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A number of months passed, and when I reconnected with her, things had changed. She had broken up with the guy, had regained some of her physical health, was back in school, and working part time. I asked her what her doctors had eventually concluded, and she told me she was no longer seeing them, but was gradually feeling much better anyway. It seems that the stress of the relationship may have been the cause of her illness. She was also in therapy now, and learning to establish some boundaries with her family. And guess what? Her dog and cat were both symptom free as well.

This woman’s story is a powerful illustration of how emotionally sensitive animals are, and how connected to us is their own well-being. I have seen example after example of pets suffering from a dysfunctional family dynamic. Whenever we go through a major stress, a loss, or just a big change, we must remember to tend to the emotional health of our animal companions. Animals are closely bonded to their human families. Their physical senses are a thousand times more acute than ours, but they are also highly sensitive emotionally. Everyone who has had close relationships with non-humans has experienced their intuition and empathy regarding our states of mind – the warm tongue on your hand when you’re feeling sad, the paw on your knee and questioning gaze when you’re upset, the worry and whining when mom and dad are arguing. When you’re happy, they’re happy – and all is right with their world.

Animals have highly refined personalities. They can teach us how to be better people if we learn to pay attention to their responses. They can show us who we really are. It’s important to remember how affected they can be by our emotional storms, and to take care of them, as we would our children, spouses and friends, by recognizing their needs as the valuable, sensitive beings they are.

Training Tip: Never be emotionally abusive with your pets. Anger, irritation, impatience etc., are no more appropriate in dealing with animals than they are with humans, and are no more effective. Besides, do you really want to be the person who deals that way with others?

© 2009 The Pet Pro. All Rights Reserved.

Throughout the summer and fall they came often, and Isa watched fondly as her babies also ate from his hand. Unfortunately, raccoons being raccoons, the band began to break into the sun porch looking for food when my brother wasn’t home and, fearing for the safety of his two cats, he had to stop feeding them and put heavy screening on the back door to keep them out. That seemed to be that.

The following year, he began to hear noises up under the roof, and thought he had rats or squirrels in the attic. He called a professional “verminator” and was told it was a family of raccoons.

Regretfully, he let the man do his job, which involved trapping and “disposing” of the animals. He caught all the little ones and took them away, but was unable to trap the mother. After several tries, he finally lured her into the trap, and when he brought it down he left it sitting on the deck for a few minutes while getting something from his truck. My brother looked at the animal, who was hissing and spinning around in fright, trying to escape. She looked familiar, and he said, “Isa?” When the exterminator came back, he gaped in astonishment as Isa calmly was taking food from my brother’s hand. The man said that in all his years of working with wild raccoons, he had never seen one relax enough to eat while in a cage. My brother asked whether there was anything to be done for her. The fellow thought about it, and then said, “You know, I have a buddy who has a sod farm, and they use raccoons to work there – maybe he could take Isa. She’s already so used to humans, she would fit in perfectly, and it would be a real shame to destroy her.” It turns out that on a sod farm, each day the farmers lay the sod out in long strips and water it, and each night the raccoons roll up the sod into perfect bales as they eat the grubs that are growing on the bottom. The next day, the farmers roll the sod flat again and water it, and the next night the raccoons roll it up again and eat the grubs. It’s a perfect symbiotic relationship. The raccoons aren’t tame, but they co-exist in this working collaboration. So Isa was retired to the sod farm, and my brother no longer feeds wild raccoons. Thankfully, this story had a happy ending, but the message is still clear. Wild animals are wild, and need to stay that way. We can help them best by protecting the natural world that is their rightful home, rather then trying to make pets out of them. (My brother does still have several squirrel-proof bird feeders in his backyard, where the birds provide hours of viewing pleasure for his two house cats.)

Have a question or comment for the Pet Pro? Email PetProse@lrsaloon.org

© 2009 Pet Prose. All Rights Reserved.

One morning, my boyfriend Rick was making breakfast, which included some sliced ham. Ham was one of Tommy’s favorite things. At the first whiff he would come running and would beg and talk until he got his tiny bit of treat. On this particular morning, there was quiet. Suddenly Rick looked down and there, sitting only a few inches apart with their attention completely fixed on Rick, were Hamlet and Tommy. As if choreographed, the dog looked at the cat, the cat looked at the dog, and then they simultaneously looked back at Rick and the “Ham!” Obviously, they had their priorities straight. The possibility of a favorite treat had completely trumped any issues between them.

This hilarious moment added to my understanding of inter-species relationships. Dogs and cats are generally able and willing to get along in friendship – especially when there’s ham involved!

