Dr Jo's blog

Leo Righetti

Check out Leo’s Blog (Cat-a-log).

Leo the lion, a young Maine Coon cat observes life through the eyes of a precious pussycat.

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Sharing your life with any other living creature gives potential for embarrassment. None of us can completely control what any other living, breathing individual will do. And our pets seem spectacularly good at playing the role of embarrassment-maker. Here are some of the cheeky pets that I’ve encountered…

1.       Charlie the cheeky parrot who talked a lot and his favourite saying was “Silly bugger!” Fine at home with the family but not so good when the local minister came calling.

2.       Milo the terrier aka Milo the Humper. Milo humped everything including cushions, beds, legs of friends. Milo’s owner was over 80 years old and was exceedingly embarrassed by what she perceived to be Milo’s sexual habits.

3.       Sheba the noisy kitty would escape out of her owner’s home almost every night and get into a cat fight, waking her neighbour’s children. Once or twice, yes, it happens. But almost every night?

4.       Toby the Chocolate Labrador whose copraphagy habit was creating a social suicide situation for his owner at the park. Toby would eat the faeces of any animal he could find, even those dogs he played with.

5.       Sally the crotch sniffer. Say no more. Sally was a Doberman, just the right height.

6.       Elvis the sleek black pussycat who peed in guests shoes and handbags. Gave new meaning to ‘Elvis the Pelvis’.

7.       Happy Harry the larrikin Labrador (yes Labrador’s feature regularly on this list!). Harry just loved people so much that he jumped on everyone; especially when he was in the park; especially when he was in full flight! Harry had knocked over a lady who had just undergone knee replacement surgery. Oops!.

8.       Sunny the Burmese who had a fetish for underwear. Great but it didn’t belong to his family. He would sneak around the neighbourhood, stealing clothing from the washing lines. Imagine confronting your neighbour’s bloomers? Moral dilemma – do you give them back?

I reserve the right to save the last two on this list for my pets. Yes, why should the so-called animal expert have perfectly behaved pets?

9.       Cherry the Dalmatian who simply loved food. Would never steal it when mum was there but turn my back and… One time during a cocktail party when I had just served the whole round of Brie and turned away to fetch the crackers, shouts of laughter burst out. There was Cherry disappearing out the door with the entire cheese in her mouth. (Moral dilemma – do you rescue and serve the cheese?)

10.    Leo the lion, sorry Maine Coon. Leo’s cable radar has led him to find (when hidden) and chew his way through 3 ipod cables and 6 phone charger cables. Also 2 sets of guests cables too. Not just one bite. He entirely shreds them!J

 Do you have an embarrassing pet story? Or are you too embarrassed to share it?

More about pets at  Dr Jo’s website.

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You have probably heard the term “Responsible Pet Ownership”. I have. Often. That figures, in my line of work where I try to educate pet owners. In fact, I have used the phrase many times myself. The problem with it is:

(i)                   It is in danger of becoming a boring phrase – overused, not at all ‘sexy’

(ii)                 What does it actually mean?

Trying to define Responsible Pet Ownership (RPO) is more difficult than it sounds. Yes it’s about providing food for Fido and taking Sam/Max/Tiger to the vet when sick but it is more than that.

I think RPO is about making pet owners think. Taking them over and above what an animal needs to survive but providing what it needs to thrive. Here are my suggested 3 basic rules of RPO:

(i)                   Choose your pet carefully

(ii)                 Provide everything your pet needs to survive

(iii)                Try providing some things your pet might need to thrive

Think of it as Alive, Survive, Thrive!!!

The first seems self explanatory. It rules out impulse buying, buying pets as gifts for friends, buying a Kelpie when you live in a unit and watch TV 18 hours a day. And yet so may people even get this wrong. Instead choosing carefully means considering how much time, energy and money you have and choosing your dog, cat, bird, horse or snake accordingly.

The second is what we need to do by law. We need to provide adequate and appropriate food, water, shelter and vet care and to ensure our pets are kept within the confines of our homes or attached to us when out and about. Of course not all people manage to do even this most basic of survival task.

The third is what I would like more pet owners to try. Pets can survive with very little from us. They do not thrive, however. Bringing out the best in your pet is a joy and a priveledge that all pet owners should strive to do.

Here are some suggestions for helping your pet thrive:

·         Look at the breed of your pet. What was it bred to do. Find an outlet that matches this natural instinct. If your dog was bred to hunt, hide food in your garden. If he was bred to run, try an agility class.

·         Teach your pet something new every week for a month. Any age and any species of animal can learn. Humans are the limiting factor in animal learning.

