Episode 19: Pet Safety Tips & 4th of July

Disclaimer: 

Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.

 

00:00:00:05 - 00:00:15:11

Voice Over

Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal. Bond, with Kristin Levine and Chris Bonifati powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

 

00:00:15:12 - 00:00:18:13

Kristine

Hey Chris, what do you have planned for the July 4th holiday?

 

00:00:18:15 - 00:00:38:08

Chris

We're actually going to be visiting some family over in Chicago. It's sort of become a defacto tradition, which is really nice. I get to see a lot of my wife's family over there, enjoy some time in the pool, grill up some some cured meats and other exciting, stuff. maybe maybe have a cocktail or two. Who knows?

 

00:00:38:08 - 00:00:45:12

Chris

Yeah, yeah. Some brats, some brought some hot dogs. I love a hot dog. Is he completely underrated? Oh, yeah. He's got food. Yeah, got.

 

00:00:45:12 - 00:00:46:06

Kristine

have hot dogs.

 

00:00:46:06 - 00:00:48:06

Chris

Gotta have Top Dog on the 4th of July.

 

00:00:48:08 - 00:00:53:02

Kristine

At the at the baseball field and on the 4th of July. Those are hot dog days for sure.

 

00:00:53:03 - 00:00:54:11

Chris

Because America.

 

00:00:54:12 - 00:00:55:06

Kristine

Absolutely.

 

00:00:55:06 - 00:00:56:14

Chris

Yeah. Because America.

 

00:00:56:16 - 00:01:19:16

Kristine

Get that. So I just discovered that we have a lake in our little mountain town here in Waynesville, and it's called Lake Juneau, Alaska. And I just found out that on the 4th of July, people decorate their, kayaks and their stand up paddle boards, like, with tiny flags. And they, like, just tool around the lake. So, I don't have a kayak, but I was on Facebook Marketplace this morning, and I think I found a roll video.

 

00:01:19:18 - 00:01:20:12

Chris

That's amazing.

 

00:01:20:12 - 00:01:23:19

Kristine

Yeah, I want I want to be on the lake with my flags flying.

 

00:01:23:21 - 00:01:44:13

Chris

We all are expecting pictures. but the other side of 4th of July of course, is that it is the number one day that animals are lost because they panic, over the fireworks. So we have an episode today dedicated to helping us keep track of our pets. learn more about their behavior and some safety tips for the 4th of July.

 

00:01:44:13 - 00:02:03:22

Chris

So, welcome, everybody. if you've made it this far, I'm sure you're a fan of the show. This is the power podcast with Chris and Kristen. We're going to be bringing you, two great stories, two lovely guests, two wonderful products. And then we're going to answer two of your questions. So without further ado, let's get right into storytime.

 

00:02:04:00 - 00:02:08:03

Voice Over

Kristen and Chris present storytime.

 

00:02:08:05 - 00:02:10:16

Kristine

All right, Chris, why don't you give us your story first?

 

00:02:10:18 - 00:02:35:09

Chris

Yes. So this is this is an international story here, which I know we've got largely a US, audience. But, I think this is a story that is going to, interest a lot of our cat owners. So over in the UK, across the pond, they have just passed legislation that all cats, all domesticated cats must be microchipped and entered into a database.

 

00:02:35:11 - 00:03:03:02

Chris

Wow. so that is, that is a serious change in legislation that's obviously splitting. you know, as all political decisions do is obviously splitting the populace over there. But the the purpose of that is that there's been a major stray problem in England. and this is to basically hold owners accountable as well as help people keep track of their outdoor cats that are getting more and more lost and and not able to find their way.

 

00:03:03:02 - 00:03:27:00

Chris

So, the process is quite simple. When you bring your that, when you bring your cat into the vet for the first time, they're basically going to do this by default, including things like, you know, when they get spayed and neutered, it's going to help. basically, they said that their version of the ASPCA is the RSPCA, said that more than 7500 abandoned cats were reported to charity in England alone last year.

 

00:03:27:00 - 00:03:49:23

Chris

So that's 7500 cats. that likely a percentage of them, could have been re re found to their original homes if there was a better way to track them. So this is to help the cats. It's to help the owners, reunite with their, their cats. And I think a lot of people just don't appreciate how simple some of this tracking technology is with, with, you know, modern tech.

 

00:03:50:01 - 00:04:06:02

Kristine

yeah. For sure. So I think it's a pretty smart move. yeah. I think, you know, we have Lauren on the show. A little bit later, we're going to get into deeper discussion on pet identification. I think, microchipping is really smart, but actually, there's even even more. There's an even smarter way to identify your pet.

 

00:04:06:02 - 00:04:19:00

Kristine

So we're going to hear more about that later. yeah. But yeah, it's, it's it's such a simple it's such a simple problem to solve. And yet we haven't solved it yet. So we're getting there, though.

 

00:04:19:02 - 00:04:22:18

Chris

Yep. Slowly but surely.

 

00:04:22:20 - 00:04:35:14

Kristine

All right, my story is more for dogs. And I think this is kind of a summer fun story. and it all. I got the idea for this when, my husband and I went to dairy Queen the other day.

 

00:04:35:16 - 00:04:38:02

Chris

And we said, okay, did I turn your blizzard upside down?

 

00:04:38:04 - 00:04:42:03

Kristine

They know they did it, but oh, no, I forgot.

 

00:04:42:05 - 00:04:42:22

Chris

I'm very sad.

 

00:04:43:01 - 00:04:59:06

Kristine

To do that. but we had to live with us. And so we went through the drive through and I ordered my peanut butter parfait, and Paul got his. I think he is the Oreo. Oreo Blizzard. And I asked for a, like, an empty little cup because I was going to take just a little bit of vanilla ice cream and put it in a cup for Tula.

 

00:04:59:08 - 00:05:16:22

Kristine

So we get up to the window to pick to pick up our order. And, the guy inside said, oh, I didn't know you had a dog with you. You know, we have, dairy Queen pop cups. Oh, I didn't know that. Now, I think everybody's aware of the Starbucks. Papa Chino. Yeah. but this made me think.

 

00:05:16:22 - 00:05:38:18

Kristine

I wonder what other fast food chains ice cream shops have a specific pet treat or pet menu, and you'd be surprised there's like, 15 of them that I bet you didn't know offer either a pet menu or a special pet treat, and I just thought I'd share some of those with with our audience in case you're out and about with your dogs in the carts.

 

00:05:38:20 - 00:06:06:11

Kristine

so I've never heard of this one. Sprinkles. Apparently it's a cupcake place, and they offer a doggie cupcake like specially made ingredients so there's no sugar. It's super cute. Dunkin donuts has a puppy latte. the Shake Shack has a Puccini. Ben and Jerry's finally came out with, a dog ice cream just for dogs. Johnny Rockets has a dog menu, and In-N-Out burger offers a pup patty.

 

00:06:06:12 - 00:06:10:23

Kristine

So, I think that's that's probably the dog's favorite.

 

00:06:11:00 - 00:06:12:15

Chris

yeah, I would, I would think so. Yeah.

 

00:06:12:16 - 00:06:32:07

Kristine

Two would definitely choose a pup patty over an ice cream. Q has grilled chicken tenders for dogs, and chick fil A will offer you a dog biscuit if you simply ask. So, But. Yeah, just that's the. It's at taste of home.com. If you want to see all 15 fast food secret dog menus.

 

00:06:32:09 - 00:06:50:03

Chris

that's that's great. We have a local ice cream shop that has, dog ice cream. And it's very funny because there's now a big disclaimer next to it that basically says, these are for dogs. It will not taste good to you if you order. I know you want peanut butter ice cream, but we only have it for dogs.

 

00:06:50:03 - 00:07:01:19

Chris

And if you order the peanut butter dog ice cream, it is not going to taste like ice cream because there's no sugar. That's really the big difference is, is the, the the fat content and then the sugar. So.

 

00:07:01:22 - 00:07:04:10

Kristine

Right, right. So taste at your own risk if you must.

 

00:07:04:10 - 00:07:09:08

Chris

Be on the leash. Exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

 

00:07:09:10 - 00:07:31:13

Kristine

Today on Pets Add Life, we are thrilled to welcome Arden Moore. She's a renowned pet expert, author of 26 books and counting, and the host of two shows, Four Legged Life and the Oh Behave podcast. Arden is a certified first aid instructor for pets, and has dedicated her entire career to educating pet owners about how to keep their furry friends safe and happy.

 

00:07:31:15 - 00:07:44:03

Kristine

And so, with the 4th of July just around the corner in a couple of days, Arden is going to share some essential safety tips for us to ensure our dogs stay calm and protected. And cats too. During the holiday. Welcome to the show, Arden.

 

00:07:44:05 - 00:07:49:19

Arden Moore

Hey paws up Kristin, nice to see you again. Great to be.

 

00:07:49:21 - 00:07:52:07

Chris

There. Hello, hello, hello.

 

00:07:52:09 - 00:07:55:18

Arden Moore

And that's what they do, dog. Kona.

 

00:07:55:19 - 00:08:00:04

Kristine

Kona paws. I'm going up.

 

00:08:00:06 - 00:08:06:14

Chris

It's always great when we have a guest who's willing to parade their animals out in front of us, because it's the most exciting part of my day.

 

00:08:06:16 - 00:08:08:15

Kristine

Arden always, always used.

 

00:08:08:15 - 00:08:10:11

Arden Moore

More talented than any of us.

 

00:08:10:13 - 00:08:14:12

Chris

Yeah, sure. Yeah, that's certainly more talented than I am.

 

00:08:14:13 - 00:08:33:21

Kristine

And Cassie and Kona always join Arden in her interviews, and she always brings really cool props, too. So. So, Arden, like, there's there's so much we could talk to you about, but why don't we just start with since 4th of July is in two days, can you give us some safety tips for both our cat and dog critters as we as we lead up to the big holiday?

 

00:08:33:23 - 00:08:55:12

Arden Moore

Absolutely. You know, we want to celebrate with a bang. But unfortunately for our dogs and cats who hear so much better than we do, this is not on their bucket list of favorite holidays because of the sheer noise. It's unexpected. it could they be sleeping and all of a sudden boom, boom, boom and they don't know what's going on.

 

00:08:55:12 - 00:09:20:16

Arden Moore

So fortunately, we need to keep these pets inside in a cozy room that is blocking the noise of the fireworks. Do not take your dog just because you'd like to wear them in a red, white and blue Salvatore outfit too. And to, a 4th of July fireworks. They can bolt off their leash, their harness, and panic.

 

00:09:20:21 - 00:09:39:21

Arden Moore

Let them stay home all alone. Stay home, turn on some dog TV, do something. Give them. Keep busy toys, that work their noodle and distract them. But please, understand. Noise phobia is a big deal, and some pets can really panic.

 

00:09:39:23 - 00:09:57:19

Kristine

That's so true. You know, we were talking about the top of the show. How, you know, animal shelters say that the day after the fourth, it's the busiest day of the year because so many lost pets, pets who have panicked on the 4th of July, or it doesn't have to even be on the fourth because as you know, people start loud sending off fireworks, you know, the whole week before.

 

00:09:57:21 - 00:09:58:17

Kristine

So,

 

00:09:58:19 - 00:10:02:04

Arden Moore

I live in Texas. Trust me, it's a whole big. Oh, so, you know.

 

00:10:02:06 - 00:10:06:01

Chris

Yeah, it's it's more like a week long celebration there. Yeah.

 

00:10:06:03 - 00:10:17:12

Arden Moore

Well, I was that big key, too, is, ID tags connect. But who? Conor has her eye, her collar, and it's embroidered with her name and my cell.

 

00:10:17:13 - 00:10:18:12

Chris

Oh, smart.

 

00:10:18:14 - 00:10:25:03

Arden Moore

Which is very nice. Rather than trying to look. And a dog's. Yeah, I see your way. And then you lose your nose.

 

00:10:25:05 - 00:10:34:23

Chris

And also the metallic, the metallic tags where they wear. And if you don't get them changed every couple of years, you'll actually not be able to read it anymore.

 

00:10:35:00 - 00:10:56:01

Arden Moore

So if you do have one of those, spin it around to the back and look at it from the back because the mouth is there. And yeah, but also make sure your pet is got a microchip ID. we ended up getting our little dog, Emma, during Covid, she had been dumped out. No ID, no microchip full of heartworms.

 

00:10:56:03 - 00:11:06:13

Arden Moore

But Emma, the little one here says I had. And I have a microchip. I am a member of Arden's family.

 

00:11:06:15 - 00:11:08:20

Chris

Oh, right. That's so, so adorable.

 

00:11:08:21 - 00:11:18:21

Kristine

Right. Well, let's talk about cats. You know, we tend to gloss over kitty cats, when we talk about July 4th season. So cats don't appreciate loud noises.

 

00:11:18:21 - 00:11:22:22

Arden Moore

You know about that? Well, okay. And,

 

00:11:23:00 - 00:11:24:23

Chris

Oh, that's so adorable.

 

00:11:24:23 - 00:11:51:13

Arden Moore

Stacy. Cat. Casey. He goes, I'm an indoor boy, but I have a microchip. I have an ID, and Arden's keeping me safe in, our back bedroom with. She. He actually likes dogs, so he's watching dog TV during the 4th of July. That's that's nice. You just got to realize they can hide in tiny, tiny, tiny places behind every fridge, under your couch.

 

00:11:51:15 - 00:12:07:10

Arden Moore

So I say put them in a room that's safe, that you can find them. And they, like, keep busy toys, too. They like food puzzles, you know, so give them something to do when the bang bang bang is going on.

