Pet World: You can train a dog not to put things in his mouth
Dear Cathy, I have a seven-month-old "Shihpoo" who eats everything he smells. I have tried a spray water bottle to get him to drop the garbage, but it does not...
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Pet World: Helping your pet re-adjust for your eventual return to work
Dear Cathy, I'm working from home during the pandemic and have taken to walking my dog every weekday during my 9:30 a.m. break. What will happen when I inevitably go...
Pet World: Helping puppy mill dog learn to trust people
Dear Cathy, We adopted the sweetest Shih Tzu/Yorkie mix, puppy-mill survivor. She is 5 years old. She had no social skills at all; clearly, she had spent all her days...
Pet World: ‘Cranky cat’ won’t use the litter box, and owner may know why
Dear Cathy, Our old and somewhat cranky cat has decided to not use her litter box. She uses whatever is around it but won't use the box. I changed the...
Pet World: Man’s kindness creates a dilemma for future care of cats
Dear Cathy, I started feeding two feral kittens when they were about six-months-old. Over the next year they began acting more like domestic cats. They would come when called, often...
Pet World: Don’t discipline dogs; train them to change behaviors and Fourth of July tips
Dear Cathy, We inherited a rescue dog. We have no other dogs right now, so we agreed to take her. She's a good dog but very skittish and barks constantly...
Pet World: Dog shadows owner everywhere she goes
Dear Cathy, I have two Coton du Tulear's, a 12-year-old brother and sister from the same litter. They are such great pets and I love that they have hugely different...
Pet World: What to do when a dog approaches (or bites) you?
Dear Cathy, Several weeks ago, I was taking a walk when a dog ran quite a distance from its backyard and bit me twice on the back of my right...
Pet World: Quarantine with pets required before transition to assisted-living facility
Dear Cathy, My dad and stepmom have a 19-year-old cat, who sleeps and lives on a couch and goes to the litter box, three-feet away. This cat has been a...
Pet World: How to keep pets away from plants in the garden
Dear Cathy, I have a six-year-old Cockapoo who has started to eat my Hosta plants. He rips the leaves off the plant and chews them. Sometimes, he spits them up...