Oh My Dog!

obsessed with dogs

5 Dog Books to Read This Summer

How do you decide which books to buy versus which to borrow from the library?

If you know me, you know I want All. The. Books.

But that’s not practical or affordable, so I look at library books as novels or quick reads that I likely won’t reference again, and I buy books I plan to reference or reread. Of course, that system isn’t perfect. My house is full of novels and quick reads! 🙂 Also, I’m lucky to get review copies of forthcoming books at various points throughout the year.

So… All. The. Books!

Summer is a big reading period for me. The days are longer, so I can sit outside into the night turning pages. This year, my TBR–to be read–stack is full of dog-related books, so in case you’re looking for some summer reading inspiration, I wanted to pull together the five dog books topping my pile right now!

5 Dog Books to Read This Summer

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5 Dog Books to Read This Summer:

Deep Creek

This one isn’t exactly a dog book, but it does have a dog on the cover and deals wholeheartedly with our relationship with nature, dogs included. And she knows dogs. I heard Pam Houston talk about this book on the First Draft podcast, and I basically drove straight to Barnes and Noble to buy it. They didn’t have it, so straight home and Amazon! Here’s one of the reviews: “Deep Creek is a love letter to earth, animals, and the best of humanity.” Doesn’t that sound perfect? A dream book, really! In reading order, this is very next on my list, and I’m dying to dive right in.

Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0

I had this book on my Amazon Wish List for ages but felt intimidated by it. So, it languished on the list for a while. Then, earlier this month, an acquaintance struggled with some dog training stuff, and as I looked through my personal library I realized that it had been AGES since I undertook some self-study on Cooper’s behalf. So, I moved it from my Wish List to my cart, and it just arrived yesterday. This one will probably take me the whole summer to get through. It’s dense. Plus, I want to pay super close attention and take lots of notes, so this isn’t one I’ll read in one sitting like the rest. I’m curious: Have any of you worked through this? It’s the updated version that came out in 2016, but I haven’t found a ton of first-person experiences (there ARE a ton about version 1.0 but I’m wondering about the update). Anyway, I’m looking forward to learning from this text!

What It’s Like to Be a Dog

This is another interview I heard on an NPR podcast–I forget which one–and was so fascinated I immediately ordered the book. You may have heard about these studies, The Dog Project, where neurologists trained dogs to get into an MRI machine so that they could test all sorts of things like self-control and even to gauge whether or not our dogs love us. It’s done comparatively, so if the one part of the brain in a human is the same as one part of the brain in a dog, and if that same section of the brain serves the same function in both the dog and the human, they assume that the dogs’ experiences are similar to the humans’ experiences for that part of the brain. I’m probably not explaining it clearly, but the gist is that the research they did shed so much light on how dogs think and how they experience the world. And, there are HUGE implications for this, like how to work with dogs in shelters who are stressed or how to predict if a puppy will flunk out of service dog training before investing time and money in that dog. This is the book I’m in right now. I think I’m maybe a third of the way, and I highly recommend it to absolutely everyone.

My Old Dog

Author Laura Coffey is the outgoing Vice President of the Dog Writers Association of America, and I’m the incoming VP. Our paths crossed at the event this past February in New York, and I was lucky enough to get a copy straight from the author. I’ve actually put this one off a bit because I know I’ll need a full box of tissues to get through this, but I’m ready for it this summer! The photography is stunning, and I’m a sucker for resilience stories. This one will be my read immediately after Deep Creek, and I really look forward to immersing myself in these beautiful stories.

Please Don’t Feed the Mayor

The beach read on my list! I actually received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy before it came out, but it didn’t fit with anything I had in the works so I set it aside because I just knew it would be PERFECT for summer. The premise: a border collie wins the mayoral race in a down-and-out small town. It looks like a fun, light read perfect for poolside. I really appreciate easy page-turners for summer, and I just know this one will tick all those happy boxes.

Non-pet recommendations from my stacks:

If you’re looking for just a good novel, I recently finished Circe and OMG so good. I went back and put a hold on her first book immediately. Also, I downloaded this audiobook upon the recommendation of many, many readers for my drive to and from the Cat Writers’ Association meeting next week… you can get it free with this Audible trial, btw.

