All those years ago when I was a child and I wanted a pet so desperately - a dog, I'll admit it, I wanted a dog - I never thought about what having a pet, a dog, meant. Not beyond the love and affection, and the bond I knew I would have with my dog. I didn't know about the human-animal bond (few folks did way back then, before there was toothpaste or electricity - you know I'm joking about that part, right?), and I assumed we'd feed the dog whatever dog food was available at our local supermarket. I... Continue reading

I see all of my BlogPaws friends shaking their heads, insulted at my title: Do dogs think like we do? Do cats? After all, we know the answer is a resounding YES! But, I wanted to see what science is saying these days. An article came across my desk the other day, titled: Do Dogs Think About and Plan For the Future? It comes from Psychology Today. A worthy tome to read and discuss. Stanley Coren PhD., DSc, FRSC, wrote the article. Not sure why he needs all those initials after his name, but, apparently he does. I don't even... Continue reading

Everyone is getting on the pet band wagon, these days. Pets are in the news routinely. Our local news, all stations that I've watched, feature an adoptable dog or cat at least once a week. I applaud them. It's wonderful to see folks gush over a cute dog on TV and offer it for adoption from a local shelter. And cats, they need our help the most, I think. Fewer cats get adopted than dogs. Just last week I received an email from Jonathan at the American Institute of CPAs. About pets. About the cost of pets. And a survey... Continue reading

human animal bond at work The human-animal bond is complex, multifaceted and often a matter of the meaning we bring to our relationships with our furry friends. Often this bond is framed through the language of the heart and soul – love, joy, non-judgement and interdependence. We often talk about the health benefits that our pets contribute to our lives, or ponder the precise location of this bond – both worthwhile explorations. Certainly, one aspect of the human-animal bond can be understood through the lens of the interplay of social animals that happens via communication. The different languages we speak... Continue reading

"Is there a mouse in there?" I talk a good bit about dogs, but I love cats, too. I miss our Molly awfully...and I dream of adopting another cat, soon! This post about common cat diseases struck me as important in the whole 'human-animal bond' discussion. After all, caring properly for our pets is job #2, isn't it? Job #1, of course, is loving them unconditionally. If you like the post, please share on social. It's worth a share, in my opinion. (I wouldn't be sharing it, otherwsie.) The Cat Lover's Guide To Common Diseases It's very upsetting when a... Continue reading

Marc Ching and dog The note mentioned a man who was out doing what so many of us want to do, but can't - for whatever reason. No judgement. The note said, "Meet the man that has changed what it means to give a second life to animals who never had a chance." I hesitated. I hesitated because I feel the pain and anguish of people, pets, even trees, when they are being abused or neglected, or worse. I feel it in my soul and it hurts. But, I had to read on. I had to learn about this man,... Continue reading

That's my question today: where does the human-animal bond sit? Let me explain. If we believe in the human-animal bond, and that its presence in the universe is vital both to the quality of life and health of each being (humans and animals), might this bond be a tangible thing that sits... in our hearts, in our souls, in our brain? I don't know. I often think it's in the eyes of our pets, but then, I think it must be somewhere else. I got to thinking about this the other day. Seems to me we are rather cavalier about... Continue reading

Miss Molly enjoys a spot of sun! As a cat lover, you may already be familiar with the wonders of catnip. A perennial herb native to Europe, catnip is a member of the mint family. When the stems or the leaves of this herb are crushed, it releases a chemical called Nepatalactone that induces a feeling of euphoria in cats, both in domestic animals as well as lions and tigers. This sensation usually last for about 10-15 minutes, after which the affected cat becomes temporarily immune to the effects of catnip for some time. But if you thought that all... Continue reading

Today seems like a great day to share. Share some images, some blogs I like, and maybe even a video. Here's the thing, I write about the human-animal bond because it's so important not just to me, but to all humans. That's my "bold" opinion, as being humble never gets anyone, anywhere. When you see me write IMBO, you know what it means - that I am outrageous in my promoting this concept. If we, as humans, don't begin to accept the power of the human-animal bond, we will forever pay the price, and make no bones about it, the... Continue reading

Tuft and Paw sustainable cat furniture This came via email, Hello - we're running a contest at Tuft + Paw to find a beautiful, affordable, and sustainable cat bed design. Would you mind spreading the word on your website or blog? Here's the link: https://www.tuftandpaw.com/pages/sustainable-cat-bed-design-contest. At first, I thought, "no, i don't want to do this" but after a bit, I knew I had to. After all, they nudged me, nicely, and when I saw what it was, I loved it. Yes, they will be sending me a free cat bed. So, I am sort of being compensated. But, the... Continue reading

Emily flows overboard Whether you're for the weather, or not, the weather will happen. Silly sentence. Sorry. No, not sorry. Feeling silly today. It's mid-September and the weather is inching toward snow. Yes, I know, you don't want it to snow. Or, you do. Which is it? I don't mind either way. I'm not a snow-board enthusiast, nor a ski enthusiast, so I don't hunger for snow in July. I'm also not a sun worshiper - well, in some ways I am, I prefer sunny days to rainy or snowy ones. But, I don't cry when it rains or snows,... Continue reading

We still love him and miss him. I cannot understand how any pet parent (I use this term in my writing, as opposed to pet owner, because I believe we are parents to our pets) can relinquish a dog or cat, or any other pet, to a shelter only because he or she has grown old. That said, I also know there are sad cases where elderly people can no longer care for their senior pet, they have no money for food and they may even be headed to a home of their own, that does not accept animals, of... Continue reading

human animal bond research "Many pet owners see their pets as a valued member of the family and openly admit to loving their pets and having strong attachments – they simply enjoy the companionship and unconditional love their pet brings." And so starts the page I landed on for the Society for Companion Animal Studies, out of the UK. As I share those words, I grimace just a little. The idea of our pets as valued family members is nothing new. It's been around for more years than you think. I don't know how widespread it was in ancient Egypt,... Continue reading