 

00:12:07:12 - 00:12:18:20

Chris

Is there any credence art into giving your cat a good place to hide? Like putting like a couple of cardboard boxes in the room so that they don't go under the furniture, where it might be a little more dangerous.

 

00:12:18:20 - 00:12:43:18

Arden Moore

Yeah, exactly. Chris, Kitty's like if it if I since if it's I since it fits. So all those boxes from, different delivery companies. yeah. Make a little fort for them. let's put a little blanket in them and they think lights out. Nobody can find them. They do like to go into little comfy cubbyholes. Just make the cubby hole safe.

 

00:12:43:20 - 00:12:45:05

Arden Moore

That's a good idea.

 

00:12:45:07 - 00:12:53:07

Kristine

And, you know, the bang bang bang is not the only danger to pets around the 4th of July, right?

 

00:12:53:09 - 00:12:58:22

Arden Moore

well, there's barbecue, we want to have a cookout.

 

00:12:59:00 - 00:12:59:15

Kristine

And.

 

00:12:59:15 - 00:13:19:14

Arden Moore

We're going to have corn on the cob. And I gotta tell you guys, corn on the cob, corn on the cob. The cob does not digest in the belly of a dog or a cat. It's salty, it's buttery, it's hot. It could burn their mouth, their throat, if they get those metal prongs because they grab the corn off.

 

00:13:19:14 - 00:13:32:15

Arden Moore

Yeah, off the grill. you're going to go to you're going to spend the holidays at the emergency that having, emergency surgery. And I want to talk about chicken legs too.

 

00:13:32:17 - 00:13:38:13

Kristine

And if you, if you're not, if you're not watching us and actually has a chicken leg that she is showing us right now.

 

00:13:38:15 - 00:14:00:00

Arden Moore

And, there's a lot of little bones in it and splinter, I mean, the smell from the grill is a beckoning for a dog who wants to grab and and run. And you chase them and they bite harder and faster, and there could be splinters. So dogs at picnics and cookouts, they need to be unleashes and away from the grill.

 

00:14:00:02 - 00:14:22:01

Chris

And well supervised is the other. The other part of that is the supervision. It's not a good day to sort of let your dog do what they want in the in the backyard. There's there's lots of present dangers. Yeah. choking hazards. And you said at the top of this segment they could bolt, even if your dog has no history of doing that, they're going to think something is wrong.

 

00:14:22:01 - 00:14:25:15

Chris

And instinct takes over. They are still animals at the end of the day.

 

00:14:25:17 - 00:14:40:11

Arden Moore

Yeah. When you're faced with something you're going to you're going to freeze, you're going to flee, you're going to fidget. Are you going to fight during that noisy time of the holidays? They there's many dogs and cats that will flee to feel safe.

 

00:14:40:13 - 00:15:00:18

Kristine

just getting back to the food topic real quick. it's also a really good idea to, to ask your guests to please not feed the pets, because, you know, I mean, sometimes. Yeah, yeah, sometimes people don't, you know, they're not thinking they might be having a couple of, you know, beers or cocktails or whatever. Not so maybe, maybe, maybe they don't have a pet and they don't know any better.

 

00:15:00:18 - 00:15:05:07

Kristine

So make sure your guests know. Do not feed the animals.

 

00:15:05:09 - 00:15:34:16

Arden Moore

Yeah. Have some healthy treats for the pets portion control. Because can you imagine having a backyard cookout and every guest has sneaked a bunch of food off their plate to your dog? They're going to turn into a, hairy Ottoman. And obesity is not good. Salt is not good. Butter is not good. So what is good for us, or just something we enjoy for a holiday, may be downright dangerous for dogs.

 

00:15:34:16 - 00:15:37:03

Arden Moore

Pancreatitis is no fun.

 

00:15:37:05 - 00:15:41:19

Kristine

Yeah, yeah. And the guests won't be there to pay the vet bill when you, have to go to the emergency.

 

00:15:41:21 - 00:15:42:11

Arden Moore

That's true.

 

00:15:42:11 - 00:15:46:00

Chris

That's certainly true.

 

00:15:46:01 - 00:15:55:10

Kristine

so, Arden, I mentioned at the top of in the intro that you've you've written 26 books. That is amazing.

 

00:15:55:12 - 00:16:00:14

Arden Moore

Well, I have very strong typing fingers.

 

00:16:00:16 - 00:16:00:23

Chris

and.

 

00:16:00:23 - 00:16:20:08

Arden Moore

I used to be a newspaper reporter for 20 years. But what I like is giving out good information in a fun way and have it with good documentation so that a lot of veterinarians and animal behaviorists that are my go to people, I mean, my latest two books are the Dog Behavior Answer Book and A Kids Guide to Dogs.

 

00:16:20:08 - 00:16:31:21

Arden Moore

Oh, and Conor's in the book. Conor's very helpful in this book. and so knowledge is power, and I hope people would like to get their paws on those books.

 

00:16:32:02 - 00:16:51:05

Chris

Yeah, A Kids Guide to Dogs is awesome. It's it's actually it's challenging to teach children the proper way to interact with an animal. I mean, you see all those videos of kids trying to pet dogs like, like this because they don't have the fine mode. Exactly. Yeah. So that's a that's a great little resource there for parents.

 

00:16:51:07 - 00:16:59:00

Arden Moore

Well, we teach kids the doggy ABCs, ask permission, be sniffed and carefully pet the bark.

 

00:16:59:02 - 00:16:59:13

Chris

That's great.

 

00:16:59:18 - 00:17:15:12

Kristine

Yeah, yeah, you just made the point. I was going to make art. And I mean, as much fun as you are to listen to, you're just as fun to read. I have read some of your books, and you just have such a masterful way of of educating people in a really fun way, in a way that they can way that kids can remember, adults can remember.

 

00:17:15:12 - 00:17:23:17

Kristine

So I just want to give you, you know, paws up for that. Yeah. Where can we find your books?

 

00:17:23:19 - 00:17:47:12

Arden Moore

believe it or not, Amazon. Amazon, us. It's on e and and print and also go to ardmore.com. That's my real born. Give a name and and check out my pet first classes. Pet first aid for you because we make learning pet first day fun. I even tell dad jokes in class.

 

00:17:47:14 - 00:17:53:08

Chris

oh. I'm signing up right now. I'm on the website. Dad jokes and some pet CPR. You could count me in, I think.

 

00:17:53:08 - 00:17:55:05

Kristine

Yeah, I did, oh, sorry, Chris. Keep going.

 

00:17:55:06 - 00:17:56:06

Chris

No. Go ahead.

 

00:17:56:08 - 00:18:00:03

Kristine

I was just gonna say, I think we should have Arden back, one of these days to talk about pet CPR.

 

00:18:00:05 - 00:18:09:11

Chris

Yeah, I mean, that's a great, great skill to have. It's one you never want to use, but you always want to keep in your back pocket. and there's a lot of.

 

00:18:09:12 - 00:18:15:12

Arden Moore

It with Conor and the cat, Casey. So you get to take a class with a real dog and a real cat. That's great.

 

00:18:15:16 - 00:18:36:03

Chris

Even better that that does make it even better. And, you know, there's probably a lot of folks listening who may not even have pets yet. They're, you know, there's plenty of people who listen, listen to the show, that our guest considering getting an animal. And that's sort of the, what Pets Add Life brings to the table is helping make that process as simple as possible.

 

00:18:36:03 - 00:18:55:08

Chris

And knowledge is a big part of that, especially as somebody with anxiety who struggles to make big decisions, having that kind of information and knowing and feeling comfortable like, yes, this is a responsibility I'm ready to take on now, can be a great resource for people. So if you're out there listening to the show, you're not really sure if you're ready to get a pet yet.

 

00:18:55:08 - 00:19:01:14

Chris

Why don't you read through some of Arden's books? You might learn a bit and feel really confident about taking the leap.

 

00:19:01:16 - 00:19:17:20

Arden Moore

Well thank you Chris. Yeah, I'm a better human because of the cats and dogs in my life. And, I see my cat and Conor, my dog, are both therapy pets, and we give back in the community. But you should see them. They rocket in a pet for.

 

00:19:17:22 - 00:19:20:13

Chris

That's awesome. That's awesome.

 

00:19:20:15 - 00:19:30:21

Kristine

Well, thank you so much for joining us today. Aaden and Casey and Conor and Emma. And we wish you a very happy, healthy possum. 4th of July.

 

00:19:30:23 - 00:19:35:18

Arden Moore

Thank you both. Chris and Krista and I appreciate being on your show.

 

00:19:35:20 - 00:19:43:00

Kristine

Anytime pets add life. Oh, she is so much fun. I always love interviewing Ardmore.

 

00:19:43:02 - 00:20:01:07

Chris

absolutely. We were kind of joking about how it's very rare for us to get a true, bonafide pet expert who is also funny and entertaining. Usually you kind of have to trade one or the other, but she really knows her stuff. and is it presents it in a super digestible way.

 

00:20:01:09 - 00:20:06:07

Kristine

And not only that, she has pets that participate in the interview. Yes. It's amazing. She's the full package.

 

00:20:06:12 - 00:20:34:00

Chris

Yeah. If you're listening to us right now, definitely check out the YouTube part of this episode so that you could see Conor and Emma and Casey, the safety cat. They are so adorable and so well-behaved. yes, literal poster children. So be sure to check out the video for this episode. Our next guest joining us today is Lorien Clemens, the co-founder and CEO of Pet Hub, a company committed to preventing lost pets and reuniting them with their families.

 

00:20:34:01 - 00:20:54:12

Chris

obviously July is loss Pet Prevention Month. It goes hand-in-hand. We've been talking so much about 4th of July and the danger it presents to losing your pet. So Lorien’s going to come on and discuss some strategies for the 4th of July, how to keep your pet safe and protected. So let's go ahead and jump right into that in.

 

00:20:54:14 - 00:20:57:08

Kristine

Welcome, Lorien from Pet Hub.

 

00:20:57:10 - 00:20:59:22

Lorien Clemens

Hi. I'm excited to be here.

 

00:21:00:00 - 00:21:02:11

Kristine

Chris Lauria Lauren and I go way back.

 

00:21:02:16 - 00:21:18:03

Chris

Oh that's great. I feel like you kind of go way back with a lot of our guests. And I'm over here at Lottie Dottie Land, like, oh, it's such a pleasure to meet you for the first time. Yeah. Meanwhile, our guests interviewing all of Kristen's friends.

 

00:21:18:05 - 00:21:33:16

Chris

but, Lauren, it's a it's a pleasure to have you on. Perfect timing to, this episode is kind of dedicated to animal safety around, the 4th of July holiday and July is lost pet prevention month. So I think it's a perfect time to have you on the show.

 

00:21:33:18 - 00:21:45:09

Lorien Clemens

Yes, it is, it is. So thank you. I'm really excited to be here. I don't know how much you've, informed your audiences so far, but, Lost Pet Prevention Month is very close to my heart.

 

00:21:45:11 - 00:21:47:12

Kristine

Yeah, because you started it.

 

00:21:47:13 - 00:22:05:12

Lorien Clemens

Yeah, yeah. And the funniest story is that it was supposed to be a week. That was the something that I like. I had been, like, saying, like, we need to have a conversation beyond microchips. It's got to be a conversation beyond microchips, because it's more than that and it's more about prevention than, you know, let's not worry about like after their loss, keep them from getting lost in the first place.

 

00:22:05:12 - 00:22:23:19

Lorien Clemens

Kind of a thing. And and so I talked to a couple people. I think I even talked to you, Kristen, about it. And I was like, I think I'm going to do this week. And she's like, do it. And everybody's like, do it, let's do it. So I threw out to a bunch of my friends basically that are in the industry, and I said, hey, let's do this thing seat of my pants, like a couple months before, like, let's figure this out.

 

00:22:23:19 - 00:22:44:09

Lorien Clemens

Let's make it happen. And then the very first blog that came out the morning and it actually like the email that went out, like went out while I was sleeping and it went out and it was from, Amy at Go Pet Friendly and she said, welcome to last Pet Prevention Month. And all of my friends who except like, it's too soon for me to get something out of it, you know, for the first week of July.

 

00:22:44:11 - 00:23:07:18

Lorien Clemens

And they were like writing me back, saying, oh, I have a whole month. Great. Yeah, I'm going to do this. And this. And so all the sudden overnight we became lost for Prevention Month. But I think it's good because it's a very deep, in-depth conversation. and it's it really allows us to talk about the breadth of not just lost pet prevention, but also recovery and all the different aspects that go into it now.

 

00:23:07:22 - 00:23:25:18

Chris

Sounds like a happy little accident to me. and you were you mentioned right at the top there, going beyond the microchip. We have to take this conversation beyond the microchip. So, some of our listeners out there might be thinking that the microchip is the only available option, that that's really or the best choice when it comes.

 

00:23:25:18 - 00:23:32:19

Chris

Yeah. Yeah, or the best option. So what other avenues can folks take to ensure that their pets are safe?

 

00:23:32:21 - 00:24:03:17

Lorien Clemens

Yeah. And I've heard I want to start by saying the microchip is your ultimate safety net. But if you think about, you know, like what that means to be a safety net, it's that last thing that can catch the animal from going into a shelter system and getting lost, or worse, you know? And so, when we look at that lost pet prevention and identification in particular, we want to look at it like a stool, like you would never sit on a one legged stool.