There you have it!

My 5 dog books to read this summer with a few extra novels thrown in for good measure! 🙂 I aim to read about three books per month, so I’m still looking for two more to round out my summer list. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them in the comments!

What’s on your to-be-read pile for the coming summer?

Peanut Butter Treats for Dogs + Kids

What’s your take on sugar?

I love sugar, of course. I strive to avoid it but. #cookies

Now, as a parent, I find myself having to choose between the “do as I say, not as I do” approach or sneaking all the cookies after Violet’s gone to bed… 😉

Honestly, though, I’m not sure a militant “no junk food” approach is the right one because how else with kiddos learn moderation and self-regulation? Nor do I think sugary stuff should be a free-for-all. This post, in fact, has me rethinking my take. Here’s the opening:

“Kids who regularly get to eat as much as they want of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods become as relaxed and casual about eating them as they do other food. They don’t go off the deep end and consume a lot of sweets, chips, and sodas when they become older school-age children and adolescents and can get it on their own. Instead, they continue to be relaxed, positive, and competent with eating junk food the same as other food.”

That’s what we all want, right? A relaxed, positive attitude toward food? Heck, yes!

That said, I’m not fully on board with unfettered access to junk.

When it comes to our dogs, those little creatures whose teeth we don’t brush twice a day, less-is-more is an even bigger deal to me. It makes me insane to see sugar added to dog treats.

I’ve been tooling around with the idea of shareable treats, little snacks that kids + pets can enjoy together. It cuts down on my homemade-treat-making time, for one thing, but then I also know what they’re getting in their snacks!

Here’s my current favorite recipe with a caveat: If you consume lots of super-sweet snacks or beverages, this won’t satisfy that sweet tooth. This is a subtle sweet… sort of like swapping Diet Coke for La Croix!

Peanut butter treats for kids + dogs to share

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Peanut Butter Treats for Dogs + Kids

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup natural, no-sugar-added applesauce
  • ½ cup all-natural, no-salt-or-sugar-added peanut butter (if you avoid nuts, or if you kiddo can’t take stuff with nuts in it to school, try this instead… it’s pet-safe, too)
  • ¼ cup wheat germ
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey (note that honey isn’t recommended for kiddos under one…)

Combine all the ingredients. Knead. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.

Then, scoop out one-inch balls and drop them an inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Press down with the tines of a fork, or get fancy with stamps or cookie presses. #nojudgement

Bake at 325 degrees (F) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Allow them to cool before serving to pups or kiddos. Store them in the fridge. They’re good for a day or two (but they probably won’t last that long!).

They’re a naturally sweet treat that you won’t feel bad about drizzling with chocolate sauce and enjoying after bedtime… No? Just me?

Let me know what your pets think of these! Or your kids! Or you!

For even quicker and easier dog treat recipes (no one will want to share these with your dog) check out the two simplest DIY dog treats ever!

How to Keep Your House from Smelling Like Dog

The other night, Violet told her first joke.

We talked to her about smelling things, as one does to a two-year old in spring, and John asked her, “What does Cooper smell like?”

She grinned.

“Cat poop!”

And then she laughed maniacally.

While I appreciate her developing sense of humor, I can assure you: Cooper does not smell like cat poop. In fact, we work to make sure our house doesn’t smell like animals at all, and that includes the litter boxes!

Baby jokes aside, no one wants to live in a house that smells like wet dog or cat or litter box or pet accident. Luckily, it’s not hard to keep your home odor-free.

In this post, I’m breaking down the basics on how to keep your house from smelling like dog AND how to eliminate pet odors as you go. Because they will happen. It’s part of the charm of our pets. 😉 Finally, I want to note that I’m focused on dog odors here. If anyone’s interested in cat odors or how we handle the litter boxes, let me know in the comments below!

In this post, we cover 7 tips on wow to keep your house from smelling like dog! #springcleaning #dogmomhacks

OhMyDogBlog.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. 

