We want to know! How many times a day do you walk your dog?

How many times a day do you walk your dog?

1

2

3

4+

Other

Please Specify:

make quizzes

The post We want to know! How many times a day do you walk your dog? appeared first on .

The Little Things That Separate and Unite Cat Owners vs Dog Owners

Are cat owners snobs? Do dog lovers have lower IQ’s? These questions may sound silly, but believe it or not, it’s what many people think about the owners of these lovable furballs.  For centuries, people have debated over which pet is better: cats or dogs, creating stereotypes, both real and based in fact, about them and their owners along the way.  For instance, cats, with their independent nature, were seen as evil for many years- and so were many who chose to have one.  And dogs have often been seen as sweet and loyal, making their owners appear to be more compassionate and friendly. So, what’s true and what’s just rumor and conjecture? You’re about to find out, thanks to Hunch.com. They asked over seven hundred thousand of their users various survey questions that might be able to shed some light on the cat owners vs dog owners debate once and for all.

Pet Ownership and Popularity

It is often believed that dogs are more popular than cats. However, this data would seem to suggest otherwise. There are 86 million cats owned in the United States compared to 78 million dogs. This is probably at least partly a function of the fact that it is easier to own multiple cats than it is to own multiple dogs. However, it still suggests that the cat and dog owners competition is much more evenly matched than some people might think.

Personality and Pet Ownership

The popular stereotype is that cat owners are introverted while dog owners are extroverted. On the surface, this seems stereotypical and biased, but as the survey shows, in many instances it is true- but for a legitimate reason. Let’s take a look.

• While dog owners are more likely to be extroverts and Kitten owners are more likely to be introverts, it is a small correlation. Cat owners are only 11 percent more likely to be introverts.

– Since people have to walk their dogs in order to keep them healthy, it is not surprising that dog owners are 36 percent more likely to enjoy the outdoors.

– Cat owners are more likely to be politically liberalt han dog owners. They also seem to like many media choices that people associate with liberals. This may be coincidence, but since cats are more independent by nature, it makes sense they would be drawn to more carefree animals.

• Dog ownership seems to be more strongly associated with people who have families and who live in the country. Since large dogs will need their space, this is a logical correlation. Many people get dogs in order to teach their kids about responsibility, so this also seems to logically follow.

– Cat owners are more likely to be urban. This is logical since cats are easier to keep in apartments than dogs.

• Dog owners seem to be more group-oriented in general and less individualistic than kitten owners. They are 12 percent more likely to be technological early adopters, for instance.

They also have a demonstrable preference for popular music and television shows.

Conclusion – Do you agree?

It would seem that some of the stereotypes about dog owners and cat-owners are not completely without merit. However, they also seem to be exaggerated somewhat in popular culture. These kinds of infographics can allow researchers to display and distribute information about these sorts of popular subjects more easily, and people can test their own beliefs against them.

Cat owners compare to dog owners in interesting ways. However, it would seem that a lot of these differences are the result of practical considerations. The fact that dogs are large animals that need walks seems to shape the interests and personalities of dog owners. The fact that cats are small animals that more or less take care of themselves seems to shape the interests and personalities of those owning cats.

Kate Evans is an editor at TopReveal.com.

The post The Little Things That Separate and Unite Cat Owners vs Dog Owners appeared first on .

Improve your dog’s physical and emotional health with The Tellington TTouch Method For Dogs

Pronounced (TEE-touch), The Tellington TTouch Method is a training system that uses bodywork and non-habitual movement to influence behavior and health. We were recently invited to attend a TTouch class with Jodi Frediani, a practitioner (and wildlife photographer) out of Santa Cruz, Ca., which inspired us to share the experience with you here on the blog. Jodi taught us that TTouch isn’t just about showing your dog how to relax — this is a holistic approach to increasing your pet’s lifespan, overall well-being, health and yes — relaxation, too. The techniques used are surprisingly simple and are easily done from the comfort of your own home.

Print out this nifty infographic on TTouch earwork we designed for you (or better yet, bookmark it) so you can use it as a reference when trying this at home:

What is TTouch?