All the dogs in the world, and all the cats in the world, can't make up for the loss of one. I wrote about losing Molly in my last post, and as I was writing it, thinking about Chester and Olive, and yes, our Carmie who left us more than 8 years ago, oh, and Pandora, who was with us for almost 20 years, I realized that in these last 10 years, these amazing years with pets that nuzzled into my heart and wouldn't leave, I have been the lucky one. Yes, we have known fear and sickness and sadness,... Continue reading

All the precious fur kids It wasn't that long ago that we were a four pet family. There were three dogs and a cat. I often wondered if we should get another cat, to give Molly some advantage over the dogs. But, I soon came to realize that Molly had all the advantage she needed. She was the cat. When we walk Emily, these days, I find my heart drawn to people with two or three dogs, strolling along the path in our neighborhood. Emily has certain dogs she likes, and certain ones she doesn't. That's the way, isn't it?... Continue reading

If I stare at her long enough, I know she'll walk me. Family is a big topic, of late. Family this and family that. The spider-man movie is being promoted as 'family' friendly. Which is good. I prefer family friendly movies to those with ... well, let's just say blood and guts and language you used to only hear on the shipping dock. It's encouraging to know that family now includes our furry friends, our reptiles, our fish, our birds, any creature folks deem a pet. I won't get into exotic pets as that's a whole other issue. But, if... Continue reading

Occasionally I am contacted by folks who want to contribute to this blog. I am selective. If you don't show me that you understand the blog, or if you send truly inappropriate content (not about pets or relevant to the human animal bond), you will be ignored. If you pursue me, I will testily tell you why you and your content were not chosen. If you submit content and it's good content but it's not relevant to blog, again, I will decline. In today's case, guest blogger Diana Hutchinson from Tin Paw, sent me content that is awesomely proper for... Continue reading

How many of you think cats are just...laid back, lazy, unfriendly creatures? Raise your hand. Yep, I knew it. A lot of hands went up. Sigh. You all think cats are no fun. That they lay about all day, choosing to rise only at feeding time. Occasionally, they join the family during TV time, but only to find a warm lap to lie on. Sometimes, they torture the dog. Just by glaring at her. No fun at all. Well, you are so wrong I don't know how to begin proving that cats are as fun as dogs (or other creatures... Continue reading

I have a lot of email addresses. They come with my business(es). I have started three businesses and am onto a fourth. Each one has an email address attached to it. I am drowning in email. What, you are asking, does this have to do with the human-animal bond (a big focus of this blog) and/or pets? Let me explain. Among those email addresses are the ones which came with Lipsticking.com and The Lipsticking Society. I am closing down those domains, but the email addresses will live on. And, the blog associated with Lipsticking will live on. Why? Because a... Continue reading

All right, I may be pushing the envelope when I say therapy dogs work miracles. But, that's okay. I have an opinion and that opinion is that dogs, and other therapy animals, do work miracles. The kind of miracle that happens when someone with an illness or mental condition cannot function in society - until they get a therapy dog. The human animal bond between patient and dog is so strong, I feel good saying there is a miracle happening there. In some respect dogs are angels. They are always on guard, watching our every mood, always in protect mode,... Continue reading

Are you bringing your pet to BlogPaws? Traveling with pets. It's a tricky business. I was recently contacted by some folks who talked about traveling with our pets...perhaps to BlogPaws, but I can't share it because it came from United. Sigh. I mean, I wouldn't fly United, would you? Still, the 2017 conference is only 29 days off, according to my calculations. I know we're (they? it's hard to remember I'm 'retired' from BlogPaws!) are anticipating a record number of pets in attendance. Not only dogs and cats - folks bring pet guinea pigs, rats, pigs, even capybaras. Did I... Continue reading

A guest blog by Patrice Kuiken. I met Patrice at a local networking event and was immediately drawn to her. Both for her quiet smile and kind eyes, as for her description of the positive training she provides, for those of us with challenging dogs. And, for those who are just good pet parents in wanting to bond with their dogs through positive training. I love how Patrice approaches her work and how she doesn't blame the pet parent or the pet, but works to help everyone play well together! Isn't that what the human animal bond is about? Learning... Continue reading

Don't whine at me. I'm trying to nap. I have that wrong. It's National Respect Your Cat Day, not National Love Your Cat Day. They are fundamentally two different things. In #1, where you respect your cat, you have the courtesy to let her know when her medicine is due so she can find a good hiding place. Honestly, how do cats do that? Just when you need them, they're not around. When you're a bit busy, typing a blog post for instance, they're all over the keyboard. 12ejg0pt8bhgt; Oops, sorry. Didn't get her down quick enough. #2 is where... Continue reading

Our two current pets were not always friends. As noted in this blog, kitty came to us from a home that had dogs, but those were 'her' dogs and once she came to our home, the dogs here were not her dogs, which made her skeptical of them. To their credit, the three dogs were more than a little curious about kitty, back then. Yes, they'd had a kitty in the house, but Pandora was old, she was settled in her ways, and she mostly ignored the dogs. Therefore, they never got to know here, or to understand that she... Continue reading

We all know the saying, "If you've got your health, you've got everything." Well, that is true for our pets, also. And, from the perspective of this pet Mom, it also influences the human-animal bond. After all, we are tasked with taking the best care of our pets as possible! I know others think it can't compare to caring for 'two-legged' kids, but having done both, I will say it's very similar. Back in those ancient days of my youth, we thought taking care of our pets meant feeding them store bought pet food, table scraps, and the occasional treat.... Continue reading