How to Keep Your House from Smelling Like Dog

  1. Fresh air: This is first because I can’t overstate its importance. For one thing, if you live in a new or a new-ish house, they’re built so well as to be virtually air-tight. That’s great for saving energy but not so great for letting out stink and letting in fresh air. So, open a window whenever you can! Our house, btw, is super leaky and does not fall into that air-tight category. We still have a lot of work to do to fix those problems, but I still make a point to crack or open a window when I’m cleaning or when I start to smell a smell. If you do nothing else on this list, open a window. It’ll make a huge difference.
  2. Filter: Keep your air as clean as possible with HEPA filters. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate air. It basically works by forcing air through super-fine mesh filters to trap tiny gunk like dander… and pollen, dust mites, smoke particles. So, make sure you buy HEPA filters for your furnace (we buy this kind). If possible, get a HEPA filter for your vacuum, too. Some vacuums allow you to swap filters, but if not, and if you’re in the market for a new vacuum, here’s my quick thought on that: Cheap is expensive in the long run. We’ve gone through more vacuums than I can remember. They’ve all burnt out, except for our Dyson Animal. (It’s like this one, but they actually don’t make our exact one anymore… ours pre-dated the roller ball thing.) We got in 2005, and it’s outlasted about half a dozen others. Expensive up front, yes, but the cost-per-year is totally reasonable. And it works super well for pet dander.
  3. Easy-to-clean pet products: So many pet products now come with some kind of odor-resistant technology built in. The cat bed we featured in our 2018 holiday gift guide, for instance, has probiotic technology baked in to prevent odors. At the very least-though, any bedding should have a removable, machine-washable cover like this bed Cooper uses. (BTW, we got this bed ages and ages ago as a press sample when I wrote for a pet magazine, and it still looks basically brand new… back to my point that cheap is expensive in the long run!) And then, of course, wash bed covers, towels, and soft toys on a weekly basis. I do a load of Cooper’s laundry–bed covers, stuffies, towels–along with Ripley’s mice because they all just get smelly with daily use. Definitely don’t run out to buy replacement products unless you are in need of something. I’m never one to recommend buying something for the sake of buying it. However, when you are in the market, look for pet products with anti-microbial odor-resistant technology or at least easy-to-clean features!
  4. Cover stuff: This sounds obvious, I guess, but someone recently mentioned the smell their couch picked up from their dog. “Do you have a quilt or something on your couch?” I asked. Nope. OK, here’s the thing: No one wants their furniture obscured by ugly sheets or drop cloths. However, your couch, unless it’s slipcovered, isn’t easily washed. So, get some blankets that fit your decor, things you actually like, and put them down on your sofa as a pretty throw. Encourage your pup to sleep there instead of on the cushions. Coop and the cats all prefer to be on a blanket, so we have one draped on the couch, the arm chair, and the chaise in our bedroom where Coop sleeps at night. All of those things can be picked up on Saturday morning and put through the washing machine. I also have a cargo liner (this one) for my car for the same reason.
  5. Baking soda and vinegar, your two new best friends: OK, not even kidding, but I buy these two ingredients in bulk. Your house will never smell like pet odors again if you keep baking soda and vinegar on hand! I can clean my entire house top to bottom with those two and save a ton of money, while being gentler on the planet. Plus, they’re both beasts at eliminating dog odors. I have manufactured-wood floors and scrub them with vinegar. The smell dissipates after a few minutes (less if you have the windows open) leaving behind a smell of… nothing. No smell. No pet odors, no chemical cleaning product odors, no nothing. Just air. As for baking soda, everyone already knows it absorbs odors from the air, but did you know you can use it on your dog like a dry shampoo? When you groom your pup (see tip 6 below), sprinkle some onto his fur to absorb gross smells, then brush out. OK, two more quick tips:
    • Vinegar tip: I know this tip won’t be for everyone, but I swear by it so have to share: Stop using fabric softener and dryer sheets (they’re a fire hazard, bad for the environment, filled with toxins, pick your reason why) and start adding vinegar to the fabric softener component of your washing machine. Pet odors will disappear. As will gym odors, baby odors, and front-loading washer odors.
    • Baking soda tip: If you have carpet or area rugs, get ready to take your dog on a super-long walk followed by a thorough outdoor groom! BUT! Before you go, sprinkle a thick coating of baking soda into your carpet. Work it in with a brush. Then, head out for the walk + groom. When you come back, vacuum it all up and breathe in the fresh, odor-free air. (Again, bonus if you can leave your windows open through this process.)
  6. Groom your dog: Confession: I’m not as consistent as I should be with this because Cooper hates it, and I feel bad making him so miserable. But giving your dog–breed dependent, of course–a thorough brushing outdoors can eliminate a ton of indoor odor. Then, a bath–breed dependent, too–gets out the rest of the reek. Bonus points: Follow the bath up with an ACV rinse to have a fresh, clean, happy pup!
  7. Clean accidents immediately: It might not always be possible, like if your pup pukes while you’re at work or something, but the quicker you catch an accident, the better you contain the smell. (Not to mention preventing stains.) Use enzymatic cleaners to prevent marking, of course, and spend some time getting to the root of the problem. Is your dog really, truly, fully house trained? Is there an underlying infection or belly problem? Unless you solve the problem that causes your dog to poop or pee in the house, you’ll never be fully odor-free… (That said, I totally get the occasional freak accident, puke, etc., but still. Figure out why your dog goes inside and work on that.)