The TTouch Method was developed by internationally-recognized animal expert Linda Tellington-Jones. Linda began her TTouch journey with a background in horse training and massage. She later studied with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais who believed that with non-habitual movement, you might be able to activate unused neural pathways to the brain and expand your potential to learn.

Tellington-Jones began to experiment with touch on horses, where, her experimentation lead to the creation of The Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM). This was essentially a training system for horses that included a circular touching technique, ground work, and riding exercises. With the application of TTEAM on her horses, Tellington-Jones immediately began to notice that her horses were more relaxed and demonstrated more grounded responses. She continued developing TTEAM through the 1980’s where she eventually segued into working with other animals and dogs. This is the origin of TTouch.

In a nutshell, TTouch is to: “stimulate the function and vitality of the cells in an animal’s body, and to activate unused neural pathways to the brain.”

Some of the benefits of TTouch include:

✔ relaxing muscle tension

✔ lowering the heart rate, blood pressure, and circulation

✔ lowering stress levels

✔ increased body awareness

During our session with Jodi Frediani we were taught that TTouch is based on a mindful approach to working with animals. You want to be attentive to your dog’s body language and how they respond to your touch. It helps if you imagine yourself as your dog and what he / she may be experiencing so that your dog is thoroughly benefiting from the experience. You dog will let you know with their body language — pay close attention.

The Technique

With over a dozen movements, TTouch is fairly simple to learn. For long-term benefit you’ll want to practice TTouch regularly. There are tons of videos and other resources online if you’d like to take your TTouch practice to the next level. You may also want to check out this practitioner directory from the TTouch website, which will help you find a practitioner near you.

In looking at our infographic, you’ll see that TTouch’s signature motion is a circular motion for the most part. Some of the bodywork in TTouch requires only the use of your fingertips while others require the flat of the fingers and palm. There are also whole hand movements involved in TTouch. Circular movements are done clockwise, with all movements being light to the touch — not necessarily a deep massage but something a bit more gentle.

To put this into perspective, we’ve outlined for you three examples of TTouch technique being put into practice:

“Tarantulas Pulling the Plow”: Don’t let them name intimidate you. Tarantulas Pulling the Plow is simply where you gently walk your fingers up your dog’s back like a spider. At the same time you let your thumbs drag behind (like a plow). This will help stimulate circulation and ease general sensitivity to touch your dog may have.

“The Clouded Leopard”: Here your fingers are slightly curved and you use the pads of your fingers to create the circles. This technique is known to alleviate anxiety.

Ear slides – Using TTouch on the ears is an important technique and can help calm a stressed or hyperactive dog. The ear slide is done by stroking the ears horizontally from base to tip, or by making small circles starting at the base and working toward the tip.

Consider this a crash course or a 101. We at Fetch! Pet Care have been noticing our dogs react wonderfully to this method and hope that yours do as well. If you’ve been practicing this method for some time now, or have tried TTouch at home after reading this article, we’d love to hear from you. Write us at social@fetchpetcare.com or Tweet us @FetchPetCare.

Editor’s Note: At Fetch! Pet Care, we’re interested in hosting a lively discussion, and encourage readers who believe they have a knack for a column to submit a pitch. We also encourage you to send in letter to the editor: social@fetchpetcare.com

The post Improve your dog’s physical and emotional health with The Tellington TTouch Method For Dogs appeared first on .

Tips for Having a Safe & Fun Easter with Your Pets

With Easter just around the corner, we start planning holiday meals, baking and looking forward to celebrating the holidays with family and friends, so now it’s the perfect time to make sure that we take our pets and their safety into consideration and plan accordingly so everyone in your family can be safe and enjoy the holidays.

Here are a few safety tips to make sure your pets can be safe and have fun during Easter.

1. Please stay away from the plastic grass for Easter baskets, it can become caught up at the back of the tongue or in the stomach of your dog making it impossible to pass through their digestive system. It can ultimately cause severe damage to the intestinal tract and require surgery.

If you using the grass, please make sure that the baskets are put away out of reach of your pets.