TRAINING TIPS: Dogs are carnivores and predators, but they are also pack animals with a deep sensitivity to the group dynamic. They form loving bonds with other dogs and humans, and are capable of bonding with cats, birds and even rodents. If you want to encourage your dog to make friends with a cat, there are some steps you can take. Always keep the dog on a leash at first and prevent him from lunging, barking or chasing after the cat. The cat may hide at first. Never force the animals together, but give them time to adjust. Make sure they are separated when you are not in the room to supervise, and create a safe place for the cat to live until the bond is formed. Ask your dog to sit calmly and observe while you interact with the cat. Talk softly and sweetly to the kitty. Touch the cat and say his/her name and then let the dog sniff your hand. You can rub a towel or toy on each animal and give the scented object to the other to sleep with and become familiar with the scent. Make it clear that no aggression will be tolerated on either side. Treats are a great help (as in the story above), especially a treat that has real power because it’s a favorite thing that they only get when they sit calmly in each other’s presence. Practice every day. There are many games and exercises you can use to bring them together. Check with a local trainer. Every animal is an individual and some personalities go better with others, so it’s always better if you can to carefully choose a cat or dog with your pet’s type in mind. Make a plan, stick with it, and in time you’ll be enjoying a loving inter-species family.

Happy Trails!

Email your questions or favorite pet stories to PetProse@LTSaloon.org

© 2009 The Pet Pro. All Rights Reserved.

Gatsby is a funny bird; he says hello and bobs his head up and down as if saying an emphatic “yes” when he’s happy. Sometimes he would shake his head from side to side, but I somehow never connected that he knew the gesture meant “no.” One day, after the usual routine was finished and it was time for me to go, I approached Gatsby as he was perched on the open cage door. He tentatively extended one claw in my direction, so I put my arm out for him, but he withdrew the claw. After three or four tries, I reached toward the umbrella, saying, “I guess we have to do this the hard way.” Gatsby looked me right in the eye and shook his head firmly. In that moment, treating him as if he knew what it meant, I stopped pulling out the umbrella, and said, “OK, I won’t if you don’t want me to,” as I put the umbrella back. Gatsby immediately climbed delicately down and went right back into his cage. After I picked my jaw back up off the floor and finished kicking myself for my lack of faith in his intelligence, I gave him much praise and several treats, and apologized for not understanding him better. I will try to never again underestimate him again — after all, he is the great Gatsby, and he clearly knows that “no” means “no.”

Training Tip: When giving a command, if you get frustrated or angry at the lack of result, your dog will react by losing respect for you and may become agitated. They can feel it immediately when you are out of control, so they won’t look to you for direction. If you feel impatience rising, turn away for a moment or two and take a few deep breaths. Then calmly start again from the beginning. Learning takes a lot of repetition, so keep your sessions short – no more than 10 minutes at a time when working on a new behavior. And don’t forget to make it fun!

Happy trails,

The Pet Pro

Contact the author with your questions or pet stories at PetProse@ltsaloon.org

© 2009 The Pet Pro and Pet Prose. All Rights Reserved.

As another example, the squirrels and birds in the park where I walk dogs every day have become savvy about people. They have little fear of dogs on a leash, and seem to know they are in no danger. If the ducks or geese begin to cluck in agitation as I approach, I say, “Okay, pretty birds, you’re okay,” in a friendly manner, and they settle right back down. These are wild birds, but they obviously understand from my tone and demeanor that I mean them no harm.

Animals are extremely emotionally sensitive. They feel our emotional state and react accordingly. In working with large birds, I have learned that they are at least as smart as dogs – some may be smarter. My friend has an African Grey parrot named Timmy she adopted from a situation where he was unwanted. He used to throw a lot of seed out of his cage and his owner never really bonded with him. The night before he was to go to his new home, he looked his owner in the eye and said clearly, “You’re a pain in the ass!” He had never said this before (although he had probably heard it a lot), and has never said it since, although he says many other things. He almost never throws his seed now. His new owner, assuming his intelligence, trained him not to. The first few times he tried it, she just calmly said “No,” and took his food away for a little while. He quickly got the point.

A neighbor of mine told me that one of her relatives has a dog, a Yorkie, and a parrot. The bird has learned to imitate his owner’s voice. His favorite trick is to tell the dog “No!” to make him back away so he can steal the dog’s kibble.

Then there is the famous African Grey named Alex who was the subject of years of study by his owner who I believe was a behavioral psychologist. Alex shattered all the previous assumptions about bird intelligence. He learned to count, to add, subtract and multiply, tell colors, identify the material of which an object was made (wood, metal, wool, glass), and much more. He demonstrated, through careful experiment, all kinds of abstract thought that had been considered impossible for a creature with a brain the size of a walnut. Once, when he was sick and had to be left at the vet overnight, he said sadly to his owner, “I’m sorry,” as she said goodbye. It seems he thought he must have done something wrong and knew the words that might grant him forgiveness.