No One Wants a Home That Smells Like Dog

Even if you’re a Crazy Dog Lady through and through, like I am, you still don’t want a stinky house. No one wants that. And the thing is, it doesn’t take much effort. The trick is being consistent and staying on top of it.

A final note on essential oils and pet care: I’m sure many of you are wondering about this piece. Lots and lots of people advise diffusing oils to eliminate odors. Many essential oils are safe for pets. Many aren’t. I’m not qualified to speak on this, not in the slightest. That said, we do have an oil diffuser, but I do not use it to eliminate pet odors. Period. Plus, all the oils we have–maybe six in total–have been thoroughly researched and shown to be safe to diffuse with both dogs and cats in the home. I wanted to address that up front and just caution you: You do you, but do it safely with lots of due diligence.

I’d love to hear from you: How do you keep your pet-loving home odor-free? What tips and tricks do you use to keep that wet dog smell or dander smell or whatever out of your home? 

Read more about pet-safe house cleaning:

Spring cleaning when you have a house full of animals

Sign up for the zero-waste pet seven-day email challenge to get a full guide to pet-safe cleaning

14 pet-safe plants that clean the air–and you can’t kill them

What I wish you knew about my reactive dog

My dog is the best.

He’s sweet. He loves to cuddle.  He adores cats. He skitters with his dog friends.

He’s incredible with our two-year-old daughter, even falling in line when she waggles her fingers at him and says, “Cooper coming,” in her little voice.

He’s my running partner and my sidekick in this balancing-work-and-mom-life craziness.

And, at night, when I settle in bed with my book to unwind after the usually-long day, he climbs under the covers (yes, all the way) and rests his chin on my ankles… a solid, reliable pressure that marks the end of the day.

He’s the absolute best.

What I wish you knew about my reactive dog

He’s also the absolute worst.

He barks at every noise, real or imagined. He lurches and lunges at the end of the leash when we spot a dog at the end of the block. He cowers in the corner, shaking like a leaf, whenever we go somewhere, anywhere. He keeps his head on a swivel at the park, his body tense, his tail tucked. When we spot a dog–or, depending on his mood, even just a kindly stranger–we step off the trail or off the sidewalk and dole out treats, or if for whatever reason we think/know the treats won’t work this time, we cross the street, U-turn, duck between houses, or sprint off in the opposite direction–whatever keeps him calm(er) and feeling safe(er).

It’s exhausting.

But it’s also rewarding beyond anything I could imagine. When he makes a good decision or when he looks at me for direction, my heart soars.

And then he goes ballistic at a passing bicycle and I plummet back down to earth. You guys should’ve seen the day a hot air balloon went overhead…

I’ve sustained back and shoulder injuries managing him on leash. And, yet, at the end of the day, when he places his chin on my ankle, all’s right with the world.

I only wish other people could understand this about him, this dichotomy of being the absolute best dog in the entire world and his fear. It makes me sad that people don’t know the real him, the sweet, patient, pupper to a toddler and my best friend. So, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts about loving a reactive dog.

5 things I wish you knew about my reactive dog:

We are always on high alert.