 

00:24:03:21 - 00:24:31:06

Lorien Clemens

Very few of us can drive a unicycle, you know, like I'm missing or or very few of us feel stable on a pogo stick, you know what I mean? So one legged things tend to be, not the best for your safety and welfare in the long run. And so you want to think of it as I need to have three legs, and ultimately, you're going to always have that microchip, because, as I said, it's the safety that that that we that we hope will always come through.

 

00:24:31:06 - 00:24:54:03

Lorien Clemens

And if we have time, we can talk about ways that it can falter. But, then you want to have a solid, really reliable external identification that doesn't rely on batteries. It doesn't rely on an app, it doesn't rely on other people, having the same app as you. So like, although Apple tags and all those, you know, great Bluetooth things are good.

 

00:24:54:05 - 00:25:16:11

Lorien Clemens

They rely on other people having the same app on at the time that your dog is lost kind of thing. So anything that is relying on that, that doesn't mean that it can't be technology based. so back in 2009, my husband and the founder of Pet Hub invented the pet QR id tags, filed the first patent had I.

 

00:25:16:14 - 00:25:30:20

Lorien Clemens

Let's see if we can make this happen. we kind of floundered his Christian nose, for a while because QR because he was like, what? The QR code? What is that little black white squiggly thing? Like, what do I do with that? You know, and believe it or not, when we first started, people were like, well, what if everybody doesn't get a smartphone?

 

00:25:30:20 - 00:25:35:20

Lorien Clemens

Come on now. Now those is just a fad. I mean, we were literally told that it's just a fad.

 

00:25:35:21 - 00:25:36:10

Kristine

Let's listen.

 

00:25:36:10 - 00:25:57:05

Lorien Clemens

40% of people even have those. Well, and Tom and I were like, no, no, no, this is going to catch on. Trust me. And so then Covid happened, which I hate to say, like one of the bright spots of Covid, frankly, has been this mass, acceptance of technologies like the QR code, like NFC, that kind of thing.

 

00:25:57:05 - 00:26:16:15

Lorien Clemens

So the, the digital ID tag that has a QR code, hopefully a QR code, because it is frankly the most stable of all. The, NFC is great, but, you know, you have to have your NFC and you have to have know how to do NFC, NFC. It can be kind of cranky when it's got a case on QR code can be scanned by anybody's phone.

 

00:26:16:19 - 00:26:39:15

Lorien Clemens

Any phone made in the last four years automatically recognizes that QR code. When you put the camera at it, and it links to an online profile. And depending on which, you know, product you're using, it may be a profile that goes just to, you know, a button that then you have to fill out a form. It might be, something that shows all the phone numbers.

 

00:26:39:17 - 00:26:58:05

Lorien Clemens

It might, you know, there's a lot of different flavors out there for, digital ID tags. If there's a pet hub ID tag, which is my company. the pet parent has full control of what's showing and what's not showing. So if you're worried about, you know, the creepy guy at the dog park, being able to scan your dog's tag and see all your information, you can hide it.

 

00:26:58:06 - 00:27:19:12

Lorien Clemens

But if your dog's lost and you're like, here's my Social Security number, here's the code to get into my house. You know, whatever. Just leave the dog, you know, get it off, and then you can show everything you want and so, and that, our tag also, and I believe were one of the only, if not the only one that has a free 24/7 call center where we have human beings that can actually help that pet get home once it's scanned.

 

00:27:19:14 - 00:27:41:21

Lorien Clemens

So that digital ID tag, it puts you in control of your pet getting home. You can have as many phone numbers as you want. You can put your your pet sitter. You can put your your spouse, you can put your mom, your dad, your neighbors, you name it. We even have on pet have we have a thing called safe spots, which are places that your dog could be taken maybe if you're not able to get to them right away.

 

00:27:41:21 - 00:27:59:20

Lorien Clemens

So we have like dog dog stores, you know, our local pet store. We have our veterinarian. We have, you know, other businesses where we know the dog could be taken to if we're not able to get to them in time. So digital ID text is open up a lot of, opportunity for you. So I would that that needs to be your second like period.

 

00:27:59:20 - 00:28:07:00

Lorien Clemens

I mean it needs to be a digital ID tag. I hope it's that up. But, if it's, you know, there's other options that are out there.

 

00:28:07:01 - 00:28:15:07

Kristine

You are the original QR code, and you have continued to, you know, to evolve and better the platform that technology all along the way.

 

00:28:15:07 - 00:28:32:04

Lorien Clemens

So yeah, I mean, and I got to say that I think probably our proudest thing is over the years since we started, measuring in 2012 how fast we were getting pets home is how fast we get pets. so 96% of, pet recovered pets are home in 24 hours or less.

 

00:28:32:06 - 00:28:33:06

Chris

That's amazing. Wow.

 

00:28:33:06 - 00:28:34:01

Lorien Clemens

And, So.

 

00:28:34:01 - 00:28:49:14

Kristine

Yeah. Lauren. yeah. Do you have any, recent statistics on how many pets that entered the shelter? As I just, you know, owner unknown? Yeah. How many of those pets don't have any form of identification, including a microchip? Do you have any stats on that?

 

00:28:49:15 - 00:29:09:14

Lorien Clemens

Well, we have some stats and nothing. Of course, it one of the issues that we're having an animal welfare right now and all those shelter animals count, and, best friends are doing an amazing job. It's really trying to hone together. And they work alongside of folks like 24 pet never to bring together this information. So we're getting better data, but we still don't have really concise data of everything nationally.

 

00:29:09:16 - 00:29:30:21

Lorien Clemens

It's hard to say. And it really again, it runs the gamut. What's the culture? So like if you live in a culture, where in your city, there's a big healthy community identification tag program where no naked pets. It's a hashtag, no naked pets. It's what we we really preach all the time that's really prevalent in your in your community.

 

00:29:30:23 - 00:29:55:17

Lorien Clemens

Then then probably more dogs are coming into shelters with identification or are being, when they're having that interaction with animal welfare organizations, either through an animal control officer or that kind of thing. They probably do have an identification list come off for some reason, but then you go into rural areas or you go into areas that are super urban where people just don't put a collar on their dog because, you know, they use a p pad in the apartment and they don't really go outside.

 

00:29:55:17 - 00:30:15:03

Lorien Clemens

And so when they do that outside, they're naked, you know, and terrified of naked afraid, like right there. and, you know, so it's going to really run the gamut. And that's what we find when we do our statistics. We actually did a study in 2022, and then we analyzed data in 2023 with the National Animal Care and Control.

 

00:30:15:05 - 00:30:31:14

Lorien Clemens

And what we found was and we were really we ended up focusing mostly on dogs, even though we asked dogs and cats. It was over 4000 pet parents took the survey. but, you know, it was overwhelming. You know, there was over 15, I think it was about 1500 people had lost a dog, but a much smaller set had lost a cat.

 

00:30:31:14 - 00:30:55:13

Lorien Clemens

So the data is not as great for the cats, but 98% of the dogs that were found in 24 hours or less had a collar with visible identification on them. and 36% of dogs were actually found in 24 hours or less. And the number two way that they got home after their pet parents physically getting out, searching and yelling for them.

 

00:30:55:13 - 00:31:05:23

Lorien Clemens

Right. Which was the number one way. so get off the couch immediately if your pets lost. But the number two, the number two way, is digital ID tags.

 

00:31:06:01 - 00:31:06:16

Chris

Yeah.

 

00:31:06:18 - 00:31:24:14

Lorien Clemens

And that was like, for us. We didn't know that that was going to be the data. We're like, wow, that's awesome. And the number five way overall was ID tags in general. Just standard what we call dumb tags. You know, lovingly lovingly call them dumb tags, you know, that don't have any technology for them, but just have that static piece of one information like your phone number on it.

 

00:31:24:16 - 00:31:27:05

Kristine

Yeah. Technology challenged tags for sure.

 

00:31:27:10 - 00:31:28:13

Lorien Clemens

Yeah, yeah. Technologies.

 

00:31:28:13 - 00:31:47:01

Chris

Yes. And I mean I was saying before those those classic metallic aluminum based tags they, they wear out. Oh yeah. Look great when you buy it at first for your dog when it's a puppy. But by the time, you know, 4 or 5 years later, it becomes very difficult to read. So it's.

 

00:31:47:07 - 00:31:49:11

Lorien Clemens

Five years is being generous, Chris.

 

00:31:49:16 - 00:31:50:05

Chris

I'm always.

 

00:31:50:05 - 00:31:50:14

Kristine

Generous.

 

00:31:50:15 - 00:31:52:12

Chris

So I'm just known as a generous guy.

 

00:31:52:12 - 00:32:07:16

Lorien Clemens

Yeah. So planned obsolescence is part of the business model of those ID tag machines in the big stores. I'm sorry, but it is. Yep. They don't make their money unless you need to buy a tag every 18 months or so.

 

00:32:07:20 - 00:32:12:19

Kristine

Yeah. When you scan it every three months, it also remind you to update any of the information that may.

 

00:32:12:20 - 00:32:33:23

Lorien Clemens

Exactly, exactly. Well and let's talk about that entering information I mean that is one of the biggest reasons that microchips fail is because they do not have updated information. And depending on, you know, which statistic you're looking at. And the one I'm going to use right now is actually from the microchip industry, as much as 52% of those microchips are not activated.

 

00:32:33:23 - 00:32:49:12

Lorien Clemens

If you talk to some shelters, they'll tell you the numbers are even higher when they scan that microchip. It's an old phone number. It's a disconnect. The phone number, it's different. It's like, oh my God, that was a dog I had a long time ago. I took him back to the shelter or, you know, or worse. The story is that we all love to hear.

 

00:32:49:12 - 00:32:54:16

Lorien Clemens

And I hate to hear dog reunited after seven years. Right? Are you kidding.

 

00:32:54:16 - 00:32:55:10

Chris

Me? Yeah.

 

00:32:55:16 - 00:33:14:07

Lorien Clemens

And so that that microchip failed all those times, and most often is because it did not have updated information on it. It's out of sight, out of mind. I would, would, like, put our money at a table and say, like, I'll give you each five bucks if you can tell me exactly where your microchip is from and you give me five bucks.

 

00:33:14:07 - 00:33:16:23

Lorien Clemens

If you don't, I come out ahead. I guarantee.

 

00:33:17:01 - 00:33:18:06

Chris

Every time.

 

00:33:18:08 - 00:33:39:07

Lorien Clemens

I'm sure the majority of pet parents have no idea what microchip their dog had. It was whatever the shelter, whatever the rice rescue put it, whatever the reader put in it, you know, whatever the vet put in it, I don't know. They activated it for me. I've never even been on the website for it. So there's this, you know, learned helplessness and, and stuff that comes along with microchips as opposed to a digital ID tag.

 

00:33:39:13 - 00:33:57:07

Lorien Clemens

Putting it on the collar. You're reminded every single day my dog is connected to that service. And it is a reminder. And I'd like to give one little bit of advice right now. Right now, go find the paperwork for your pet's microchip. If you have a pet detect, put your Pet Hub ID tag number in here to go put it.

 

00:33:57:12 - 00:34:32:01

Lorien Clemens

Go enter your your pet as a contact in your, phone right now. Put their microchip number, put their rabies tag number, put their pet hub ID number, or whatever digital ID number you have. If their license, put their license number and put the name of the shelter that they would go to if they were found in your neighborhood, put that all in your phone right now, because if they do get lost, then you can hop on the phone and excuse me, hop on the computer or on your phone while you're walking around yelling for them, and be updating those things.

 

00:34:32:01 - 00:34:34:02

Lorien Clemens

If you haven't updated them recently.

 

00:34:34:04 - 00:34:55:20

Kristine

That is great advice, Florian. That's fantastic advice. Can I challenge you all listening to do that right now? Lauren I know Pet Hub works with with communities, municipalities all over the US. if you if you're listening and you want to get a pet hub tag, but you don't know if you're in a pet hub community, what would you advise?

 

00:34:55:22 - 00:35:12:01

Lorien Clemens

the easiest way, if you if you. Well, if you don't know, if you're in a pet hub community, I would say look up your local shelter, whatever, like that, and see if if they do have look on their website because they usually will tell you. But, the easiest way to get one is just go to pet.com up at the top says shop click that.

 

00:35:12:03 - 00:35:29:00

Lorien Clemens

We actually just opened up, after being begged by our customers to please bring back the fun tags. We used to have a lot of really fun sassy tags. We had over 200 designs, and, we set that aside because we really wanted to focus on these community ID tag programs, so we needed to put all of our efforts there.

 

00:35:29:01 - 00:35:44:12

Lorien Clemens

We only had one ID tag design available to, you know, people that don't have a community ID program and they're like, please do that. So we we put out six and the, responses them overwhelming. And so now we're going to bring back a couple more. And I gotta admit they're super sassy. Yes.

 

00:35:44:13 - 00:36:02:21

Chris

And we are we're coming up on time here. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us. These are amazing tips. I learned, so much in in our brief time together. so everybody listening at home. 4th of July is right around the corner. Make sure you've taken Lauren's advice to heart. to keep your your loving pet, nice and safe this holiday.

 

00:36:03:02 - 00:36:06:00

Chris

and thanks again for all of the wonderful advice. Lauren.

 

00:36:06:02 - 00:36:11:17

Lorien Clemens

Thank you so much. And everybody, please keep those pets say thank you very much for having me.

