voice Over
Introducing a tail wagging trip through time, your TV proudly presents the.

00:17:01:18 - 00:17:09:05
Voice Over
Westminster Archive Channel. Dive into a range of awesome programs spanning from the Roaring 20s to today.

00:17:09:06 - 00:17:15:21
Voice Over
Every leap, every bark, every triumph. Now available exclusively on dog TV.

00:17:15:23 - 00:17:28:10
Voice Over
Join us for endless hours of the greatest shows on Fox only on dog TV. Subscribe today and on TV. Dot com. Unleash the joy. oh well that's great. Lots really great stuff.

00:17:28:12 - 00:17:57:18
Don
So yeah, we're so excited too, because that's a big part of Westminster is its history and its traditions. And I love that we're able because all of that's just been sitting in the ball. So I just think it was brilliant. You know, of the dog TV team to to go in this direction and create this because, you know, one of the visions that we have is to, have Westminster not be this once a year event, but rather it's, I call it, you know, week 365, you know, that I want Westminster to be a part of everyone's dog loving lives, you know, every day of the year.

00:17:57:18 - 00:18:01:12
Don
And this is a great step in that direction for us. So thank you so much.

00:18:01:14 - 00:18:11:09
Kristen
Absolutely. Well, yeah. Best of luck with the entire event. like I said, this show is going to drop on the seventh. So can people still get tickets right up until until it starts?

00:18:11:11 - 00:18:21:18
Don
Yes. you can get tickets either go to Westminster Kennel club.org and there's a link there to Ticketmaster or go to Ticketmaster directly. And, and you can get the tickets and they'll be right on your phone and you're all set to go.

00:18:21:18 - 00:18:33:04
Kristen
Fantastic. And if you can't be there in person, Don shared, you know, the, the streaming opportunities and the Fox sports opportunities. So, there's, there's some there's a way for everybody to watch.

00:18:33:06 - 00:18:37:09
Chris
Yep. I'll certainly be tuning in. Thanks a lot for joining us, Dan.

00:18:37:11 - 00:18:41:12
Don
Oh, thank you so much Chris. Chris is great seeing you. Have a great rest of the day.

00:18:41:12 - 00:18:41:22
Chris
Bye bye.

00:18:42:03 - 00:18:44:13
Chris (Voice Over)
Pets Add Life.

00:18:44:15 - 00:18:59:17
Chris
Awesome talking to Don. I can't wait to go see the show myself. you know, I'm a New York native. Never went to the Westminster dog show before. This will be my first time I've ever been. I feel like I feel like such a bad dog person now. I feel like I feel totally ashamed.

00:18:59:21 - 00:19:04:05
Chris
So I can't wait to attend. It's going to be an absolute blast. I can't wait to see it in person.

00:19:04:07 - 00:19:27:21
Kristen
You're going to love it. I'm going to watch it on TV. So okay. Looking forward to that. So our next guest, I'm super excited to see these ladies because, we had a great time working with them at Global Pet Expo. we've got Kristi, Joy and Amber Acar, and they are both very, talented dog trainers. And they are the hosts of the Dog Moms podcast right here on dog TV.

00:19:27:23 - 00:19:37:06
Kristen
And, let's let's see what we had to say with them. Well, well, look who's here. Chris. It's the dog moms.

00:19:37:06 - 00:19:55:17
Chris
Moms. It's the dog moms. Welcome to Chrissy and Amber, who I'm sure listeners are well acquainted with. They are the hosts of the Dog Moms podcast, a fellow dog TV product. So welcome, Chrissy and Amber. to the guest side of things. How's that feel?

00:19:55:19 - 00:19:56:20
Chrissy
Hi. Good.

00:19:57:00 - 00:20:03:07
Amber
It's so weird to, like, be the one answering questions and all of that, but I'm excited to be here is great.

00:20:03:09 - 00:20:22:02
Kristen
Yeah, and it's perfect timing, too, because Mother's Day is this week. It's coming up this weekend. if you're listening to the show, this, we're dropping this show on May 7th, so we've got a few more days to to find your, your dog mom gift or your, your mom gift. So, and I heard, Chrissy, that you you've got a quiz that recently came out.

00:20:22:07 - 00:20:51:03
Chrissy
Yes. Yeah. So it's like an interactive quiz where I'm asking questions to pet parents out there, and then you get to have all these custom answers. That's based on maybe what you have at home. And it's a great way to, like, tailor things to your own pet. So yeah, we have a whole interactive quiz right on there. It's really neat because like in today's world, now I can be recorded asking questions that you can answer right, right there in live time and then get something customized just for you.