·         Teach yourself something new every week for a month about your pet. It doesn’t matter how much you think you know already, you can learn more. Read books and websites, go to talks or watch TV shows (remembering that many are one person’s viewpoint).

·         Take your pet somewhere new. A dog might enjoy a new outing or a new park to visit. A cat or a smaller mammal may enjoy being taken to a part of your house or yard that they have never been. Set up a picnic for them.

·         Give your pet a new toy or belonging. You can buy all sorts of toys and you can also make them (toilet roll holders, cardboard boxes). Watch the pleasure of your animal investigating his new toy.

·         For those pet owners inclined to dress their pet or even those who have never considered it, put an item of clothing on your pet. Watch everyone come to talk to you just because your dog is wearing a bandana.

NOTE: When you start to do things that make your pets thrive, be aware that there are people who tell you that it is a waste of time, money, energy. That your time/money/energy could be better spent on other projects- helping starving children, earning an income, playing golf. Smile sweetly and ignore those people. In my experience pet owners who help their pets thrive do all sorts of other good things too. They are caring, sharing people.

You can hear Dr Jo discuss this topic on radio Listen here

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I love dogs. It is hard not to love them. They offer companionship, protection, fun, exercise, health benefits, help me make friends. What’s not to love?

Well it seems that not everyone feels this way. And even those of us who love dogs sometimes get annoyed/ frustrated/ frightened with things dogs do. Here are some of the most common things that clients, friends and colleagues mention to me about dogs…

1.       Dogs who bite. Obviously this is a problem for dog owners and for society. It is also a problem for those people who have been bitten or threatened in the past and now cannot enjoy the companionship of canines.

2.       Housetraining. Sometimes dogs pee and poo indoors. It may be when they are young, when they are old or just when it rains. Whatever the reason it is one of the most common causes of frustration for dog owners.

3.       Noise. Some dogs bark a lot. Some neighbours have dogs that bark a lot. Other dogs howl. This is the most common source of stress in our neighbourhoods.

Are these the three most common problems with dogs? Or do you suffer more from dogs who jump up, dogs who dig, dogs who pull washing off the line, dogs who sniff crotches, dogs who pull on the lead. Share with us what your most common pet peeve about dogs is. Click on comments below…

If you need more info on solving canine problems, visit Pet Problems Solved.

Further pet peeves added from Twitter:

- eating hideous things

- rolling in dead things

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I met a lady at the park today. She was walking her Golden Retriever. I had my puppy. We spoke about how attached dogs were to people and how they suffered separation anxiety, even if their owners just turned their backs and walked away in the park. (My pup was playing quite happily several hundred metres from me. No anxiety there!) Obviously an owner committed to her dog. Or so I thought.

She then happened to say that her dog lived outdoors. The dog was not allowed inside because the owner could not stand pet hair in her home.

I know how annoying it can be. I have lived with a Dalmatian. Dalmatian hairs get everywhere and you can’t wear dark or light colours. The hairs don’t brush off. They don’t even vacuum off. Life with a Dalmatian and 4 cats equals pet hair everywhere. I imagine that people who visit curse my sofas! Tips about pet hair and pet care.

Surveys of pet owners have shown that shedding of hair is the main disadvantage in living with a pet (pets ‘n’ people facts). Is it really that bad? Would you shut your pet to a life outside because you can’t stand pet hair on your furniture?

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Dog park

By Dr Joanne Righetti (visit Pet Problem Solved website)

Dog parks were the promised nirvana. I have a puppy and want her to meet other dogs. This is such a critical part of her development and socialisation. We can meet other dogs in the street but a tangle of leads inevitably results as the dogs wrestle, play bow and run circles around one another. An off leash area seems ideal. I can let my puppy run free and play to her heart’s content.

Why then do I spend my time watching what every other dog is doing? Are they going to be friendly? Is their owner watching them? What if I want to do some training with my pup, will other dog owners call their dog away from us? (No chance!) Should I intervene in every dog argument?

It seems to me that there are positives and negatives to these designated dog friendly areas:

I wonder if these parks need to be better designed. Mine is great in that it is fully fenced, has access to water and poo bags. (Off leash etiquette is extremely important.) But it is a flat field. There is little to entertain my dog except other dogs. We can’t use it when sport is on.

So what’s the overall concerns us on dog parks? Do you have a point of view (councils will be reading so now’s the chance to speak!)

·         Do you wish you had an off leash area and why don’t you have one in your neighbourhood?

·         Have you had good and bad experiences in an off leash park? Were you or your dog to blame? Do you still use the park?

·         What would you change about your off leash area? Separate ones for small and large dogs, more to do in the park? What is the ideal dog park?

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