💞 Hospice Dog Refuses to Give Up

“Did you know that there are over
300 words for love in canine?”
- Gabriel Zevin

🐕 Hospice Dog Refuses to Give Up

🐈‍⬛ National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month

 🐾 The Loyalest Dog in History

💰 Did You Win $50?

^Heartwarmers
Hospice Rescue Refuses to Give Up
 

• This beautiful dog was found wandering alone on the beach

• She’s now 15, and technically on hospice. The vet gave her a few months to live.

• Despite what the vets say, she’s determined to look after her family and make sure they’re safe.

• Her owners think she’s sticking around because she has a deep need to protect her pack.
   

 
This Week’s Cutest Videos

Want to watch everything we found?
click here to watch the playlist.
 

• Coast Guard finds sweet dog in cargo

• 38 rescue dogs get their first beds

• This greyhound doesn’t walk, she struts 💃🏼

• Cats strike 1 in one million snuggle pose

• Husky wants to tear down curtains

^News
Front Page Pets

Adopt a Shelter Cat Month is Here

• June is National Adopt a Shelter Cat Month, coming at the height of kitten season.

• Adopting now helps shelters manage the influx of cats. Year over year, this reduces the number of stray kittens born and improves the lives of shelter animals everywhere.

• Here are a few tips for those who might bring a new shelter cat home.

• The ASPCA is urging the public to adopt or foster, saying that it creates a ripple at shelters nationwide.

• There are an estimated 60 million feral and stray cats in the U.S.

 
Dog Walks Four Miles to Alert Family of Car Crash

• An Oregon man failed to negotiate a curve and slid into a ravine with his four dogs in his car.

• The man injured his leg and wasn’t able to get out of the deep ravine.

• One of his dogs walked four miles back to their family campsite and alerted help.

• The man and his dogs are all healthy and doing well after the accident.
   

 
Dogwarts: Warner Bros Studio Partners with Guide Dog Charity:

• Warner Bros Studio London which features a popular attraction called “The Making of Harry Potter” has sponsored three guide dogs.

• The dogs are fittingly named Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

• Their aim is to improve the experience of the visibly impaired and spark a similar change in the attraction industry at large.

• Watch their video here.

 
Postal Service Urges Dog Bite Awareness

• Postal carriers suffered nearly 6,000 more dog bites in 2023 than in 2022

• June 2-9th is USPS Dog Bite Awareness week, and there are a few key points of information they’d like you to remember.

• Even nonaggressive dogs can be territorial.

• Know when your mail arrives, and try to keep your dog inside or contained during that time.

• Prevent children from taking mail directly from the carrier while in front of your dog, as this can trigger your pet’s protective instinct.

More News
^{_{About our furry friends}}

• Research supports dogs for PTSD

• 4,000 Beagles saved, breeder fined $35m

• Dog missing 2 years sees owner

• Georgia Tech’s beloved campus cats
   

^{Tackling Separation Anxiety:}
Hachikō Proves How Deeply Pets Love
 

 
In 1920s Japan, an Akita dog called Hachikō would faithfully wait for his owner to return to Shibuya Station every evening on his way home. When Hachikō’s owner died at work and didn’t return, his canine companion continued to sit outside the station every evening, in the hope of being reunited with his human.

For over nine years, Hachikō showed up at the station every day awaiting his master’s return. He demonstrated how pets often struggle to be apart from their owners – which is worth thinking about if you’re planning to leave your own pets home alone…
 

 
Unlike Hachikō’s Owner, You’ll Be Back

You may only be planning on a day trip to the office or an overnight stay, but your pet doesn’t know when to expect a key in the door.

As much as we anthropomorphize our pets, they can’t measure time or understand what we’re saying as we leave. They’ll often let us know they’ve missed us by exhibiting unusual or distressing behaviors…
 

 
How To Identify Separation Anxiety

While some pets are relaxed about us coming and going, the following behaviors indicate they’ve been feeling anxious or distressed without us:

• Crying or being unusually vocal as you leave

• Damaging furniture, bedding or carpets

• Trying to follow you out the front door

• An inability to settle, or exhaustion when you return.

Every pet will respond differently to being left at home, depending on its background and breed, past experiences and the presence of other animals to keep them company.

Do Cats Feel Separation Anxiety Too?

Some cats appreciate the peace and quiet of an empty home, but pedigree breeds and personable cats are often dog-like in their loyalty.

There are various ways to ensure pets don’t miss their owners too much. Try out some of the methods listed below:
 

Calming Tips for Dogs

• Gradually increase the amount of time you spend away from new pets or puppies, from minutes to hours. This will quickly teach them that you’ll always come back.

• Leave behind plenty of stimulation, such as chew bones and squeakers, and ensure they have more food than usual. 

• Pheromone sprays and calming hemp oils may help to reduce their natural stress levels, as will chews incorporating ingredients like naturally occurring CBD.

• Ask trusted friends, neighbors or relatives to check in. Even a brief walk or a run round the yard gives dogs a chance to burn off energy and enjoy some companionship.

• Create safe spaces for them to hide when you’re not around. Crate training gives dogs somewhere warm and safe to sleep while they wait for you to return.

• Set radios on a timer. Silence can exacerbate anxiety, whereas soft music made for dogs or a news station will ensure the house feels more active.

• Try to teach your dog the word ‘settle’, encouraging them to adopt a relaxed posture. Giving them this command as you leave could help them to cope in your absence.
  

Calming Tips for Cats

• Scatter catnip-laced toys around the house, ensuring cats have plenty of stimulation and opportunities to play.

• Give them opportunities to hide. Cats often like to sleep in closets, feeling safe in the darkness, but ensure the closet door can’t close behind them!

• Invest in automated pet feeders. Fresh meat or kibble every few hours will give their day some welcome structure.

• Move larger cat accessories (such as scratchers) into a new location, giving even well-established items a new lease of life.

• As with dogs, hemp oils may help to reduce natural stress levels in cats, ensuring less elevation during periods where they’re on their own.

Humans tend to be the center of their pets’ worlds, and it’s hard to overstate how much our absence affects their quality of life.

However, very few of us will fail to come home at all, as Hachikō’s owner did. The steps above should help to minimize the distress animals feel about your departure, and the anxiety they feel while separated.

We hope this guide has been valuable. If you have any tips or techniques of your own, we’d love to hear them below.

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