Summertime Reading (and Listening!)
Lots going on in the pet world these days - and pets are in the news more than ever. Most pet guardians know that when you bond with a pet, it is scientifically proven to make you healthier and happier. Pets enrich our lives, but they also cost money and cause us concern. While I am not an expert on behaviorism, veterinary practices, or the human-animal bond, I have had pets for almost my whole life - have loved them, and lost them - and have felt all the emotions in between.
I have a seven month old puppy now (pictured above, reading) - he’s pretty darn cute and funny. I live in San Francisco, so I am also an urban pet parent, continually battling off leash opportunities and freedom with safety. It can be a challenge. It reminds me of my early years of parenting my tiny humans when it seemed everybody had an opinion to offer about food, play, or sleep.
How do we navigate the flood of information? If you’re like me, you pick and choose what to read and what advice to follow. You trust your gut and do your best. Below are a few recent articles and one podcast that I found to be helpful as I raise my “teenager”, Shmoopy. Perhaps you will find them helpful too.
A new study published last week in Scientific Reports cautioned dog owners that the ills of humanity are depressing pets, too. The research found that dogs can smell stress on humans and it’s hurting their mood.
Are We Loving Our Pets to Death?
Pet owners are treating their animal charges ever more like humans. But that isn’t good for pets, or for us, many experts argue.
Nationwide to drop about 100,000 pet insurance policies.
Over the past decade, the cost of veterinary care in the U.S. has skyrocketed, as health care for pets has come to look more like health care for people. Katie Thomas, an investigative health care reporter for The Times, discusses how pet care became a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the fraught emotional and financial landscape that has created for pet owners.
Food for thought as the summer closes. Our website also has TONS of educational information to mine. It can be found here.