00:20:51:08 - 00:20:52:09
Kristen
That is so cool.

00:20:52:11 - 00:21:18:15
Chris
That's so great. And I mean, with Mother's Day coming up, typically the celebration is for mothers of human babies, but, times are changing. People are becoming more involved in their pets life. So I want to ask the dog moms, what does Mother's Day mean to you as the, mothers of your most excellent fur babies?

00:21:18:17 - 00:21:21:16
Chrissy
Okay, I'm laughing at first because there's that river in the background.

00:21:21:21 - 00:21:28:10
Amber
Yes. Sorry. He says cat moms, too. We need to calm my dad.

00:21:28:12 - 00:21:31:07
Chris
So I see you and I'll have my dad.

00:21:31:09 - 00:21:34:12
Chrissy
It's so funny. I think that River knows whenever we're recording because it's.

00:21:34:12 - 00:21:38:02
Amber
Like, always want to be a part of the podcast.

00:21:38:02 - 00:21:39:08
Kristen
For sure.

00:21:39:10 - 00:21:42:01
Amber
He's like, this is the pets podcast, not dads.

00:21:42:07 - 00:21:43:15
Chrissy
Exactly, exactly.

00:21:43:17 - 00:22:02:10
Amber
But Chris, that's a great question. You know, this is actually my first Mother's Day as a human mom, and I've always been a dog and cat mom. And I think a lot of people say, oh, like, you're there's not your fur baby. It's just your pet. But to a lot of us, our pets are not only our babies, but they're like such a huge part of our lives.

00:22:02:12 - 00:22:21:05
Amber
And there's a really big difference between people who own pets and people who like, parrot their pets. And I think you guys, if you're listening to this podcast, you probably know what the difference is. But it's really just like your pet is such an a huge, ingrained part of your life that you are not just owning them, they're not just a pet to you.

00:22:21:05 - 00:22:38:00
Amber
Like they're almost like your child. And honestly, like I have a human child, but my dogs and my cats are just as much a part of our family as my little baby, too. And so I think that's why we're celebrating being a dog mom and a cat mom. River, that until this this is the.

00:22:38:00 - 00:22:40:17
Chrissy
Pets Add Life podcast. So this is the.

00:22:40:17 - 00:22:45:07
Kristen
All inclusive pet show. All inclusive. Absolutely.

00:22:45:08 - 00:22:49:01
Chris
As you can see by my menagerie of two dimensional, yes.

00:22:49:03 - 00:22:52:05
Chrissy
Friends, they're very easy to take care of, aren't they, Chris?

00:22:52:05 - 00:22:53:15
Chris
They really they don't.

00:22:53:16 - 00:22:54:10
Chrissy
They don't need much.

00:22:54:10 - 00:22:56:15
Chris
That's. They don't need much.

00:22:56:17 - 00:23:10:09
Kristen
Well, we really enjoy your show and we're so happy to have you on our show. And, I thought maybe we'd ask you each to share a couple of your favorite tips for being the perfect dog mom.

00:23:10:11 - 00:23:13:16
Amber
I need some tips.

00:23:13:18 - 00:23:22:06
Chris
But I guess I guess the first tip then is that it's an ever evolving process. You're never gonna you're never going to be the perfect parent, I think. So the first.

00:23:22:06 - 00:23:42:03
Chrissy
Thing is, is the first thing you should know is stop trying to achieve perfect and start trying to achieve what works for you and your family and what keeps your priorities straight. And I think that a lot of pet parents, whether they're trainers or whether they're, you know, more hands off in training, but more pet parent based.

00:23:42:05 - 00:24:06:15
Chrissy
We they constantly deal. And I think human parents as well can agree with. It's almost on a daily that you feel maybe I'm not doing enough. Maybe I should be doing more. maybe I'm not good enough with time management. And you go along this process where you try so hard to make everybody happy, but you still feel like you're not doing enough, and then you realize at the end of the day, you've also very, very much neglected your own health and needs.

00:24:06:17 - 00:24:21:21
Chrissy
And so I think in order to be a great dog mom and and I'm not here to like, I'm a, I'm a mom myself, but I'm not here to tell moms what to do because everyone's different. But taking care of yourself should be probably one of the first things that I would say be sure you're doing. And that's the mental health.

00:24:21:21 - 00:24:30:06
Chrissy
That's the dietary, that's physical so that you can be the best you can be when you're present with your kids and your pets.