Which can get exhausting. Every time I read anything about time management or productivity or burnout or whatever, one piece of oft-repeated advice is this: Take your dog for a nice stroll to clear your head! And I laugh and I laugh and I laugh. Because here’s the thing: When you have a reactive dog, there is literally no such thing as a nice stroll. Unless you go in the pouring rain. Or at midnight. You are constantly surveying your surroundings, watching for people or dogs or bikes or whatever triggers your dog has. You are constantly rerouting when you spot one of those on the horizon. Even when you’re in flow–you’re walking in a quiet spot without any other foot traffic–there’s always in the back of your mind the possibility of something happening, so you remain vigilant. Which brings me to…

Your “friendly” off-leash dog is our worst nightmare.

Responsibility is a two-way street. End of story. Those of us with reactive dogs choose to take our dogs to parks and trails that require leashes. We pick places carefully, places without too many blind corners or places with a clear escape route. Why? An approaching off-leash dog truly is our worst nightmare, especially if the dog’s owner is waaayyyyyy off in the distance. You yelling, “He’s friendly!” from a mile away is literally the. worst. Put your dog on leash or go somewhere that allows off-leash dogs.

We’re doing our best. 

Your judgement doesn’t help. It’s like the parent with the trantruming toddler in the supermarket… We don’t want to be dealing with this either, Sir. Your glares don’t help the situation. Really, though, with a reactive dog, we are all doing our best. Sometimes our best isn’t good enough. Sometimes all the training and management and planning just falls apart. Your dog is having a bad day. You encounter a scenario way scarier than your dog can handle. Or, you’ve just passed too many dogs/bikes/strollers/strangers for your dog to be able to withstand one more and that’s when he loses it. I can assure you, a smidge of compassion goes a long way here. A smile or a nod. Moving your dog/bike/stroller/yourself away. Whatever. Compassion over judgement, always.

Yes, he’s “trained.”

Speaking of compassion over judgement… it’s likely your suggestion of, “You need a dog trainer,” will fall on deaf ears. Why? Reactive dogs are generally far more trained than “typical” dogs. We take every class under the sun. Cooper probably knows more than most dogs, and he’s certainly spent more hours in training than the usual basic-obedience-for-puppies class that most owners take. He’s taken two obedience classes, agility classes, 1:1 agility, trick training, and two reactive dog classes, plus many hours with a trainer we really liked doing 1:1 sessions. Our dearly departed Lucas took about 5x that number of classes–he was just a bigger liability than Coop, tbh–and was impeccably trained. Training can’t mitigate fear or a fear-based reaction. It can help. Big-time. With Lucas, especially, it took about five years, but he eventually was able to “watch me” to walk past a scary scenario. In a familiar park. When we had a clearly-defined escape route. And the other dog was on leash. But he could do it. Reactive dogs tend to be super-well-trained dogs because of those liability issues, but training won’t always solve fear.

We love our dogs, quirks and all.

Someone once told me, “I would never have two dogs I couldn’t walk together,” referring to Lucas and Cooper. It broke my heart. I couldn’t have ever imagined not having either one of them. Yes, it took tons of extra effort to do two walks per day (Emmett, of course, could always go with either one of them, and if if they were acting like crazed maniacs, he’s just be happily sniffing the ground in seach of errant chicken bones or sandwiches). I love Cooper to pieces. He’s my little baby. He’s my friend. He’s Violet’s bestie. He loves wholeheartedly. When people come over, he can’t get close enough, usually planting his 50 pounds securely in his friends’ laps. We reactive dog people love our dogs because we see them. We see them for who they really, despite and because of their unique struggles. We love our relationship, and we love the deep, heartfelt returns we get from working with a struggling dog.

It’s certainly not easy to love a reactive dog, but it’s so worthwhile and brings unparalleled levels of pride and joy as you get to watch them overcome life’s hurdles. I always think of the responsibility of having, loving,and working with a reactive dog when I hear the quote:

“Saving one dog will not change the world, but surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.” ? Karen Davison

It’s my goal with my reactive dog to change his world forever, for the better.

If you love a reactive dog, what do you wish people understood about you and your pup? What do you wish you could share about your reactive pup?

READ MORE about reactive dogs:

How We Found the Right Vet for Our Reactive Dog

When you love a dog like Cooper–a scaredy dog who reacts poorly when frightened–it takes effort. All of it.