 

00:36:11:18 - 00:36:30:11

Chris

That was great hearing from Lauren and all those different concepts. I think the way she presented having the microchip as your last safety net, I think a lot of people see it as their first line of defense, but it's really the last thing you want to happen. It's there for when everything else fails. I think that's a really great piece of advice that people should take to heart.

 

00:36:30:12 - 00:36:41:22

Kristine

Yeah, I agree, and a lot of things have to happen for the microchip to even be discovered. So why not just get a digital ID tag for your pet and then get that third leg of the stool? Whatever makes the most sense for for where you live.

 

00:36:42:00 - 00:36:59:11

Chris

So absolutely, absolutely. Some really great stuff. Right? In time for 4th of July, too. So, just keep your eyes. Keep your eyes on Fido and and the cat. If you have a grumpy cat. An outdoor cat. and so that when we are, back to reality on July 5th, everybody is safe and at home.

 

00:36:59:11 - 00:37:01:23

Voice Over

The product of the week.

 

00:37:02:01 - 00:37:07:17

Kristine

Okay, Chris, it's time for your your favorite part of the show. The papa, Papa, Papa product of the week.

 

00:37:07:21 - 00:37:12:12

Chris

You're getting there. One day you're you're one day it's going to be perfect. But go ahead and kick us off. Yeah. Kristen.

 

00:37:12:12 - 00:37:13:02

Arden Moore

Okay.

 

00:37:13:02 - 00:37:37:02

Kristine

All right. So this is a really fun one okay. This is something that kept showing up in my social feeds. And I just had to do a little bit of investigation. it was they're dubbing it the emotional support duck for dogs. Okay. And so I dove into this and I fell for it. I found the website and it's actually a company called the Mellow Dog.

 

00:37:37:04 - 00:38:01:17

Kristine

They make calming beds, they make enrichment products. And this duck has just taken off. It's it's the the true name of it is called Calming Duck. And it apparently it fights boredom makes your pet less lonely and happier. okay, I guess so. It's machine washable, dry air safe. And it is just this adorable stuffed duck duck. And apparently when they squeak, when they, instead of squeaking, it makes a duck a little ducky noise.

 

00:38:01:17 - 00:38:18:11

Kristine

Oh. So, it's for dogs of all sizes. from Yorkies to Great Danes. It's chewable, but not indestructible. So probably some of those tougher chewers might tear the little ducky apart. but it's just really cute. And I kind of tell you, it makes for a great Instagram post because it's so darn cute.

 

00:38:18:12 - 00:38:24:02

Chris

I guess. Looked up a picture of it and it is an adorable stuffed, isn't it? I mean, picturesque.

 

00:38:24:02 - 00:38:28:13

Kristine

Yeah, I think every dog on my on my holiday list is going to get an emotional support.

 

00:38:28:13 - 00:38:34:16

Chris

Duck. An emotional support duck. While they say the bird is the word and, today's word is duck.

 

00:38:34:18 - 00:38:36:22

Kristine

Yeah. How about you? What do you have today?

 

00:38:37:03 - 00:39:04:09

Chris

Yeah. So I, have a bit of a recommendation to go with what we just discussed with Laurie in, which is a, very popular GPS based, smart collar for dogs. you might have heard it before. It's from a brand called tractive. and they they are huge brand. Really? leading the way in this, affordable, self-contained technology.

 

00:39:04:11 - 00:39:20:12

Chris

I looked at a bunch of different brands to try and find one that I could truly recommend, because at the end of the day, this is a safety product. If you're going to purchase a brand of safety products, you are putting your, implicit trust in that brand. So I wanted to make sure I was recommending a good one.

 

00:39:20:14 - 00:39:44:13

Chris

I don't know who out there still has a Consumer Reports subscription, but, I do currently. so this scored a 97 on Consumer Reports, which is they do not hand out high scores like that. They find problems with products internationally. I actually worked for Consumer Reports way, way back to that. Was that a young warthog? and they test the they test these products.

 

00:39:44:13 - 00:40:11:04

Chris

They put them through the wringer to see when they fail, when they mess up what's not great about them. And they found zero negatives with with the tractive pet trips, they rate their tracking as excellent, the ease of setup as excellent, the ease of use as, excellent. And the pricing as, quote, incredibly fair. So, it it's essentially a collar you put on your dog.

 

00:40:11:04 - 00:40:32:21

Chris

It's got a little box on it and it'll keep track of your dog, let you know exactly where it is. It comes with a mobile app. There is a subscription type fee. I think it comes out to like $13 a month, but there's all sorts of features where it will work. there's people saying in the comments that they live in like the woods in Sweden where there is no cell reception, and this still works.

 

00:40:32:21 - 00:41:01:22

Chris

They still get apps and things like that. So if you, want a, a backup to a microchip, if you're not comfortable getting a microchip in your dog, if you just want something that's more accessible because those microchips still have to be found by a vet and then scanned, right. So if you want something that is is going to keep you up to date with the location of your pet, if you're somebody who lives with a lot of land and just sometimes Fido doesn't come home for dinner because they're out adventuring and you want that peace of mind.

 

00:41:02:00 - 00:41:21:02

Chris

This is a piece of technology. I'm very comfortable recommending. So that brand name, once again, is tractive. If you look into it and it's something you don't, something you don't like about it, there's a ton of other brands, but the moral of the story is have something in place where if your dog or a cat gets lost, you can find them easily.

 

00:41:21:02 - 00:41:24:08

Chris

So this is just one of many solutions.

 

00:41:24:10 - 00:41:26:06

Arden Moore

To and days.

 

00:41:26:08 - 00:41:52:23

Chris

Okay, Kristin, it is time to answer some questions from our wonderful audience and audience. Dear listeners, if you want your question answered on the show, head on over to PetsAddLife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of the screen. You'll see a place to submit your question. Or if you're feeling like a brave little soldier, you can send us a voice memo record your question on your own device, send it on over and you will hear your question played on this show.

 

00:41:53:05 - 00:41:57:20

Kristine

So we haven't been stumped yet, Chris. We haven't been stumped on an answer yet.

 

00:41:57:22 - 00:42:25:16

Chris

honestly, that's surprising. I'm I'm no easily stumped. So so go ahead and bust out your hardest questions. We're going to give it a true college try. but in the meantime we have a question here from Mark Marcus from Portland, Oregon, and asks, I love my dog, but the shedding hair is everywhere. I feel that bark. What are some effective ways to manage and reduce dog shedding around the house?

 

00:42:25:18 - 00:42:45:19

Kristine

Okay, well, that's a really good one. so there are basically two different types of dog coats. There's the short, a short coat, which is typically less than two inches in length on the hair, and it's usually smooth. or it could be coarse and wiry. and then there's the dogs that have the, the double coat, the undercoat that's usually shorter hair and then a longer outer coat.

 

00:42:45:23 - 00:43:04:21

Kristine

And those types of dogs tend to shed, seasonally. So this is we're kind of into summer now, but, you know, you're probably seeing the tail end get it tail end, the tail end of, spring shedding. here's a few suggestions, for you, Mark. And you may have already tried some of these, but this is just my go to advice.

 

00:43:04:21 - 00:43:41:05

Kristine

It would be number one, brushing every single day. So take the dog outside because you don't want to brush all that fur into the into the air in the house. Brush some every day. you might want to increase the frequency of bathing, because bathing also can do a better job of loosening some of that undercoat when you're, you know, like, you know, scrubbing and, you know, lathering up the, the pet shampoo, and then, of course, you could also go to a groomer or I'm not going to advise you to do this yourself, but maybe start with a groomer and just kind of ask for a cut or kind of, trim, either

 

00:43:41:05 - 00:43:47:22

Kristine

a trim or what do you call. I'm at a loss for words, Chris, on this. What do you call it when you, the Terminator thing?

 

00:43:48:00 - 00:43:55:05

Chris

That's like, kind of like a vacuum type situation. Yeah, yeah, it's like it's like light cut.

 

00:43:55:07 - 00:44:16:07

Kristine

Right? But I want to say this too, because again, we we always say we're not veterinarians. I'm not a professional groomer. but you definitely don't want to take too much of the coat out because your dog's coat protects them from the sun, from insects, from parasites, and from a lot of things. So that's why I say start with a groomer before you start cutting or trimming on your dog.

 

00:44:16:09 - 00:44:23:07

Kristine

but they're for a reading. Yeah, extra baths and, brushing every day, and hopefully that'll do the trick.

 

00:44:23:09 - 00:44:39:00

Chris

Those are all great tips, Kristen and I'll offer. just a quick word of advice. what to do with all of the hair? because you're going to end up with enough hair. You're going to be like, I could build a second dog. which would be funny. So maybe, maybe a fur sculpture and build yourself a second dog.

 

00:44:39:00 - 00:45:07:00

Chris

But, I have found that if you put some of the dog shedding in your garden, it will prevent, some of the, like, hairs and moles and deer from coming because they're going to get a whiff of a natural predator. so it's a it's a good it's a good use of those, those clippings. If you have a garden at home, and have some pests, that are ruining your, your hard work.

 

00:45:07:01 - 00:45:13:23

Chris

so I've got nothing further to add to the shedding discussion because you nailed it all. But I was putting a little something. A little something for you to do with that.

 

00:45:13:23 - 00:45:32:14

Kristine

That hair little bonus tip and bonus. Okay, so. So this next one is from Rachel. She's, from Austin, Texas, and she says, I recently adopted a dog. Recently adopted a dog, but my cat and the new dog don't get along. What steps can I take to help them coexist peacefully?

 

00:45:32:16 - 00:46:10:09

Chris

This is such a great question. And there's a reason why the all cliche of cats and dogs not getting along exists. Because in most cases, the best you're going to get is some tolerance between the two. But in some cases you can actually have them form a bond. So in this situation, it seems like the cat is going to be is is probably older and been in the home for much longer and feels as though their home has been impeded on, and there's some things you can do to help socialize these, these animals together.

 

00:46:10:11 - 00:46:39:20

Chris

the first is to make sure food time is not competitive. I would actually recommend feeding these animals in entirely different rooms so that both animals know they get they get their food, because that is often the instinctual impetus that makes the animals not like each other. Even though your cat could be the most well-fed, kind of chubby cat in the world, it's instinct is going to be there's another animal here, they're going to take my food, and that's that's false.

 

00:46:39:20 - 00:47:04:04

Chris

Obviously, we're we're all taking good care of our pets, but make sure that they are getting into a routine where they know they're getting fed at a regular time, on their own, without the threat of somebody coming and taking their food. And then the second is just some supervised visitation and then get them in the same room, make sure that they're typically a younger dog is going to be really energetic and an older cat is going to be like, please get away from me.

 

00:47:04:06 - 00:47:24:03

Chris

But you will find that the the animosity is going to start to turn into a little bit of endearment. and I've found that younger dogs can help bring the kitten out of the cat. you might actually see your cat take more of an interest in play. In which case, make sure your cat has their own set of toys.

 

00:47:24:03 - 00:47:41:22

Chris

Make sure you're stimulating that cat alone at points that the cat is going to desire some attention outside of the dog. so those are just like a couple of little tips on, it's going to take time no matter what. It's going to take a lot of care. It's going to take a lot of equity from you as an animal owner.

 

00:47:42:00 - 00:47:44:22

Chris

but you'll you'll get there with enough time.

 

00:47:45:00 - 00:48:01:05

Kristine

Yeah. That's that's great advice. I would just add one last thing. And that is, you know, to set up some boundaries and don't don't force them to be together. Let them decide when they want to be together. And like, like Chris said, make sure you you are supervising those those early interactions. And

 

00:48:01:06 - 00:48:25:22

Chris

Yes, mostly for the dog safety. The cat will be fine, but like, I want to add a little personal anecdote into this. We had growing up a big old Maine Coon, like a, like a 20 pound Maine Coon cat who was an outdoor cat. And one day he was sitting out on the rockwall and the neighbor's lab got out of the electric fence, just managed to power through it, and came into our yard.

 

00:48:26:03 - 00:48:50:20

Chris

And obviously the cat had met this dog before, but never really like unsupervised in like the same exact area together. And the dog came up and our cat just walloped it across the face and really scratched, the the dog badly. So supervision is important because the cat didn't act like that when people were around the cat didn't see an avenue for safety otherwise, so it chose to defend itself.

 

00:48:50:20 - 00:48:53:17

Chris

So supervision is important.

 

00:48:53:18 - 00:49:17:07

Kristine

It is, it is. And and a final note and then we'll be done with this question because we can we. Good question. It's a good question. But I will say that I currently we only have a dog. But for the past 20 years we've had dogs and cats together. And I have to say that the cats have never been crazy about the dogs, but they've always managed to learn to coexist, and I've caught them on a few occasions snuggling up together.

 

00:49:17:07 - 00:49:19:10

Kristine

So there's hope for you.

 

00:49:19:12 - 00:49:30:11

Chris

Doing absolutely well. Thank you Mark and Rachel for your questions. Remember, if you have a question for the two panels, go ahead and submit them at PetsAddLife.org.

 

00:49:30:13 - 00:49:45:03

Kristine

Well Chris, I think that's a wrap for our pre July 4th show. that's a great show. We had some great advice on safety for the holiday and yeah, I think I think we're all set to have a safe, fun holiday.

 

00:49:45:07 - 00:50:01:12

Chris

Yeah, I learned a lot. which means it's a great day. This is definitely a media episode. I hope you all were taking notes, but I hope you weren't taking notes while you were listening during your morning commute. Because you should have two hands on the wheel and no hands on your notes. but if you're listening to this at another time, I hope you wrote down some of those tips.