00:24:30:08 - 00:24:34:04
Amber
Yeah. That's yeah, I, I would have to agree with that for sure.

00:24:34:06 - 00:24:46:00
Kristen
I was just going to say, isn't that why. That's why they tell you to put your mask on first on the plane, right? Because you can't you can't help anybody if you aren't. If you aren't, you know, in the right mindset. Stable.

00:24:46:04 - 00:24:46:16
Chrissy
Yeah.

00:24:46:17 - 00:24:47:17
Kristen
Capable. Yeah.

00:24:47:19 - 00:25:16:03
Amber
Yeah. Absolute. And I think we can put so much pressure on ourselves, especially like hearing from other pet parents and hearing how they do things and comparing. So playing the comparison game all of the time, like I know, especially since I've had a baby, I don't get the dogs out as much as I used to, and I was feeling like a horrible dog mom for such a long time because I was like, I used to get them out every single day, and now I can only get them out a couple of times a week if I can do that.

00:25:16:05 - 00:25:37:09
Amber
but I think that the biggest part is realizing that, like, no matter how much you do for your dogs and your cats, that they're just happy to be with you. And I've kind of noticed that, like, my dogs are just as happy to hang out with me as they are to go on this grand adventure, and they're also just as happy to go on a walk around the block with the baby.

00:25:37:09 - 00:26:09:20
Amber
And my husband as they are to like, go out and go to hiking. And I try to get them that activity and those fun things as often as I can. But when I look at the grand scheme of things, they're just happy, like sitting at my feet. And I, I think it's really important for us to acknowledge that and to not be hard on ourselves about that and realize that, like being a great pet parent is just cherishing those moments, loving those moments with your pet and celebrating them as much as you can, and not always trying to see what more you can do, and just kind of trying to be in the moment with

00:26:09:20 - 00:26:10:10
Amber
your pet.

00:26:10:12 - 00:26:32:18
Chrissy
That's right, that's right. And I think there are some really useful ways and so many things on social now where if you are able to be fully present and you're enjoying that, but you do crave to do a little bit more with your dog. Nowadays, since Covid especially, the world has just boomed and things you can do. So there's so many mental enrichment and physical enrichment activities that you can go out and join a club or try a new event.

00:26:32:18 - 00:26:47:20
Chrissy
Like, one thing I love about Amber is that she will she will take those opportunities and be like, I just tried barn hunt today, or I just went off and did the fast cat. Or like I just showed up and did like up dog, which is a Frisbee event. You know, I struggle more and just like I'm just going to try it, I'm just going to jump in.

00:26:48:01 - 00:27:01:05
Chrissy
But I but I love that, you know, that's something that you can help inspire other people to just give it a try. Like what's the worst? It's going to happen. But you also might find out you love it and you meet a whole network of people with a similar mindset.

00:27:01:06 - 00:27:17:23
Amber
Yeah, I think that's such a great point to to see that maybe other people are doing things and you don't have to be the best at it, but you could just put yourself out there and try it with your pet and even seeing things that people do with their pets at home. Like, I know Chrissy does so many different enrichment games with her dog, so many cool tricks at home with her dogs.

00:27:18:01 - 00:27:31:06
Amber
And sometimes you see that and you might be like, oh, I can't do that. That's too hard. But even just giving it a try again, look at how your dog reacts to it. They're not saying, oh my gosh, we need to be the best team that there is. They're just happy to try it with you to do new and fun things with you.

00:27:31:06 - 00:27:34:09
Amber
And I think that's really what being a dog mom is all about.

00:27:34:11 - 00:27:56:02
Chris
Yeah. And when we talk about these kinds of activities and sort of going out of your comfort zone, one of the things we talk about all the time on this podcast is the human animal bond, and how enriching it can be. And so just can you talk a little bit about how stepping out of your comfort zone, owning a dog, has enriched your life as a person?

00:27:56:04 - 00:27:59:20
Amber
Oh goodness. I think Christy and I could go on and on and on and on.

00:27:59:22 - 00:28:03:02
Chris
That'd be great. We got. That's why you're here.

00:28:03:04 - 00:28:23:18
Amber
Yeah. I'll start with I know this is something that Christy and I have actually, like, bonded over is that we've both dealt with anxiety and, getting. For me personally, I don't want to speak for Christy, but I know her story as well. if I didn't have my dogs, I probably wouldn't be out of the house very much, to be honest with you.