1. Easter chocolate is very dangerous for your dog, the darker the chocolate the more toxic for your pet. Please make sure that all of the chocolate eggs and bunnies are not reachable by your dog.
2. It is a great idea to include your dog in an Easter egg hunt, please plan accordingly, put your dog treats in one specific color eggs, or buy metallic color eggs, so you know which ones are filled with the candy for children and which ones are for your dog. Fill the eggs with treats that have a strong smell, like freeze-dried liver, so your dog can follow his nose and find his treasures.
3. If you are planning on having your family and friends over for Easter it is a good idea to feed your dog prior to everyone arrival, with full belly he won’t be so tempted to beg for food from your guests. People unknowingly may feed him food that’s not good for him and will make him sick.
4. Some of the spring plants like many different species of lilies are highly toxic to cats if you see your cat licking the flowers take them to the vet immediately, the sooner you get there the better chance you have of saving their life. The vet can induce vomiting and give activated charcoal to bind poisons in the gut and will most likely start IV fluids to flush the kidneys.
5. Also if you have children over, they have a tendency to leave their drinks around the house, remember that caffeinated drinks and alcohol are also toxic to animals and symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea decreased coordination and difficulty breathing.

If you want to treat your pets for Easter, bake them some special treats, like liver or peanut butter cookies. You can find a simple, healthy recipes online and if you are making Easter treats for the children, you can use the same cookie cutters to make their treats even more special and festive looking.

Now that you, your family and animals are properly prepared for Easter visitors, have a great celebration, enjoy your family and friend, human as well as canine.

Mira Alicki is a jewelry designer and goldsmith for the past 22 years. Her passion for animals led her to create her own line of jewelry and online store to benefit charities. 40% of each purchase is donated back to the animal community. You can find Mira on Twitter (@FIMHjewelry) or at www.ForeverInMyHeartJewelry.com.

The post Tips for Having a Safe & Fun Easter with Your Pets appeared first on .

#ThursdayThoughts: This dog just had a major epiphany

When you realize you were the good dog all along…

The post #ThursdayThoughts: This dog just had a major epiphany appeared first on .

The Best of The Blog Q1 Roundup: Patrick Stewart Fosters Ginger the Rescue, A Sitter’s Tale & more

Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday we were playing fetch with snowballs and getting creative by coming up with fun ways to keep your pets healthy and fit on chillier days. Now that Spring has sprung, we’re having a blast exercising Fido and Figaro be it a sun-drenched hike or a relaxing game of chase-the-feather beneath the warmth of a sunny window. During this transition, we’ve been keeping our blog updated with fresh content weekly. In some posts you’ll find helpful advice from the pro’s here at Fetch! Pet Care, and some content you’ll find fun or inspirational. Make sure to bookmark this post so you can catch up with us later if you don’t have the time now.

Before we delve into the top four blog posts this quarter, you may have noticed that we’ve been designing personality quizzes which are hosted on the blog and on our Corporate Social Media Channels: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. If you haven’t had a chance to take one of these awesome personality-based quizzes, you’ll definitely want to as they’re a great way to strengthen your bond with your pet while also being just downright fun to do. Try What Do The Cosmos Say About Your And Your Pet? (Taken over 900 times), or, Which Mythical Dog Is Your Dog? (Taken nearly 1,000 times)! Love your results? Share them with your community on social media so you can see how your results compare to those of your friends.

And now onto what you’ve been waiting for — the blogs! Without further adieu we present to you our most-read blogs this quarter starting with an endearing read about Patrick Stewart who recently decided he wanted to foster a PitBull named Ginger…

Photo Credit: @SirPatStew

Patrick Stewart and his new best friend Ginger, the Rescued PitBull

You may want to take out the tissues or hug your pet while reading this one because it’s really such an inspirational story and possibly one of the cutest foster stories we’ve seen in the media in a while. The cute-factor resides not in the simple fact that Stewart and his wife chose to become foster parents, but more within the documentation of Stewart and his sincere love for Ginger though the use of Twitter Video. With his wife as the camera gal, Stewart documents tidbits from his adventures with Ginger: from the “going for a walk” video to the “Stewart giving Ginger a goodnight kiss video”, this is a true love story between man and dog – one that will leave you inspired to love Stewart even more, and perhaps even discover a newfound appreciation for PitBull rescue and adoption. Click here to read it!