 

00:50:01:14 - 00:50:23:22

Chris

thank you for our expert guests for sharing that stuff. and I think, yeah, we're all we're all ready for a happy and safe 4th of July. Everybody enjoy that. Enjoy, enjoy the massive celebration of our nation's independence. enjoy the barbecues. Enjoy the time with your friends and family. Enjoy all of those delicious and salty meats, but not too much.

 

00:50:24:03 - 00:50:36:02

Chris

maybe a couple of cocktails. And we're going to see you back here in one week's time to discuss how it went. So until then, enjoy the, happy holidays, and we'll talk to you soon. Pets add life.

 

Disclaimer: 
Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio.


00:00:00:05 - 00:00:15:11
Voice Over
Pets Add Life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal. Bond, with Kristin Levine and Chris Bonifati powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

00:00:15:12 - 00:00:18:13
Kristine
Hey Chris, what do you have planned for the July 4th holiday?

00:00:18:15 - 00:00:38:08
Chris
We're actually going to be visiting some family over in Chicago. It's sort of become a defacto tradition, which is really nice. I get to see a lot of my wife's family over there, enjoy some time in the pool, grill up some some cured meats and other exciting, stuff. maybe maybe have a cocktail or two. Who knows?

00:00:38:08 - 00:00:45:12
Chris
Yeah, yeah. Some brats, some brought some hot dogs. I love a hot dog. Is he completely underrated? Oh, yeah. He's got food. Yeah, got.

00:00:45:12 - 00:00:46:06
Kristine
have hot dogs.

00:00:46:06 - 00:00:48:06
Chris
Gotta have Top Dog on the 4th of July.

00:00:48:08 - 00:00:53:02
Kristine
At the at the baseball field and on the 4th of July. Those are hot dog days for sure.

00:00:53:03 - 00:00:54:11
Chris
Because America.

00:00:54:12 - 00:00:55:06
Kristine
Absolutely.

00:00:55:06 - 00:00:56:14
Chris
Yeah. Because America.

00:00:56:16 - 00:01:19:16
Kristine
Get that. So I just discovered that we have a lake in our little mountain town here in Waynesville, and it's called Lake Juneau, Alaska. And I just found out that on the 4th of July, people decorate their, kayaks and their stand up paddle boards, like, with tiny flags. And they, like, just tool around the lake. So, I don't have a kayak, but I was on Facebook Marketplace this morning, and I think I found a roll video.

00:01:19:18 - 00:01:20:12
Chris
That's amazing.

00:01:20:12 - 00:01:23:19
Kristine
Yeah, I want I want to be on the lake with my flags flying.

00:01:23:21 - 00:01:44:13
Chris
We all are expecting pictures. but the other side of 4th of July of course, is that it is the number one day that animals are lost because they panic, over the fireworks. So we have an episode today dedicated to helping us keep track of our pets. learn more about their behavior and some safety tips for the 4th of July.

00:01:44:13 - 00:02:03:22
Chris
So, welcome, everybody. if you've made it this far, I'm sure you're a fan of the show. This is the power podcast with Chris and Kristen. We're going to be bringing you, two great stories, two lovely guests, two wonderful products. And then we're going to answer two of your questions. So without further ado, let's get right into storytime.

00:02:04:00 - 00:02:08:03
Voice Over
Kristen and Chris present storytime.

00:02:08:05 - 00:02:10:16
Kristine
All right, Chris, why don't you give us your story first?

00:02:10:18 - 00:02:35:09
Chris
Yes. So this is this is an international story here, which I know we've got largely a US, audience. But, I think this is a story that is going to, interest a lot of our cat owners. So over in the UK, across the pond, they have just passed legislation that all cats, all domesticated cats must be microchipped and entered into a database.

00:02:35:11 - 00:03:03:02
Chris
Wow. so that is, that is a serious change in legislation that's obviously splitting. you know, as all political decisions do is obviously splitting the populace over there. But the the purpose of that is that there's been a major stray problem in England. and this is to basically hold owners accountable as well as help people keep track of their outdoor cats that are getting more and more lost and and not able to find their way.

00:03:03:02 - 00:03:27:00
Chris
So, the process is quite simple. When you bring your that, when you bring your cat into the vet for the first time, they're basically going to do this by default, including things like, you know, when they get spayed and neutered, it's going to help. basically, they said that their version of the ASPCA is the RSPCA, said that more than 7500 abandoned cats were reported to charity in England alone last year.

00:03:27:00 - 00:03:49:23
Chris
So that's 7500 cats. that likely a percentage of them, could have been re re found to their original homes if there was a better way to track them. So this is to help the cats. It's to help the owners, reunite with their, their cats. And I think a lot of people just don't appreciate how simple some of this tracking technology is with, with, you know, modern tech.

00:03:50:01 - 00:04:06:02
Kristine
yeah. For sure. So I think it's a pretty smart move. yeah. I think, you know, we have Lauren on the show. A little bit later, we're going to get into deeper discussion on pet identification. I think, microchipping is really smart, but actually, there's even even more. There's an even smarter way to identify your pet.

00:04:06:02 - 00:04:19:00
Kristine
So we're going to hear more about that later. yeah. But yeah, it's, it's it's such a simple it's such a simple problem to solve. And yet we haven't solved it yet. So we're getting there, though.

00:04:19:02 - 00:04:22:18
Chris
Yep. Slowly but surely.

00:04:22:20 - 00:04:35:14
Kristine
All right, my story is more for dogs. And I think this is kind of a summer fun story. and it all. I got the idea for this when, my husband and I went to dairy Queen the other day.

00:04:35:16 - 00:04:38:02
Chris
And we said, okay, did I turn your blizzard upside down?

00:04:38:04 - 00:04:42:03
Kristine
They know they did it, but oh, no, I forgot.

00:04:42:05 - 00:04:42:22
Chris
I'm very sad.

00:04:43:01 - 00:04:59:06
Kristine
To do that. but we had to live with us. And so we went through the drive through and I ordered my peanut butter parfait, and Paul got his. I think he is the Oreo. Oreo Blizzard. And I asked for a, like, an empty little cup because I was going to take just a little bit of vanilla ice cream and put it in a cup for Tula.

00:04:59:08 - 00:05:16:22
Kristine
So we get up to the window to pick to pick up our order. And, the guy inside said, oh, I didn't know you had a dog with you. You know, we have, dairy Queen pop cups. Oh, I didn't know that. Now, I think everybody's aware of the Starbucks. Papa Chino. Yeah. but this made me think.

00:05:16:22 - 00:05:38:18
Kristine
I wonder what other fast food chains ice cream shops have a specific pet treat or pet menu, and you'd be surprised there's like, 15 of them that I bet you didn't know offer either a pet menu or a special pet treat, and I just thought I'd share some of those with with our audience in case you're out and about with your dogs in the carts.

00:05:38:20 - 00:06:06:11
Kristine
so I've never heard of this one. Sprinkles. Apparently it's a cupcake place, and they offer a doggie cupcake like specially made ingredients so there's no sugar. It's super cute. Dunkin donuts has a puppy latte. the Shake Shack has a Puccini. Ben and Jerry's finally came out with, a dog ice cream just for dogs. Johnny Rockets has a dog menu, and In-N-Out burger offers a pup patty.

00:06:06:12 - 00:06:10:23
Kristine
So, I think that's that's probably the dog's favorite.

00:06:11:00 - 00:06:12:15
Chris
yeah, I would, I would think so. Yeah.

00:06:12:16 - 00:06:32:07
Kristine
Two would definitely choose a pup patty over an ice cream. Q has grilled chicken tenders for dogs, and chick fil A will offer you a dog biscuit if you simply ask. So, But. Yeah, just that's the. It's at taste of home.com. If you want to see all 15 fast food secret dog menus.

00:06:32:09 - 00:06:50:03
Chris
that's that's great. We have a local ice cream shop that has, dog ice cream. And it's very funny because there's now a big disclaimer next to it that basically says, these are for dogs. It will not taste good to you if you order. I know you want peanut butter ice cream, but we only have it for dogs.

00:06:50:03 - 00:07:01:19
Chris
And if you order the peanut butter dog ice cream, it is not going to taste like ice cream because there's no sugar. That's really the big difference is, is the, the the fat content and then the sugar. So.

00:07:01:22 - 00:07:04:10
Kristine
Right, right. So taste at your own risk if you must.

00:07:04:10 - 00:07:09:08
Chris
Be on the leash. Exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:07:09:10 - 00:07:31:13
Kristine
Today on Pets Add Life, we are thrilled to welcome Arden Moore. She's a renowned pet expert, author of 26 books and counting, and the host of two shows, Four Legged Life and the Oh Behave podcast. Arden is a certified first aid instructor for pets, and has dedicated her entire career to educating pet owners about how to keep their furry friends safe and happy.

00:07:31:15 - 00:07:44:03
Kristine
And so, with the 4th of July just around the corner in a couple of days, Arden is going to share some essential safety tips for us to ensure our dogs stay calm and protected. And cats too. During the holiday. Welcome to the show, Arden.

00:07:44:05 - 00:07:49:19
Arden Moore
Hey paws up Kristin, nice to see you again. Great to be.

00:07:49:21 - 00:07:52:07
Chris
There. Hello, hello, hello.

00:07:52:09 - 00:07:55:18
Arden Moore
And that's what they do, dog. Kona.

00:07:55:19 - 00:08:00:04
Kristine
Kona paws. I'm going up.

00:08:00:06 - 00:08:06:14
Chris
It's always great when we have a guest who's willing to parade their animals out in front of us, because it's the most exciting part of my day.

00:08:06:16 - 00:08:08:15
Kristine
Arden always, always used.

00:08:08:15 - 00:08:10:11
Arden Moore
More talented than any of us.

00:08:10:13 - 00:08:14:12
Chris
Yeah, sure. Yeah, that's certainly more talented than I am.

00:08:14:13 - 00:08:33:21
Kristine
And Cassie and Kona always join Arden in her interviews, and she always brings really cool props, too. So. So, Arden, like, there's there's so much we could talk to you about, but why don't we just start with since 4th of July is in two days, can you give us some safety tips for both our cat and dog critters as we as we lead up to the big holiday?

00:08:33:23 - 00:08:55:12
Arden Moore
Absolutely. You know, we want to celebrate with a bang. But unfortunately for our dogs and cats who hear so much better than we do, this is not on their bucket list of favorite holidays because of the sheer noise. It's unexpected. it could they be sleeping and all of a sudden boom, boom, boom and they don't know what's going on.

00:08:55:12 - 00:09:20:16
Arden Moore
So fortunately, we need to keep these pets inside in a cozy room that is blocking the noise of the fireworks. Do not take your dog just because you'd like to wear them in a red, white and blue Salvatore outfit too. And to, a 4th of July fireworks. They can bolt off their leash, their harness, and panic.

00:09:20:21 - 00:09:39:21
Arden Moore
Let them stay home all alone. Stay home, turn on some dog TV, do something. Give them. Keep busy toys, that work their noodle and distract them. But please, understand. Noise phobia is a big deal, and some pets can really panic.

00:09:39:23 - 00:09:57:19
Kristine
That's so true. You know, we were talking about the top of the show. How, you know, animal shelters say that the day after the fourth, it's the busiest day of the year because so many lost pets, pets who have panicked on the 4th of July, or it doesn't have to even be on the fourth because as you know, people start loud sending off fireworks, you know, the whole week before.

00:09:57:21 - 00:09:58:17
Kristine
So,

00:09:58:19 - 00:10:02:04
Arden Moore
I live in Texas. Trust me, it's a whole big. Oh, so, you know.

00:10:02:06 - 00:10:06:01
Chris
Yeah, it's it's more like a week long celebration there. Yeah.

00:10:06:03 - 00:10:17:12
Arden Moore
Well, I was that big key, too, is, ID tags connect. But who? Conor has her eye, her collar, and it's embroidered with her name and my cell.

00:10:17:13 - 00:10:18:12
Chris
Oh, smart.

00:10:18:14 - 00:10:25:03
Arden Moore
Which is very nice. Rather than trying to look. And a dog's. Yeah, I see your way. And then you lose your nose.

00:10:25:05 - 00:10:34:23
Chris
And also the metallic, the metallic tags where they wear. And if you don't get them changed every couple of years, you'll actually not be able to read it anymore.

00:10:35:00 - 00:10:56:01
Arden Moore
So if you do have one of those, spin it around to the back and look at it from the back because the mouth is there. And yeah, but also make sure your pet is got a microchip ID. we ended up getting our little dog, Emma, during Covid, she had been dumped out. No ID, no microchip full of heartworms.

00:10:56:03 - 00:11:06:13
Arden Moore
But Emma, the little one here says I had. And I have a microchip. I am a member of Arden's family.

00:11:06:15 - 00:11:08:20
Chris
Oh, right. That's so, so adorable.

00:11:08:21 - 00:11:18:21
Kristine
Right. Well, let's talk about cats. You know, we tend to gloss over kitty cats, when we talk about July 4th season. So cats don't appreciate loud noises.

00:11:18:21 - 00:11:22:22
Arden Moore
You know about that? Well, okay. And,

00:11:23:00 - 00:11:24:23
Chris
Oh, that's so adorable.

00:11:24:23 - 00:11:51:13
Arden Moore
Stacy. Cat. Casey. He goes, I'm an indoor boy, but I have a microchip. I have an ID, and Arden's keeping me safe in, our back bedroom with. She. He actually likes dogs, so he's watching dog TV during the 4th of July. That's that's nice. You just got to realize they can hide in tiny, tiny, tiny places behind every fridge, under your couch.