00:28:23:20 - 00:28:44:14
Amber
I wouldn't socialize. I would probably just be like a little hermit. And because of my dogs, they've pushed me out of my comfort zone, like you just said. Like. And Christy mentioned to like, I would never go to an event full of people, I don't know to go try something I've never done before. I absolutely never put myself in that situation.

00:28:44:14 - 00:28:58:15
Amber
But because I have my dogs and because my dogs love it so much, they kind of push me to get out and do things regularly. And there's been so many times I've seen these memes before where people are like, the dog asks to go for a walk and you're like, no, no, I don't want to go for a walk.

00:28:58:15 - 00:29:10:00
Amber
I don't want to go frog. I'm in a bad mood. I don't want to go outside. I just want to sit on the couch, do nothing, and then the dog's like, no, let's go outside. This go on a walk. And then when you go outside and you go on that walk, you're like, oh, thank you so much for getting me out.

00:29:10:00 - 00:29:27:10
Amber
Because now that I'm out here, I'm so glad that I did it. And I think that every dog owner can relate to that, that there's been times where you just aren't feeling it. And because our dogs are, they're happy to just do whatever with you, but kind of pushing you to get out of your comfort zone. They kind of open this whole new world for us.

00:29:27:10 - 00:29:36:07
Amber
That really brings a lot of joy and a lot of discovery of things you might have never tried before. And you end up learning to love, which is really cool.

00:29:36:09 - 00:29:54:19
Chrissy
Yeah, that really hits the nail on the head. You know, I had a phobia when I was young, which, you know, it technically is the fear of not being able to escape certain places like so if you're in an airplane or if you're in like a mall, right, you want the exit right? Right away. You're like panicking about not having that capability to get out.

00:29:54:21 - 00:30:09:09
Chrissy
And so that got so bad as a child. I actually ended up where I just didn't leave the house. And that's really hard for a child who is in fourth, fifth grade where that's supposed to be your most social getting involved in sports and doing all this stuff. And I wasn't really able or wanted to do any of those things.

00:30:09:11 - 00:30:29:00
Chrissy
But I did have a dog at home and training my overweight beagle that, I mean, looking back, I vetter way too many traits as a child. but she was great and I just worked with her and trained her and loved her. And, and that really grew to, like, getting me out of the house and doing, like, agility in my front yard.

00:30:29:00 - 00:30:49:09
Chrissy
And that sounds so mediocre, but you can't understand what a big deal that was for me as a child. And then it grew into me taking walks with my dog like it was little steps that just showed me that if I had an animal at my side, that was my comfort zone, which actually then translated. I became an equine studies major, which was with horses.

00:30:49:11 - 00:31:08:12
Chrissy
So I kind of an animal was always a part of my life to be my comfort zone, to be my space. And when I moved out to college and got a job and didn't have a dog at my side, all of that came back. Well, that anxiety, all that depression, it just creeped its way back in. And as soon as I was vulnerable in a part of my life, it brought me crashing down.

00:31:08:12 - 00:31:26:19
Chrissy
And that's when I, quit my job. And I adopted Beasley, which is my first dog of the five, and it was like a light switch because I can't I can't explain it any other way. My husband was like, Thank God, because he was like, I don't know what to do with you. You're a hot mess. But when I got Beasley, it was like, that's it.

00:31:26:19 - 00:31:50:15
Chrissy
That's what I've needed. And it was like a light switch and it just like it changed my life. Now I don't have a task train service dog with me, but I'd love to make one of them that I think would be great because I get migraines. but I can absolutely see where that's incredibly not just useful, but needed to get through some situations that can really create almost a disability in your life.

00:31:50:17 - 00:31:59:16
Chris
Yeah. Thank you. That's great. You heard it here first. ladies at home. A man can't fix your problems, but they don't exist.

00:31:59:18 - 00:32:05:01
Kristen
Okay. Thanks for translating. What? She was trying to be very polite about.

00:32:05:03 - 00:32:07:04
Chris
I'm allowed to say that. Yeah, I'm allowed to say not.

00:32:07:08 - 00:32:13:16
Chrissy
I'm not going to lie, I'm on travel right now. And instead of calling my husband, I talked to my dog for 45 minutes on a furbo.

00:32:13:18 - 00:32:18:01
Kristen
Oh my gosh, that's so cute. That's so cute. So, well.

00:32:18:03 - 00:32:19:18
Chrissy
That tells you anything.