Get in shape! Five reasons why you should exercise with your dog

Need a reason to get off the couch and get in shape with Fido? This list is a must-read even for the most active of families. We know that daily exercise is good for us and also for our pets, but we may sometimes forget why it’s important to exercise with our pets. Exercising with your dog requires is a completely different mind frame than simply “getting a workout in”, per se. This is about bonding with your dog, reminding your dog that he/she is part of the family, and yes, keeping you both feeling your best — together. Give this read a run (no pun intended) and let us know your favorite way to get fit with your dog by tweeting us @FetchPetCare.

A Sitter’s Tale: Why working for Fetch! Pet Care is the best job I’ve ever had.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have what fellow pet lovers consider one of the best jobs ever? One of very own sitters shared with readers her story on how she left the Corporate world to become a Fetch! Pet Care dog walker and pet sitter. In her post she writes: “I’m the happiest I’ve even been. I’m smiling all day long. I feel great because I get a lot of fresh air and exercise, and there’s nothing like seeing happy pets enjoying life…it’s contagious! I actually look forward to going to my first job of the day.” If you’re on-the-fence and want to hear what it’s like working for Fetch! Pet Care, then this read is for you. As a pet owner this is also worth your time as it will give you a sense of how happy our staff is and how much they truly enjoy caring for your pets.

Tips for Keeping Pets Safe at Home

If you’ve recently brought a new pet home or are planning to, have your bases covered by making sure that your home is pet-safe. This is also worth reviewing if you’re a seasoned pet owner. With warmer weather comes adoption season, so this timely piece may be something you want to pass along to a friend, even, who may be adding a new member to the family. Topics covered range from microchipping, to lid-safety (one we often forget about), to common choking hazards. Get the full scoop here on the Blog at Fetch! Pet Care.

Have a suggestion for a blog topic? We’d love to hear from you. Write us at social@fetchpetcare.com or by leave a comment below. We look forward to hearing from you.

The post The Best of The Blog Q1 Roundup: Patrick Stewart Fosters Ginger the Rescue, A Sitter’s Tale & more appeared first on .

Patrick Stewart and his new best friend Ginger, the rescued PitBull

“Oh there she is!” he gently exclaims as he sees her coming up the driveway to his house. Stewart opens the door and sits on in on the floor of his doorway gently petting a wiggly and affectionate Ginger who is adorning him with kisses: “That’s a very nice greeting!” He remarks with a big smile on his face.

Stewart and his wife, Sunny Ozell, teamed up with The American Society for The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) along with Wags and Walks to foster Ginger (aka #GingerGurl). Ginger was rescued by Wags and Walks from a PitBull breeding ring in Los Angeles.

The two have now become the best of friends — a bond that is being documented on his Twitter Page (@SirPatStew) with near daily updates. It really just does not get any cuter than these two…

Here they are going for a walk together…

Evening walkies with #GingerGurl @ASPCA @WagsandWalks #AdoptDontShop #fosteringsaveslives #pibbles pic.twitter.com/x3UwEKkTah

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 16, 2017

In an attempt to teach Ginger to swim, Stewart discovered that Ginger would much rather kiss his bald head.

The swimming lesson that wasn’t. Our foster pibble Ginger is perfect afternoon company. @ASPCA @WagsandWalks #AdoptDontShop pic.twitter.com/yDWiXbCSXS

— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 9, 2017

 

And then of course there’s this. Stewart lovingly pets Ginger to sleep before giving her a goodnight kiss on the forehead. In his tweet he writes: “From what I understand rules and consistency are everything as a foster dog parent.”

From what I understand rules and consistency are everything as a foster dog parent. #GingerGurl @ASPCA @WagsandWalks #AdoptDontShop #pitbull pic.twitter.com/aCvKtwlxSA — Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 10, 2017

 

“So what we have here is a 60 lb. lap dog,” said Stewart’s wife, Sunny Ozell, who shared a video of Ginger cuddled up in her husband’s lap. Stewart and Ozell fell in love with PitBulls after meeting their neighbor’s dog Sadie. “Thank you @ASPCA and @WagsAndWalks for connecting us with this gorgeous being. We’re already in love.” Ozell writes on Instagram.

Want to know more about Ginger and how to adopt her? Visit her page on the Wags and Walks website here.

The post Patrick Stewart and his new best friend Ginger, the rescued PitBull appeared first on .