00:11:51:15 - 00:12:07:10
Arden Moore
So I say put them in a room that's safe, that you can find them. And they, like, keep busy toys, too. They like food puzzles, you know, so give them something to do when the bang bang bang is going on.

00:12:07:12 - 00:12:18:20
Chris
Is there any credence art into giving your cat a good place to hide? Like putting like a couple of cardboard boxes in the room so that they don't go under the furniture, where it might be a little more dangerous.

00:12:18:20 - 00:12:43:18
Arden Moore
Yeah, exactly. Chris, Kitty's like if it if I since if it's I since it fits. So all those boxes from, different delivery companies. yeah. Make a little fort for them. let's put a little blanket in them and they think lights out. Nobody can find them. They do like to go into little comfy cubbyholes. Just make the cubby hole safe.

00:12:43:20 - 00:12:45:05
Arden Moore
That's a good idea.

00:12:45:07 - 00:12:53:07
Kristine
And, you know, the bang bang bang is not the only danger to pets around the 4th of July, right?

00:12:53:09 - 00:12:58:22
Arden Moore
well, there's barbecue, we want to have a cookout.

00:12:59:00 - 00:12:59:15
Kristine
And.

00:12:59:15 - 00:13:19:14
Arden Moore
We're going to have corn on the cob. And I gotta tell you guys, corn on the cob, corn on the cob. The cob does not digest in the belly of a dog or a cat. It's salty, it's buttery, it's hot. It could burn their mouth, their throat, if they get those metal prongs because they grab the corn off.

00:13:19:14 - 00:13:32:15
Arden Moore
Yeah, off the grill. you're going to go to you're going to spend the holidays at the emergency that having, emergency surgery. And I want to talk about chicken legs too.

00:13:32:17 - 00:13:38:13
Kristine
And if you, if you're not, if you're not watching us and actually has a chicken leg that she is showing us right now.

00:13:38:15 - 00:14:00:00
Arden Moore
And, there's a lot of little bones in it and splinter, I mean, the smell from the grill is a beckoning for a dog who wants to grab and and run. And you chase them and they bite harder and faster, and there could be splinters. So dogs at picnics and cookouts, they need to be unleashes and away from the grill.

00:14:00:02 - 00:14:22:01
Chris
And well supervised is the other. The other part of that is the supervision. It's not a good day to sort of let your dog do what they want in the in the backyard. There's there's lots of present dangers. Yeah. choking hazards. And you said at the top of this segment they could bolt, even if your dog has no history of doing that, they're going to think something is wrong.

00:14:22:01 - 00:14:25:15
Chris
And instinct takes over. They are still animals at the end of the day.

00:14:25:17 - 00:14:40:11
Arden Moore
Yeah. When you're faced with something you're going to you're going to freeze, you're going to flee, you're going to fidget. Are you going to fight during that noisy time of the holidays? They there's many dogs and cats that will flee to feel safe.

00:14:40:13 - 00:15:00:18
Kristine
just getting back to the food topic real quick. it's also a really good idea to, to ask your guests to please not feed the pets, because, you know, I mean, sometimes. Yeah, yeah, sometimes people don't, you know, they're not thinking they might be having a couple of, you know, beers or cocktails or whatever. Not so maybe, maybe, maybe they don't have a pet and they don't know any better.

00:15:00:18 - 00:15:05:07
Kristine
So make sure your guests know. Do not feed the animals.

00:15:05:09 - 00:15:34:16
Arden Moore
Yeah. Have some healthy treats for the pets portion control. Because can you imagine having a backyard cookout and every guest has sneaked a bunch of food off their plate to your dog? They're going to turn into a, hairy Ottoman. And obesity is not good. Salt is not good. Butter is not good. So what is good for us, or just something we enjoy for a holiday, may be downright dangerous for dogs.

00:15:34:16 - 00:15:37:03
Arden Moore
Pancreatitis is no fun.

00:15:37:05 - 00:15:41:19
Kristine
Yeah, yeah. And the guests won't be there to pay the vet bill when you, have to go to the emergency.

00:15:41:21 - 00:15:42:11
Arden Moore
That's true.

00:15:42:11 - 00:15:46:00
Chris
That's certainly true.

00:15:46:01 - 00:15:55:10
Kristine
so, Arden, I mentioned at the top of in the intro that you've you've written 26 books. That is amazing.

00:15:55:12 - 00:16:00:14
Arden Moore
Well, I have very strong typing fingers.

00:16:00:16 - 00:16:00:23
Chris
and.

00:16:00:23 - 00:16:20:08
Arden Moore
I used to be a newspaper reporter for 20 years. But what I like is giving out good information in a fun way and have it with good documentation so that a lot of veterinarians and animal behaviorists that are my go to people, I mean, my latest two books are the Dog Behavior Answer Book and A Kids Guide to Dogs.

00:16:20:08 - 00:16:31:21
Arden Moore
Oh, and Conor's in the book. Conor's very helpful in this book. and so knowledge is power, and I hope people would like to get their paws on those books.

00:16:32:02 - 00:16:51:05
Chris
Yeah, A Kids Guide to Dogs is awesome. It's it's actually it's challenging to teach children the proper way to interact with an animal. I mean, you see all those videos of kids trying to pet dogs like, like this because they don't have the fine mode. Exactly. Yeah. So that's a that's a great little resource there for parents.

00:16:51:07 - 00:16:59:00
Arden Moore
Well, we teach kids the doggy ABCs, ask permission, be sniffed and carefully pet the bark.

00:16:59:02 - 00:16:59:13
Chris
That's great.

00:16:59:18 - 00:17:15:12
Kristine
Yeah, yeah, you just made the point. I was going to make art. And I mean, as much fun as you are to listen to, you're just as fun to read. I have read some of your books, and you just have such a masterful way of of educating people in a really fun way, in a way that they can way that kids can remember, adults can remember.

00:17:15:12 - 00:17:23:17
Kristine
So I just want to give you, you know, paws up for that. Yeah. Where can we find your books?

00:17:23:19 - 00:17:47:12
Arden Moore
believe it or not, Amazon. Amazon, us. It's on e and and print and also go to ardmore.com. That's my real born. Give a name and and check out my pet first classes. Pet first aid for you because we make learning pet first day fun. I even tell dad jokes in class.

00:17:47:14 - 00:17:53:08
Chris
oh. I'm signing up right now. I'm on the website. Dad jokes and some pet CPR. You could count me in, I think.

00:17:53:08 - 00:17:55:05
Kristine
Yeah, I did, oh, sorry, Chris. Keep going.

00:17:55:06 - 00:17:56:06
Chris
No. Go ahead.

00:17:56:08 - 00:18:00:03
Kristine
I was just gonna say, I think we should have Arden back, one of these days to talk about pet CPR.

00:18:00:05 - 00:18:09:11
Chris
Yeah, I mean, that's a great, great skill to have. It's one you never want to use, but you always want to keep in your back pocket. and there's a lot of.

00:18:09:12 - 00:18:15:12
Arden Moore
It with Conor and the cat, Casey. So you get to take a class with a real dog and a real cat. That's great.

00:18:15:16 - 00:18:36:03
Chris
Even better that that does make it even better. And, you know, there's probably a lot of folks listening who may not even have pets yet. They're, you know, there's plenty of people who listen, listen to the show, that our guest considering getting an animal. And that's sort of the, what Pets Add Life brings to the table is helping make that process as simple as possible.

00:18:36:03 - 00:18:55:08
Chris
And knowledge is a big part of that, especially as somebody with anxiety who struggles to make big decisions, having that kind of information and knowing and feeling comfortable like, yes, this is a responsibility I'm ready to take on now, can be a great resource for people. So if you're out there listening to the show, you're not really sure if you're ready to get a pet yet.

00:18:55:08 - 00:19:01:14
Chris
Why don't you read through some of Arden's books? You might learn a bit and feel really confident about taking the leap.

00:19:01:16 - 00:19:17:20
Arden Moore
Well thank you Chris. Yeah, I'm a better human because of the cats and dogs in my life. And, I see my cat and Conor, my dog, are both therapy pets, and we give back in the community. But you should see them. They rocket in a pet for.

00:19:17:22 - 00:19:20:13
Chris
That's awesome. That's awesome.

00:19:20:15 - 00:19:30:21
Kristine
Well, thank you so much for joining us today. Aaden and Casey and Conor and Emma. And we wish you a very happy, healthy possum. 4th of July.

00:19:30:23 - 00:19:35:18
Arden Moore
Thank you both. Chris and Krista and I appreciate being on your show.

00:19:35:20 - 00:19:43:00
Kristine
Anytime pets add life. Oh, she is so much fun. I always love interviewing Ardmore.

00:19:43:02 - 00:20:01:07
Chris
absolutely. We were kind of joking about how it's very rare for us to get a true, bonafide pet expert who is also funny and entertaining. Usually you kind of have to trade one or the other, but she really knows her stuff. and is it presents it in a super digestible way.

00:20:01:09 - 00:20:06:07
Kristine
And not only that, she has pets that participate in the interview. Yes. It's amazing. She's the full package.

00:20:06:12 - 00:20:34:00
Chris
Yeah. If you're listening to us right now, definitely check out the YouTube part of this episode so that you could see Conor and Emma and Casey, the safety cat. They are so adorable and so well-behaved. yes, literal poster children. So be sure to check out the video for this episode. Our next guest joining us today is Lorien Clemens, the co-founder and CEO of Pet Hub, a company committed to preventing lost pets and reuniting them with their families.

00:20:34:01 - 00:20:54:12
Chris
obviously July is loss Pet Prevention Month. It goes hand-in-hand. We've been talking so much about 4th of July and the danger it presents to losing your pet. So Lorien’s going to come on and discuss some strategies for the 4th of July, how to keep your pet safe and protected. So let's go ahead and jump right into that in.

00:20:54:14 - 00:20:57:08
Kristine
Welcome, Lorien from Pet Hub.

00:20:57:10 - 00:20:59:22
Lorien Clemens
Hi. I'm excited to be here.

00:21:00:00 - 00:21:02:11
Kristine
Chris Lauria Lauren and I go way back.

00:21:02:16 - 00:21:18:03
Chris
Oh that's great. I feel like you kind of go way back with a lot of our guests. And I'm over here at Lottie Dottie Land, like, oh, it's such a pleasure to meet you for the first time. Yeah. Meanwhile, our guests interviewing all of Kristen's friends.

00:21:18:05 - 00:21:33:16
Chris
but, Lauren, it's a it's a pleasure to have you on. Perfect timing to, this episode is kind of dedicated to animal safety around, the 4th of July holiday and July is lost pet prevention month. So I think it's a perfect time to have you on the show.

00:21:33:18 - 00:21:45:09
Lorien Clemens
Yes, it is, it is. So thank you. I'm really excited to be here. I don't know how much you've, informed your audiences so far, but, Lost Pet Prevention Month is very close to my heart.

00:21:45:11 - 00:21:47:12
Kristine
Yeah, because you started it.

00:21:47:13 - 00:22:05:12
Lorien Clemens
Yeah, yeah. And the funniest story is that it was supposed to be a week. That was the something that I like. I had been, like, saying, like, we need to have a conversation beyond microchips. It's got to be a conversation beyond microchips, because it's more than that and it's more about prevention than, you know, let's not worry about like after their loss, keep them from getting lost in the first place.

00:22:05:12 - 00:22:23:19
Lorien Clemens
Kind of a thing. And and so I talked to a couple people. I think I even talked to you, Kristen, about it. And I was like, I think I'm going to do this week. And she's like, do it. And everybody's like, do it, let's do it. So I threw out to a bunch of my friends basically that are in the industry, and I said, hey, let's do this thing seat of my pants, like a couple months before, like, let's figure this out.

00:22:23:19 - 00:22:44:09
Lorien Clemens
Let's make it happen. And then the very first blog that came out the morning and it actually like the email that went out, like went out while I was sleeping and it went out and it was from, Amy at Go Pet Friendly and she said, welcome to last Pet Prevention Month. And all of my friends who except like, it's too soon for me to get something out of it, you know, for the first week of July.

00:22:44:11 - 00:23:07:18
Lorien Clemens
And they were like writing me back, saying, oh, I have a whole month. Great. Yeah, I'm going to do this. And this. And so all the sudden overnight we became lost for Prevention Month. But I think it's good because it's a very deep, in-depth conversation. and it's it really allows us to talk about the breadth of not just lost pet prevention, but also recovery and all the different aspects that go into it now.

00:23:07:22 - 00:23:25:18
Chris
Sounds like a happy little accident to me. and you were you mentioned right at the top there, going beyond the microchip. We have to take this conversation beyond the microchip. So, some of our listeners out there might be thinking that the microchip is the only available option, that that's really or the best choice when it comes.

00:23:25:18 - 00:23:32:19
Chris
Yeah. Yeah, or the best option. So what other avenues can folks take to ensure that their pets are safe?

00:23:32:21 - 00:24:03:17
Lorien Clemens
Yeah. And I've heard I want to start by saying the microchip is your ultimate safety net. But if you think about, you know, like what that means to be a safety net, it's that last thing that can catch the animal from going into a shelter system and getting lost, or worse, you know? And so, when we look at that lost pet prevention and identification in particular, we want to look at it like a stool, like you would never sit on a one legged stool.