00:32:19:20 - 00:32:37:03
Kristen
Yeah, well, and thanks for opening up and sharing that story. I think it's important for people to hear, you know, how dogs have helped people in different situations. And you know, we've just moved to a new small town about a year ago, and I work from home, so it's very hard for me to meet people. And I like kind of like you, Amber.

00:32:37:03 - 00:32:54:20
Kristen
I like being home. I don't, you know, there's no strong pull pulling me out to meet new people, but I know I need to. So I took tulip to a set class just to kind of meet other dog people, and I take her down to our cute little downtown in Waynesville, and people just stop on the street to meet you.

00:32:54:20 - 00:33:01:15
Kristen
And it's a great, you know, it's a great way to, you know, to help you socialize and feel more comfortable about, you know, making new friends.

00:33:01:20 - 00:33:12:11
Amber
Yeah. And absolutely. And it's so funny because, I don't know about you guys, but if someone like, doesn't have, like, the dog loves in common with me, I don't really know how to, like, talk to them.

00:33:12:12 - 00:33:13:06
Kristen
Yeah.

00:33:13:08 - 00:33:15:09
Amber
So it's really nice to.

00:33:15:09 - 00:33:16:12
Chrissy
Have to make.

00:33:16:13 - 00:33:27:23
Amber
An immediate connection of something in common with someone. When you meet them, you're like, oh, we can just talk about this. and if I didn't have that, I definitely would. I'm just very awkward with people otherwise. Yeah.

00:33:27:23 - 00:33:39:13
Chris
But when you meet people outside the industry and you say, so do you have a pet? And they say, no, you're just sort of saying you're drinking. Yeah. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. The conversation sort of ends there. I do that.

00:33:39:15 - 00:33:44:03
Amber
I didn't have a plan B. Oh no. Yeah, exactly. That was my only topic.

00:33:44:04 - 00:33:47:22
Chrissy
Yeah. It's like, well, you, don't fill my check list.

00:33:47:22 - 00:33:52:01
Chris
So best advice single item checklist. So move on. Yeah, but I.

00:33:52:01 - 00:34:10:23
Amber
Think dogs are so cool like that. Like, I mean, they really create a community with people you would have never interacted with before. and not just people, but other dogs, too. I love meeting other dogs as well. and there's a whole other side of it. And I think I wanted to mention this because I a lot of listeners, I'm sure, that maybe don't have social dogs.

00:34:10:23 - 00:34:32:01
Amber
And that's something that if you have a reactive dog or a sugar dog, I know that my first dog, I was dealing with social anxiety and trying to train a service dog, but my service dog at the time that I was training had social anxiety himself, and so it didn't really go very well. and I felt social cluded and it was something that I didn't really know how to handle.

00:34:32:01 - 00:34:51:09
Amber
But then through social media, I was able to connect with other pet parents that were dealing with similar things. And even even in the midst of being kind of lonely with a dog that doesn't want to socialize or go to the dog park, or go out to eat places because they would rather not do those things, they just want to be with you.

00:34:51:11 - 00:35:11:15
Amber
You can still find a community of other like minded and other pet parents that are going through similar things, and that's why I love things like this podcast, like social media, because you can really see people going through struggles with their dog, struggles with their life, and you kind of have that in common with them, and you might end up finding a community within that as well.

00:35:11:15 - 00:35:22:10
Amber
And so dogs, even dogs that have more difficult behaviors to deal with really find a way to bring you and connect you with other people. And I think that's one of the most beautiful things about dogs.

00:35:22:10 - 00:35:25:04
Chris
Yeah, yeah, that's a great note. And unfortunately.

00:35:25:05 - 00:35:26:01
Kristen
Right. Sorry, guys.

00:35:26:01 - 00:35:34:09
Chris
I'm unfortunately we are coming up on time here. I'm sure we could probably have a crossover podcast with a million episodes or I guess, talk about.

00:35:34:09 - 00:35:36:05
Amber
I told you we would talk about it.

00:35:36:07 - 00:36:03:05
Chris
Yeah. How beautiful animals have saved our lives in a million different ways. but we appreciate you guys joining us for this special Mother's Day episode. be sure to check out the Dog Moms podcast wherever you get your podcasts. or head on over to dog tv.com/the Dog Moms. You can find Chris's Crazy Dog Mom quiz there, as well as links to episodes and video, so be sure to check that out.

00:36:03:07 - 00:36:04:03
Kristen
It's great to see you.

00:36:04:03 - 00:36:05:21
Chrissy
Ladies again guys!

00:36:05:23 - 00:36:06:19
Amber
Happy dog.