Then there was the experiment with the pigeons, long thought to be not very smart. When given a series of images to choose from, the birds learned quickly that if they pushed a lever when the image of a tree was on the screen, they would earn a food reward. The experimenters then removed the reward trigger photo and displayed some more images, mixing in a new picture of a group of trees of a different variety than the single tree they had seen before. They immediately chose the correct picture, understanding that it was of the same kind of object — that different trees plural were in the same category as a tree singular. This seems like a small thing, but to the researchers it was huge. The birds had not just learned what to chose by rote repetition, but had understood the concept of a “tree.”

In closing, science is finally beginning to accept that intelligence is not just a human quality, so please, never underestimate your animal companion’s capacity to understand and communicate with you, and of course, to love.

TRAINING TIP: W.W.W. The letters stand for Whistle, Whisper, and Wait. Remember that your dog has millions more scent receptors than you. The world outside is wonderfully distracting, so first whistle – meaning make some sound to get your dog’s attention. Dogs have very good hearing as well, so you never have to shout. Whisper – meaning give commands in a soft voice and your dog will hear you. And finally, Wait – give your dog a chance to respond before you correct him. And always, always, be calm, and be kind.

Happy Trails!

The Pet Pro

Please send your own stories, questions and comments for possible inclusion in future columns to The Pet Pro at: PetProse@LTsaloon.org

© 2009 The Pet Pro and Pet Prose. All Rights Reserved.

Norman, Harvey and Bingo are three small Chihuahua-mixed-with-something-or-other dogs who were all adopted off the streets of Honolulu. They stayed at our house for a few weeks while their family was traveling. Norman and Bingo were fully grown little guys, and Harvey, just under a year old, was really still a puppy. The dogs had come to stay with toys and treats and only two dog beds, which they shared, usually in shifts, among the three of them, only occasionally double-bunking. One night we witnessed the following event.

Norman had been off patrolling the unfamiliar house, sniffing all the fascinating new smells. On returning to the living room, where my S.O. and I were watching TV, he discovered the two beds occupied by the two other dogs. As we watched, Norman stood for a moment or two, seemingly deep in thought, looking at Bingo and Harvey, each snug in their comfortable beds. He then walked deliberately over to the front door and calmly began to bark, seemingly at nothing. Harvey, being a puppy and always wanting in on the action, immediately jumped up, ran over, and joined in, barking joyously at the door, at which point Norman quietly snuck off and climbed into the bed formerly occupied by Harvey. After a few seconds, Harvey realized he was the only one barking, and sort of trailed off. He looked around, and did what can only be described as a “double take,” as he saw Norman in the bed he had so recently vacated. This was funny enough, but the best was yet to come. Harvey stood looking at Norman for a few more seconds, and then, having apparently worked out what had just happened, he walked back over to the door and began barking, obviously figuring that if it had worked for Norman, it might work for him. At this point the two older dogs, in perfect unison, lifted their heads in his direction for a moment, stared at him dismissively, and then put them down and went back to sleep, leaving poor Harvey out in the cold. When we had recovered from gasping and clutching our sides with laughter, we agreed this was absolute observational evidence that dogs are capable of complex, rational and strategic thinking.

For many years, scientists have carefully avoided the notion that animals are possibly as sentient as we are, rejecting the evidence of their own experiments as “projecting” human qualities onto creatures who do not actually possess them. This makes exploiting and abusing animals easier to justify, of course, as it has also done throughout history for oppressing other humans.

The truth, which is clear to anyone who has lived with any non-human companion and formed a close bond, is that the more we learn about the creatures with whom we share this planet, the more obvious it becomes that, along with pain and fear and the will to survive, they possess the capacity for love, intelligence, humor, courage, joy and compassion, as well as curiosity and the desire to communicate. One indigenous tribe in Sumatra even calls the Orangutans the “people of the forest.”

So, in closing, please remember that, although they are not the same species as we are, in every important way, animals are people too. Stay tuned for more true stories of our brilliant, brave and funny furry and feathered friends.

TRAINING TIP #1: Patience is a virtue, and learning is a process.

There are many good ways to train your pet, but fundamental to any training system is the relationship that you have with one another. Remember that your pet doesn’t speak English, and that you must break down the desired behavior into small, teachable steps. If your dog, for example, doesn’t know what “stay” means, he can’t obey the command. Learning takes time and repetition for animals just as it does for us. Expect to spend a few minutes daily on each new step, and be patient. In future columns, I will include more specifics, but I must emphasize that nothing is more important than building communication and trust with your pet.

Note: Send your pet-related questions and personal stories to: (under construction) for future inclusion in this column.

Happy Trails!

- The Pet Pro

Copyright 2009 Pet Prose. All Rights Reserved.