00:24:03:21 - 00:24:31:06
Lorien Clemens
Very few of us can drive a unicycle, you know, like I'm missing or or very few of us feel stable on a pogo stick, you know what I mean? So one legged things tend to be, not the best for your safety and welfare in the long run. And so you want to think of it as I need to have three legs, and ultimately, you're going to always have that microchip, because, as I said, it's the safety that that that we that we hope will always come through.

00:24:31:06 - 00:24:54:03
Lorien Clemens
And if we have time, we can talk about ways that it can falter. But, then you want to have a solid, really reliable external identification that doesn't rely on batteries. It doesn't rely on an app, it doesn't rely on other people, having the same app as you. So like, although Apple tags and all those, you know, great Bluetooth things are good.

00:24:54:05 - 00:25:16:11
Lorien Clemens
They rely on other people having the same app on at the time that your dog is lost kind of thing. So anything that is relying on that, that doesn't mean that it can't be technology based. so back in 2009, my husband and the founder of Pet Hub invented the pet QR id tags, filed the first patent had I.

00:25:16:14 - 00:25:30:20
Lorien Clemens
Let's see if we can make this happen. we kind of floundered his Christian nose, for a while because QR because he was like, what? The QR code? What is that little black white squiggly thing? Like, what do I do with that? You know, and believe it or not, when we first started, people were like, well, what if everybody doesn't get a smartphone?

00:25:30:20 - 00:25:35:20
Lorien Clemens
Come on now. Now those is just a fad. I mean, we were literally told that it's just a fad.

00:25:35:21 - 00:25:36:10
Kristine
Let's listen.

00:25:36:10 - 00:25:57:05
Lorien Clemens
40% of people even have those. Well, and Tom and I were like, no, no, no, this is going to catch on. Trust me. And so then Covid happened, which I hate to say, like one of the bright spots of Covid, frankly, has been this mass, acceptance of technologies like the QR code, like NFC, that kind of thing.

00:25:57:05 - 00:26:16:15
Lorien Clemens
So the, the digital ID tag that has a QR code, hopefully a QR code, because it is frankly the most stable of all. The, NFC is great, but, you know, you have to have your NFC and you have to have know how to do NFC, NFC. It can be kind of cranky when it's got a case on QR code can be scanned by anybody's phone.

00:26:16:19 - 00:26:39:15
Lorien Clemens
Any phone made in the last four years automatically recognizes that QR code. When you put the camera at it, and it links to an online profile. And depending on which, you know, product you're using, it may be a profile that goes just to, you know, a button that then you have to fill out a form. It might be, something that shows all the phone numbers.

00:26:39:17 - 00:26:58:05
Lorien Clemens
It might, you know, there's a lot of different flavors out there for, digital ID tags. If there's a pet hub ID tag, which is my company. the pet parent has full control of what's showing and what's not showing. So if you're worried about, you know, the creepy guy at the dog park, being able to scan your dog's tag and see all your information, you can hide it.

00:26:58:06 - 00:27:19:12
Lorien Clemens
But if your dog's lost and you're like, here's my Social Security number, here's the code to get into my house. You know, whatever. Just leave the dog, you know, get it off, and then you can show everything you want and so, and that, our tag also, and I believe were one of the only, if not the only one that has a free 24/7 call center where we have human beings that can actually help that pet get home once it's scanned.

00:27:19:14 - 00:27:41:21
Lorien Clemens
So that digital ID tag, it puts you in control of your pet getting home. You can have as many phone numbers as you want. You can put your your pet sitter. You can put your your spouse, you can put your mom, your dad, your neighbors, you name it. We even have on pet have we have a thing called safe spots, which are places that your dog could be taken maybe if you're not able to get to them right away.

00:27:41:21 - 00:27:59:20
Lorien Clemens
So we have like dog dog stores, you know, our local pet store. We have our veterinarian. We have, you know, other businesses where we know the dog could be taken to if we're not able to get to them in time. So digital ID text is open up a lot of, opportunity for you. So I would that that needs to be your second like period.

00:27:59:20 - 00:28:07:00
Lorien Clemens
I mean it needs to be a digital ID tag. I hope it's that up. But, if it's, you know, there's other options that are out there.

00:28:07:01 - 00:28:15:07
Kristine
You are the original QR code, and you have continued to, you know, to evolve and better the platform that technology all along the way.

00:28:15:07 - 00:28:32:04
Lorien Clemens
So yeah, I mean, and I got to say that I think probably our proudest thing is over the years since we started, measuring in 2012 how fast we were getting pets home is how fast we get pets. so 96% of, pet recovered pets are home in 24 hours or less.

00:28:32:06 - 00:28:33:06
Chris
That's amazing. Wow.

00:28:33:06 - 00:28:34:01
Lorien Clemens
And, So.

00:28:34:01 - 00:28:49:14
Kristine
Yeah. Lauren. yeah. Do you have any, recent statistics on how many pets that entered the shelter? As I just, you know, owner unknown? Yeah. How many of those pets don't have any form of identification, including a microchip? Do you have any stats on that?

00:28:49:15 - 00:29:09:14
Lorien Clemens
Well, we have some stats and nothing. Of course, it one of the issues that we're having an animal welfare right now and all those shelter animals count, and, best friends are doing an amazing job. It's really trying to hone together. And they work alongside of folks like 24 pet never to bring together this information. So we're getting better data, but we still don't have really concise data of everything nationally.

00:29:09:16 - 00:29:30:21
Lorien Clemens
It's hard to say. And it really again, it runs the gamut. What's the culture? So like if you live in a culture, where in your city, there's a big healthy community identification tag program where no naked pets. It's a hashtag, no naked pets. It's what we we really preach all the time that's really prevalent in your in your community.

00:29:30:23 - 00:29:55:17
Lorien Clemens
Then then probably more dogs are coming into shelters with identification or are being, when they're having that interaction with animal welfare organizations, either through an animal control officer or that kind of thing. They probably do have an identification list come off for some reason, but then you go into rural areas or you go into areas that are super urban where people just don't put a collar on their dog because, you know, they use a p pad in the apartment and they don't really go outside.

00:29:55:17 - 00:30:15:03
Lorien Clemens
And so when they do that outside, they're naked, you know, and terrified of naked afraid, like right there. and, you know, so it's going to really run the gamut. And that's what we find when we do our statistics. We actually did a study in 2022, and then we analyzed data in 2023 with the National Animal Care and Control.

00:30:15:05 - 00:30:31:14
Lorien Clemens
And what we found was and we were really we ended up focusing mostly on dogs, even though we asked dogs and cats. It was over 4000 pet parents took the survey. but, you know, it was overwhelming. You know, there was over 15, I think it was about 1500 people had lost a dog, but a much smaller set had lost a cat.

00:30:31:14 - 00:30:55:13
Lorien Clemens
So the data is not as great for the cats, but 98% of the dogs that were found in 24 hours or less had a collar with visible identification on them. and 36% of dogs were actually found in 24 hours or less. And the number two way that they got home after their pet parents physically getting out, searching and yelling for them.

00:30:55:13 - 00:31:05:23
Lorien Clemens
Right. Which was the number one way. so get off the couch immediately if your pets lost. But the number two, the number two way, is digital ID tags.

00:31:06:01 - 00:31:06:16
Chris
Yeah.

00:31:06:18 - 00:31:24:14
Lorien Clemens
And that was like, for us. We didn't know that that was going to be the data. We're like, wow, that's awesome. And the number five way overall was ID tags in general. Just standard what we call dumb tags. You know, lovingly lovingly call them dumb tags, you know, that don't have any technology for them, but just have that static piece of one information like your phone number on it.

00:31:24:16 - 00:31:27:05
Kristine
Yeah. Technology challenged tags for sure.

00:31:27:10 - 00:31:28:13
Lorien Clemens
Yeah, yeah. Technologies.

00:31:28:13 - 00:31:47:01
Chris
Yes. And I mean I was saying before those those classic metallic aluminum based tags they, they wear out. Oh yeah. Look great when you buy it at first for your dog when it's a puppy. But by the time, you know, 4 or 5 years later, it becomes very difficult to read. So it's.

00:31:47:07 - 00:31:49:11
Lorien Clemens
Five years is being generous, Chris.

00:31:49:16 - 00:31:50:05
Chris
I'm always.

00:31:50:05 - 00:31:50:14
Kristine
Generous.

00:31:50:15 - 00:31:52:12
Chris
So I'm just known as a generous guy.

00:31:52:12 - 00:32:07:16
Lorien Clemens
Yeah. So planned obsolescence is part of the business model of those ID tag machines in the big stores. I'm sorry, but it is. Yep. They don't make their money unless you need to buy a tag every 18 months or so.

00:32:07:20 - 00:32:12:19
Kristine
Yeah. When you scan it every three months, it also remind you to update any of the information that may.

00:32:12:20 - 00:32:33:23
Lorien Clemens
Exactly, exactly. Well and let's talk about that entering information I mean that is one of the biggest reasons that microchips fail is because they do not have updated information. And depending on, you know, which statistic you're looking at. And the one I'm going to use right now is actually from the microchip industry, as much as 52% of those microchips are not activated.

00:32:33:23 - 00:32:49:12
Lorien Clemens
If you talk to some shelters, they'll tell you the numbers are even higher when they scan that microchip. It's an old phone number. It's a disconnect. The phone number, it's different. It's like, oh my God, that was a dog I had a long time ago. I took him back to the shelter or, you know, or worse. The story is that we all love to hear.

00:32:49:12 - 00:32:54:16
Lorien Clemens
And I hate to hear dog reunited after seven years. Right? Are you kidding.

00:32:54:16 - 00:32:55:10
Chris
Me? Yeah.

00:32:55:16 - 00:33:14:07
Lorien Clemens
And so that that microchip failed all those times, and most often is because it did not have updated information on it. It's out of sight, out of mind. I would, would, like, put our money at a table and say, like, I'll give you each five bucks if you can tell me exactly where your microchip is from and you give me five bucks.

00:33:14:07 - 00:33:16:23
Lorien Clemens
If you don't, I come out ahead. I guarantee.

00:33:17:01 - 00:33:18:06
Chris
Every time.

00:33:18:08 - 00:33:39:07
Lorien Clemens
I'm sure the majority of pet parents have no idea what microchip their dog had. It was whatever the shelter, whatever the rice rescue put it, whatever the reader put in it, you know, whatever the vet put in it, I don't know. They activated it for me. I've never even been on the website for it. So there's this, you know, learned helplessness and, and stuff that comes along with microchips as opposed to a digital ID tag.

00:33:39:13 - 00:33:57:07
Lorien Clemens
Putting it on the collar. You're reminded every single day my dog is connected to that service. And it is a reminder. And I'd like to give one little bit of advice right now. Right now, go find the paperwork for your pet's microchip. If you have a pet detect, put your Pet Hub ID tag number in here to go put it.

00:33:57:12 - 00:34:32:01
Lorien Clemens
Go enter your your pet as a contact in your, phone right now. Put their microchip number, put their rabies tag number, put their pet hub ID number, or whatever digital ID number you have. If their license, put their license number and put the name of the shelter that they would go to if they were found in your neighborhood, put that all in your phone right now, because if they do get lost, then you can hop on the phone and excuse me, hop on the computer or on your phone while you're walking around yelling for them, and be updating those things.

00:34:32:01 - 00:34:34:02
Lorien Clemens
If you haven't updated them recently.

00:34:34:04 - 00:34:55:20
Kristine
That is great advice, Florian. That's fantastic advice. Can I challenge you all listening to do that right now? Lauren I know Pet Hub works with with communities, municipalities all over the US. if you if you're listening and you want to get a pet hub tag, but you don't know if you're in a pet hub community, what would you advise?

00:34:55:22 - 00:35:12:01
Lorien Clemens
the easiest way, if you if you. Well, if you don't know, if you're in a pet hub community, I would say look up your local shelter, whatever, like that, and see if if they do have look on their website because they usually will tell you. But, the easiest way to get one is just go to pet.com up at the top says shop click that.

00:35:12:03 - 00:35:29:00
Lorien Clemens
We actually just opened up, after being begged by our customers to please bring back the fun tags. We used to have a lot of really fun sassy tags. We had over 200 designs, and, we set that aside because we really wanted to focus on these community ID tag programs, so we needed to put all of our efforts there.

00:35:29:01 - 00:35:44:12
Lorien Clemens
We only had one ID tag design available to, you know, people that don't have a community ID program and they're like, please do that. So we we put out six and the, responses them overwhelming. And so now we're going to bring back a couple more. And I gotta admit they're super sassy. Yes.

00:35:44:13 - 00:36:02:21
Chris
And we are we're coming up on time here. Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us. These are amazing tips. I learned, so much in in our brief time together. so everybody listening at home. 4th of July is right around the corner. Make sure you've taken Lauren's advice to heart. to keep your your loving pet, nice and safe this holiday.

00:36:03:02 - 00:36:06:00
Chris
and thanks again for all of the wonderful advice. Lauren.

00:36:06:02 - 00:36:11:17
Lorien Clemens
Thank you so much. And everybody, please keep those pets say thank you very much for having me.

00:36:11:18 - 00:36:30:11
Chris
That was great hearing from Lauren and all those different concepts. I think the way she presented having the microchip as your last safety net, I think a lot of people see it as their first line of defense, but it's really the last thing you want to happen. It's there for when everything else fails. I think that's a really great piece of advice that people should take to heart.

00:36:30:12 - 00:36:41:22
Kristine
Yeah, I agree, and a lot of things have to happen for the microchip to even be discovered. So why not just get a digital ID tag for your pet and then get that third leg of the stool? Whatever makes the most sense for for where you live.