00:36:06:19 - 00:36:09:15
Chris
Moms day, moms day.

00:36:09:17 - 00:36:13:03
Amber
Bye bye.

00:36:13:05 - 00:36:30:15
Chris
Man, that was such a great conversation. what a crossover episode to a little dog dog TV universe crossover episode. I always appreciate a good, good, a good Avengers Assemble moment there. And it really felt like that. so what a what a great team.

00:36:30:17 - 00:36:33:03
Kristen
Yeah, we didn't even talk about dog training.

00:36:33:04 - 00:36:53:14
Chris
I know, how about that? but if you want to check out that quiz that Chrissy was talking about, I'll give you that link one more time. It's dog tv.com/the dog moms. You'll find it right on the page. It's a lot of fun. I did it, during a break earlier, and, had an absolute blast just giggling at all the different, little, little things that she had that she's thrown in there.

00:36:53:14 - 00:36:55:02
Chris
So be sure to check it out.

00:36:55:04 - 00:36:57:06
Chris (Voice Over)
The product of the week

00:36:57:08 - 00:37:27:03
Chris
for my product of the week. My pup pup pup a product of the week. I so I find it really interesting when, celebrities, announce, products because they typically are inspired by a pet that they own. So Kaley Cuoco of, Big Bang Theory of Big Bang Theory fame, she play Penny, has launched a brand of dog food and supplements called oh, Norman.

00:37:27:05 - 00:37:58:01
Chris
and she's got this really great story about it how, very similar to what we just heard with the dog moms. just a lot of anxiety being in show business. A lot of pressure. that was relieved when she rescued this very silly looking Chihuahua mix named Norman. and through Norman, she really, can attest to the fact that the human animal bond works because she was doing up there.

00:37:58:01 - 00:38:16:05
Chris
Her career was stagnant. and now she's writing. She's directing, and she feels a lot more comfortable. She's doing business outside of show business with this brand. and the best part about it, what really brought me into this is that 10% of the profits from each purchase goes directly to animal rescues in the Los Andes.

00:38:16:05 - 00:38:17:15
Kristen
That's awesome.

00:38:17:17 - 00:38:43:19
Chris
because that's, you know, where she found Norman, and she has, rescued another dog. because Norman has sadly passed away. He lived to be 14 a beautiful story. So you can read all about, Kaylee and Norman's story at O norman.com. That's o h and o r Emma and.com. full line of products. if you order more than 75 bucks, you get free shipping.

00:38:43:21 - 00:39:02:18
Chris
10% of that purchase is going to be, helping rescues. and it really is an inspiring story because things like anxiety and depression, it affects all of us. Doesn't matter how famous or beautiful we are. it really it really can come down heavy. And sometimes a solution can be, sharing some of those feelings with an animal.

00:39:02:18 - 00:39:06:15
Chris
So, I think it ties in really well to what we've been talking about today.

00:39:06:17 - 00:39:27:01
Kristen
Yeah, it really does. It's a perfect fit. So my product, that I wanted to share today is something that I used last week when tulip and I flew to Tampa to do, TV segment about ear and eye care for dogs. And, that is the sleep pod air. Now, this is a it's an airline carrier for a dog or a cat.

00:39:27:01 - 00:39:55:03
Kristen
I think it holds up to a pet that's 18 pounds. And Sleep Pod is like one of my favorite brands because their designs are just so beautiful. And the quality is incredible. now, it's not it's not an inexpensive carrier. It's like, I think it was like $169, free shipping on Amazon. but what's cool about it is it's got the largest amount of, space for in-cabin air travel.

00:39:55:03 - 00:39:58:13
Kristen
They call it. They say it has first class legroom and.

00:39:58:18 - 00:39:59:16
Chris
Yes, of course.

00:39:59:16 - 00:40:24:01
Kristen
Yeah. And that's because the the ends of this carrier, you can zip them to like fold up. So, so when, when you're taking off or landing and you know the, the carrier has to be under the seat in front of you. those little sides fold up and you just slide it under. But when you're in flight or if you're just at the airport gate or whatever, you can open the back up so that your dog or cat has more legroom, so to speak.

00:40:24:01 - 00:40:44:20
Kristen
Inside. And, wow, this was the first time I'd used it. I had a different carrier for her before, and she was so much more noticeably comfortable in this carrier. And I think it's just because it's, you know, it's super cushy and soft inside and it's, it's thicker. So maybe it dampens some more of the sound from flight.

00:40:44:20 - 00:40:56:14
Kristen
But but I really love it. And they have a lot of different carriers for different types of activities, whether it's, you know, car travel, air travel, whatever. But the, sleep pod, air is one of my new vapes.

00:40:56:16 - 00:41:13:03
Chris
Yeah. That's great. I mean, traveling with a pet is stressful enough. Yeah. so knowing that you, they are a little bit more comfortable in some capacity. I mean, that's that's great. I couldn't even imagine trying to get Tiger in one of those things and moving across the country. I think it's different with cats. They don't really like that.

00:41:13:03 - 00:41:18:21
Chris
But hey, sometimes you have to, right? And there's no there's really no other alternative. Yeah. Yeah.

00:41:19:00 - 00:41:31:04
Kristen
Well, and if you said to and your cat was really anxious or your dog, you could talk to your vet about, you know. Yeah, some type of, you know, relaxation medication or something natural, like pheromones.

00:41:31:06 - 00:41:49:17
Chris
Yeah. Great. Well, that's a great recommendation, Kristen. And I believe that brings us to my personal favorite segment of the show, where we answer some of your questions and, do our best to provide some sound advice. so let's jump right into that.

00:41:49:19 - 00:41:51:10
Chris (Voice Over)
Q and A's.

00:41:51:12 - 00:42:09:12
Kristen
Okie doke. All right. Our first question today comes from Beth in Seattle. And she says, I've noticed my dog has been scratching a lot lately, but there are no signs of fleas. What are some of the other common causes of itching in dogs, and how can I help alleviate his discomfort?

00:42:09:14 - 00:42:10:15
Chris
That's a great question.

00:42:10:18 - 00:42:11:13
Kristen
Yeah, it is.

00:42:11:14 - 00:42:12:01
Chris
A great question.

00:42:12:01 - 00:42:15:20
Kristen
It is. And actually, I could take the first stab at this. yes.

00:42:15:22 - 00:42:16:12
Chris
Yes, please.

00:42:16:12 - 00:42:37:06
Kristen
My previous dog, who is passed a couple years ago, chilly. He had what's called atopic dermatitis. he was allergic to a lot of things in the environment. Ragweed, grass seed, just all kinds of stuff. And, he would get very itchy in the spring. And there were, you know, at first your your first thought always goes to fleas.

00:42:37:08 - 00:42:58:01
Kristen
But he was on a topical flea medication, so I didn't think that was it. But it just turned out that he was allergic to the some things in the environment. So you may, both need to take your dog to a vet to see if perhaps he has a skin allergy that's causing these itches. and also, some dogs are allergic to flea bites.

00:42:58:04 - 00:43:20:19
Kristen
So even if your dog is on a flea type of preventative, if your dog is bitten by a flea and then the flea dies and falls off because your dog's on a preventative, your dog can potentially be allergic to the flea bite, which can also lead to itchy, scratchy hot spots and things like that. So, you know, again, I think that's probably a question for your veterinarian to get some relief.

00:43:20:19 - 00:43:24:17
Kristen
But, but you got any additional thoughts on that one, Chris.

00:43:24:19 - 00:43:45:16
Chris
Yeah. One thing I'd say is check the entire dog. yeah. Dogs don't have fine motor skills, so they may be scratching at one area, but that's because that's all they got. They're itchy and they could only hit certain areas. I mean, they are not human beings. They don't have, that careful ability to find a particular area and scratch gently.

00:43:45:18 - 00:44:05:20
Chris
And I would get this looked at sooner than later. I know from experience with my family dog that sometimes it could just be, like you said, an allergy or an irritation. But the itching actually makes it worse. And it gets infected because they they it's either scratching as hard as they can or not at all, because they just lack that, that fine motor ability.

00:44:05:22 - 00:44:25:09
Chris
So I would say that while the issue itself is probably not urgent, the consequences are and I would seek the attention of a vet to get the animal to stop itching could be things like inflammation or irritation. It could be any number of things. And chances are, though, if the dog still seems happy, then their coat is fine and there's nothing wrong.

00:44:25:09 - 00:44:30:14
Chris
It's probably minor, but the itching itself could actually make things worse, so I wouldn't doubt that.

00:44:30:16 - 00:44:37:07
Kristen
That's a really great point, because the itching can. If if your dog opens up the skin, then you can be dealing with a bacterial infection. So now. Yeah.

00:44:37:09 - 00:44:38:02
Chris
Which is bad.

00:44:38:02 - 00:44:44:18
Kristen
So yes okay. Cool. All right. So our second question this is a cat question. So Chris get ready for it.