00:36:42:00 - 00:36:59:11
Chris
So absolutely, absolutely. Some really great stuff. Right? In time for 4th of July, too. So, just keep your eyes. Keep your eyes on Fido and and the cat. If you have a grumpy cat. An outdoor cat. and so that when we are, back to reality on July 5th, everybody is safe and at home.

00:36:59:11 - 00:37:01:23
Voice Over
The product of the week.

00:37:02:01 - 00:37:07:17
Kristine
Okay, Chris, it's time for your your favorite part of the show. The papa, Papa, Papa product of the week.

00:37:07:21 - 00:37:12:12
Chris
You're getting there. One day you're you're one day it's going to be perfect. But go ahead and kick us off. Yeah. Kristen.

00:37:12:12 - 00:37:13:02
Arden Moore
Okay.

00:37:13:02 - 00:37:37:02
Kristine
All right. So this is a really fun one okay. This is something that kept showing up in my social feeds. And I just had to do a little bit of investigation. it was they're dubbing it the emotional support duck for dogs. Okay. And so I dove into this and I fell for it. I found the website and it's actually a company called the Mellow Dog.

00:37:37:04 - 00:38:01:17
Kristine
They make calming beds, they make enrichment products. And this duck has just taken off. It's it's the the true name of it is called Calming Duck. And it apparently it fights boredom makes your pet less lonely and happier. okay, I guess so. It's machine washable, dry air safe. And it is just this adorable stuffed duck duck. And apparently when they squeak, when they, instead of squeaking, it makes a duck a little ducky noise.

00:38:01:17 - 00:38:18:11
Kristine
Oh. So, it's for dogs of all sizes. from Yorkies to Great Danes. It's chewable, but not indestructible. So probably some of those tougher chewers might tear the little ducky apart. but it's just really cute. And I kind of tell you, it makes for a great Instagram post because it's so darn cute.

00:38:18:12 - 00:38:24:02
Chris
I guess. Looked up a picture of it and it is an adorable stuffed, isn't it? I mean, picturesque.

00:38:24:02 - 00:38:28:13
Kristine
Yeah, I think every dog on my on my holiday list is going to get an emotional support.

00:38:28:13 - 00:38:34:16
Chris
Duck. An emotional support duck. While they say the bird is the word and, today's word is duck.

00:38:34:18 - 00:38:36:22
Kristine
Yeah. How about you? What do you have today?

00:38:37:03 - 00:39:04:09
Chris
Yeah. So I, have a bit of a recommendation to go with what we just discussed with Laurie in, which is a, very popular GPS based, smart collar for dogs. you might have heard it before. It's from a brand called tractive. and they they are huge brand. Really? leading the way in this, affordable, self-contained technology.

00:39:04:11 - 00:39:20:12
Chris
I looked at a bunch of different brands to try and find one that I could truly recommend, because at the end of the day, this is a safety product. If you're going to purchase a brand of safety products, you are putting your, implicit trust in that brand. So I wanted to make sure I was recommending a good one.

00:39:20:14 - 00:39:44:13
Chris
I don't know who out there still has a Consumer Reports subscription, but, I do currently. so this scored a 97 on Consumer Reports, which is they do not hand out high scores like that. They find problems with products internationally. I actually worked for Consumer Reports way, way back to that. Was that a young warthog? and they test the they test these products.

00:39:44:13 - 00:40:11:04
Chris
They put them through the wringer to see when they fail, when they mess up what's not great about them. And they found zero negatives with with the tractive pet trips, they rate their tracking as excellent, the ease of setup as excellent, the ease of use as, excellent. And the pricing as, quote, incredibly fair. So, it it's essentially a collar you put on your dog.

00:40:11:04 - 00:40:32:21
Chris
It's got a little box on it and it'll keep track of your dog, let you know exactly where it is. It comes with a mobile app. There is a subscription type fee. I think it comes out to like $13 a month, but there's all sorts of features where it will work. there's people saying in the comments that they live in like the woods in Sweden where there is no cell reception, and this still works.

00:40:32:21 - 00:41:01:22
Chris
They still get apps and things like that. So if you, want a, a backup to a microchip, if you're not comfortable getting a microchip in your dog, if you just want something that's more accessible because those microchips still have to be found by a vet and then scanned, right. So if you want something that is is going to keep you up to date with the location of your pet, if you're somebody who lives with a lot of land and just sometimes Fido doesn't come home for dinner because they're out adventuring and you want that peace of mind.

00:41:02:00 - 00:41:21:02
Chris
This is a piece of technology. I'm very comfortable recommending. So that brand name, once again, is tractive. If you look into it and it's something you don't, something you don't like about it, there's a ton of other brands, but the moral of the story is have something in place where if your dog or a cat gets lost, you can find them easily.

00:41:21:02 - 00:41:24:08
Chris
So this is just one of many solutions.

00:41:24:10 - 00:41:26:06
Arden Moore
To and days.

00:41:26:08 - 00:41:52:23
Chris
Okay, Kristin, it is time to answer some questions from our wonderful audience and audience. Dear listeners, if you want your question answered on the show, head on over to PetsAddLife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of the screen. You'll see a place to submit your question. Or if you're feeling like a brave little soldier, you can send us a voice memo record your question on your own device, send it on over and you will hear your question played on this show.

00:41:53:05 - 00:41:57:20
Kristine
So we haven't been stumped yet, Chris. We haven't been stumped on an answer yet.

00:41:57:22 - 00:42:25:16
Chris
honestly, that's surprising. I'm I'm no easily stumped. So so go ahead and bust out your hardest questions. We're going to give it a true college try. but in the meantime we have a question here from Mark Marcus from Portland, Oregon, and asks, I love my dog, but the shedding hair is everywhere. I feel that bark. What are some effective ways to manage and reduce dog shedding around the house?

00:42:25:18 - 00:42:45:19
Kristine
Okay, well, that's a really good one. so there are basically two different types of dog coats. There's the short, a short coat, which is typically less than two inches in length on the hair, and it's usually smooth. or it could be coarse and wiry. and then there's the dogs that have the, the double coat, the undercoat that's usually shorter hair and then a longer outer coat.

00:42:45:23 - 00:43:04:21
Kristine
And those types of dogs tend to shed, seasonally. So this is we're kind of into summer now, but, you know, you're probably seeing the tail end get it tail end, the tail end of, spring shedding. here's a few suggestions, for you, Mark. And you may have already tried some of these, but this is just my go to advice.

00:43:04:21 - 00:43:41:05
Kristine
It would be number one, brushing every single day. So take the dog outside because you don't want to brush all that fur into the into the air in the house. Brush some every day. you might want to increase the frequency of bathing, because bathing also can do a better job of loosening some of that undercoat when you're, you know, like, you know, scrubbing and, you know, lathering up the, the pet shampoo, and then, of course, you could also go to a groomer or I'm not going to advise you to do this yourself, but maybe start with a groomer and just kind of ask for a cut or kind of, trim, either

00:43:41:05 - 00:43:47:22
Kristine
a trim or what do you call. I'm at a loss for words, Chris, on this. What do you call it when you, the Terminator thing?

00:43:48:00 - 00:43:55:05
Chris
That's like, kind of like a vacuum type situation. Yeah, yeah, it's like it's like light cut.

00:43:55:07 - 00:44:16:07
Kristine
Right? But I want to say this too, because again, we we always say we're not veterinarians. I'm not a professional groomer. but you definitely don't want to take too much of the coat out because your dog's coat protects them from the sun, from insects, from parasites, and from a lot of things. So that's why I say start with a groomer before you start cutting or trimming on your dog.

00:44:16:09 - 00:44:23:07
Kristine
but they're for a reading. Yeah, extra baths and, brushing every day, and hopefully that'll do the trick.

00:44:23:09 - 00:44:39:00
Chris
Those are all great tips, Kristen and I'll offer. just a quick word of advice. what to do with all of the hair? because you're going to end up with enough hair. You're going to be like, I could build a second dog. which would be funny. So maybe, maybe a fur sculpture and build yourself a second dog.

00:44:39:00 - 00:45:07:00
Chris
But, I have found that if you put some of the dog shedding in your garden, it will prevent, some of the, like, hairs and moles and deer from coming because they're going to get a whiff of a natural predator. so it's a it's a good it's a good use of those, those clippings. If you have a garden at home, and have some pests, that are ruining your, your hard work.

00:45:07:01 - 00:45:13:23
Chris
so I've got nothing further to add to the shedding discussion because you nailed it all. But I was putting a little something. A little something for you to do with that.

00:45:13:23 - 00:45:32:14
Kristine
That hair little bonus tip and bonus. Okay, so. So this next one is from Rachel. She's, from Austin, Texas, and she says, I recently adopted a dog. Recently adopted a dog, but my cat and the new dog don't get along. What steps can I take to help them coexist peacefully?

00:45:32:16 - 00:46:10:09
Chris
This is such a great question. And there's a reason why the all cliche of cats and dogs not getting along exists. Because in most cases, the best you're going to get is some tolerance between the two. But in some cases you can actually have them form a bond. So in this situation, it seems like the cat is going to be is is probably older and been in the home for much longer and feels as though their home has been impeded on, and there's some things you can do to help socialize these, these animals together.

00:46:10:11 - 00:46:39:20
Chris
the first is to make sure food time is not competitive. I would actually recommend feeding these animals in entirely different rooms so that both animals know they get they get their food, because that is often the instinctual impetus that makes the animals not like each other. Even though your cat could be the most well-fed, kind of chubby cat in the world, it's instinct is going to be there's another animal here, they're going to take my food, and that's that's false.

00:46:39:20 - 00:47:04:04
Chris
Obviously, we're we're all taking good care of our pets, but make sure that they are getting into a routine where they know they're getting fed at a regular time, on their own, without the threat of somebody coming and taking their food. And then the second is just some supervised visitation and then get them in the same room, make sure that they're typically a younger dog is going to be really energetic and an older cat is going to be like, please get away from me.

00:47:04:06 - 00:47:24:03
Chris
But you will find that the the animosity is going to start to turn into a little bit of endearment. and I've found that younger dogs can help bring the kitten out of the cat. you might actually see your cat take more of an interest in play. In which case, make sure your cat has their own set of toys.

00:47:24:03 - 00:47:41:22
Chris
Make sure you're stimulating that cat alone at points that the cat is going to desire some attention outside of the dog. so those are just like a couple of little tips on, it's going to take time no matter what. It's going to take a lot of care. It's going to take a lot of equity from you as an animal owner.

00:47:42:00 - 00:47:44:22
Chris
but you'll you'll get there with enough time.

00:47:45:00 - 00:48:01:05
Kristine
Yeah. That's that's great advice. I would just add one last thing. And that is, you know, to set up some boundaries and don't don't force them to be together. Let them decide when they want to be together. And like, like Chris said, make sure you you are supervising those those early interactions. And

00:48:01:06 - 00:48:25:22
Chris
Yes, mostly for the dog safety. The cat will be fine, but like, I want to add a little personal anecdote into this. We had growing up a big old Maine Coon, like a, like a 20 pound Maine Coon cat who was an outdoor cat. And one day he was sitting out on the rockwall and the neighbor's lab got out of the electric fence, just managed to power through it, and came into our yard.

00:48:26:03 - 00:48:50:20
Chris
And obviously the cat had met this dog before, but never really like unsupervised in like the same exact area together. And the dog came up and our cat just walloped it across the face and really scratched, the the dog badly. So supervision is important because the cat didn't act like that when people were around the cat didn't see an avenue for safety otherwise, so it chose to defend itself.

00:48:50:20 - 00:48:53:17
Chris
So supervision is important.

00:48:53:18 - 00:49:17:07
Kristine
It is, it is. And and a final note and then we'll be done with this question because we can we. Good question. It's a good question. But I will say that I currently we only have a dog. But for the past 20 years we've had dogs and cats together. And I have to say that the cats have never been crazy about the dogs, but they've always managed to learn to coexist, and I've caught them on a few occasions snuggling up together.

00:49:17:07 - 00:49:19:10
Kristine
So there's hope for you.

00:49:19:12 - 00:49:30:11
Chris
Doing absolutely well. Thank you Mark and Rachel for your questions. Remember, if you have a question for the two panels, go ahead and submit them at PetsAddLife.org.

00:49:30:13 - 00:49:45:03
Kristine
Well Chris, I think that's a wrap for our pre July 4th show. that's a great show. We had some great advice on safety for the holiday and yeah, I think I think we're all set to have a safe, fun holiday.

00:49:45:07 - 00:50:01:12
Chris
Yeah, I learned a lot. which means it's a great day. This is definitely a media episode. I hope you all were taking notes, but I hope you weren't taking notes while you were listening during your morning commute. Because you should have two hands on the wheel and no hands on your notes. but if you're listening to this at another time, I hope you wrote down some of those tips.

00:50:01:14 - 00:50:23:22
Chris
thank you for our expert guests for sharing that stuff. and I think, yeah, we're all we're all ready for a happy and safe 4th of July. Everybody enjoy that. Enjoy, enjoy the massive celebration of our nation's independence. enjoy the barbecues. Enjoy the time with your friends and family. Enjoy all of those delicious and salty meats, but not too much.

00:50:24:03 - 00:50:36:02
Chris
maybe a couple of cocktails. And we're going to see you back here in one week's time to discuss how it went. So until then, enjoy the, happy holidays, and we'll talk to you soon. Pets add life.

%MCEPASTEBIN%