00:44:44:20 - 00:44:45:11
Chris
oh here we go.

00:44:45:14 - 00:44:47:01
Kristen
Oh my cat guy okay.

00:44:47:01 - 00:44:48:22
Chris
This is the cat guy.

00:44:49:00 - 00:45:00:04
Kristen
Tina in Phenix. She says my cat is very shy and hides whenever we have guests. Are there specific strategies I can use to help her become more social and less fearful?

00:45:00:06 - 00:45:33:14
Chris
That's a great question. And the common answer people would give is no. cats. Cats are stubborn. and cats are difficult. but here's one thing I'll say about, nervous cats is they just need some time, right? It's typically time and comfort. So if you're having guests over sparsely, they're always going to hide from guests. and if you're not bringing new people into the home, often they're going to view every single person who comes in as a stranger.

00:45:33:16 - 00:45:59:12
Chris
So I would say up your social game a bit, invite some more people over to see, see and hang out with the cat and interact with the cat. Also, I found that cats and bonded pairs will typically have one social cat and one antisocial cat, and in my experience, that's almost impossible to break. They've kind of fallen into their roles of one person being the hey, you go, you go check it out, cat, and the other cat being the I'll.

00:45:59:13 - 00:46:24:19
Chris
I'll protect the den. and that's a little more difficult to break. And here's the thing with dogs, it's easier because they can be trained and tempted. Cats instincts are much stronger, and they'll hold to those. So I would just encourage, the cat to interact with more people. I would try to keep it natural, let the cat come out slowly instead of trying to track it down when people are over and and force it into those situations.

00:46:24:19 - 00:46:28:11
Chris
If you force it, you're probably going to reinforce the behavior.

00:46:28:13 - 00:46:52:02
Kristen
Yeah, I was going to say I'm glad you mentioned that because I was going to say, don't go get the cat and drag her out to meet the people. Yeah, it's got to be on her terms. Or like, like Chris said, you may just be making making the situation worse, but you also might, try getting some pheromones diffusers or, you know, things that you can plug into the wall to kind of calm her down so that maybe she would be more inclined to come out and say hello.

00:46:52:04 - 00:46:56:08
Kristen
but otherwise, you know, that's just her personality and personality.

00:46:56:10 - 00:47:19:16
Chris
personality. It's very funny. one thing I've seen too, and I've read about is that if you use, active stimulation toys, it could. It could break some of those nerves. Sometimes a cat is shy because they don't feel well prepared to defend themselves. if some. And I know that sounds ridiculous, but you have to remember, these are wild animals we're talking about, and they're very instinctual.

00:47:19:18 - 00:47:35:12
Chris
And if you use some of these hunting stimulation toys, you know, the ones with, like a little ball in the carpet that runs around while you're at home, it can actually build up the confidence of the cat to feel like, oh, I now have that skill set required to go out into the world, because that's how the cat brain works, right?

00:47:35:12 - 00:47:51:04
Chris
They spend time with their pack and gain skills, and when they feel like they've graduated, they leave the pack and start their own family. so I've read that that may help as well. So who knows? But also, you could just have a shy cat and there's nothing wrong with that.

00:47:51:05 - 00:47:57:19
Kristen
That's right. Yep. All right. Well, I think that wraps it up for our show today. This was, this was a jam packed show.

00:47:57:20 - 00:48:28:11
Chris
It was I mean, we had the Westminster Dog Club. We got the the the podcast of anchors together and, and had a great, discussion revolving around Mother's Day. we answered some, some questions. And again, if you want your questions answered, head on over to Petsaddlife.org/podcast. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, submit a form with your question or if you are mighty brave, you can record a voice memo and you just might hear your memo on this show.

00:48:28:13 - 00:48:42:04
Chris
in the meantime, be sure to like and subscribe. Stop by every Tuesday for a new episode because that's that's where when we'll be releasing them. That's when we'll be here. And we'll have more great stuff coming your way.

00:48:42:06 - 00:48:45:07
Kristen
Yeah. Have fun with the show dogs next week, Chris.

00:48:45:09 - 00:48:49:22
Chris
I will, I'll yeah I'll try. I'll say yes so that you don't feel too bad.

00:48:50:00 - 00:48:52:07
Kristen
All right. We'll see you next week.

00:48:52:09 - 00:48:53:21
Chris
See you next week. Thanks, everyone.

00:48:53:23 - 00:48:54:19
Chris (Voice Over)
Pets Add life.