There is, of course, the training piece. It’s a big part of it because diminishing the fear through counter-conditioning or teaching coping strategies through positive reinforcement can help with the reactivity. There is, too, the management because at the end of the day, a dog hard-wired to behave in fear won’t ever be 100% calm or safe, no matter how many reactive dog classes you take.

Once you have some training down and once you figure out management strategies, the rest becomes a matter of anticipating and planning.

Where the training, managing, anticipating, and planning all come to a head: the vet’s office.

How We Found the Right Vet for Our Reactive Dog

There are strange people. There are dogs. There are sometimes even other animals like cats and guinea pigs. There are weird smells and scared animals and unusual noises. There are slippery floors.

Cooper likes none of that.

But, there’s no getting out of the vet. I mean, there’s literally no reason for us to take him to a fair or to an outdoor patio or to a pet store or whatever, but there’s no avoiding the vet. For most dogs, an annual exam is just the bare minimum. Cooper this year should start his senior dog (can’t you believe it?!?!) twice-yearly visits. And that’s assuming–knock on wood–no other sicknesses or issues that would necessitate another trip into the office.

When I wrote that we were searching for a new veterinarian, a big piece of that search included finding a practice that could accommodate Cooper’s special needs.

So, I wanted to come back today with the follow-up tale of Cooper’s new vet!

How We Found Our Vet

We started our search through the usual routes: Google searches, Facebook reviews, even the Nextdoor app. We asked a few friends who they use and have had the opportunity to visit another vet in town. Then, we realized there was a vet’s office one mile from our house, directly across from the place we get breakfast every Saturday. Why not try close to home?

John called and explained to the office manager that we wanted to come in for a meet-and-greet with the vet. Two awesome signs came from that initial phone call:

  • They requested Coop’s files be sent over so the vet could review them before the appointment.
  • They gave us the last appointment of the day on a Saturday so that there wouldn’t be any dogs in the lobby when we left.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know Cooper’s experienced many health issues. I appreciated that he wanted to do his due diligence before we even signed on as clients. I also appreciated how accommodating they were when John explained that Coop is a reactive pup.

We arrived at the office a few minutes before our appointment. We could hear other dogs in the building, but none were in the lobby. Regardless, they put us right in a room to fill out paperwork. The vet tech came in and introduced herself. She sat on the floor while reviewing our paperwork with us. Cooper never approached her, but she kept a positive, calm, cheerful conversation going the whole time. Before she left the room, she said, “And now for the most important question: Can he have cheese?”

The entire time she talked with us, Cooper squished himself up against the door, clearly like, “OK, guys. Enough’s enough. Take me home.”

When the vet came in, he walked in the room unwrapping a slice of American cheese. Cooper’s nose visibly perked at that, and he inched away from the door.

The doctor sat on the floor a few feet in front of Cooper. He handed me a piece of the slice and suggested I give it to him first. After that first bite, Cooper decided to give the guy at least an inch.

Over the course of the next hour, we–John and I, the vet, and the vet tech–chatted. We talked about Cooper and his quirks. We talked about benign stuff like running. We talked about pet food. Meanwhile, the vet kept giving Coop pieces of cheese, and ever-so-slowly, he worked in pats, then he worked in a listen to his heart. Then, he waited for a while while we all just talked and gave Cooper cheese and pats, then he looked at his teeth and his eyes. A quick glance in his ears. More cheese. More pats. That was it.

The vet conducted a basic physical exam… without Cooper ever realizing it. Sure, he was still afraid, but he calmed down enough to settle for a few seconds at a time, and he allowed everyone to pat him. He never had the chance to go from scared … to terrified … to reactive. He stayed pretty calm (for him).

We asked all our questions (check out this post for more on that) and got to discuss many of Cooper’s issues in depth because, first, the vet was already versed having read his files, and because, second, we had an un-rushed hour to just sit and talk.

THEN!

This is what sealed the deal for us:

They encourage “social visits.”

Basically, we call them up and say, “Hey, we’d like to bring Cooper by for a social visit this week.” They suggest a day and time that’s light or quiet. We arrive at that time and bring him in to get cheese from staff in the lobby, step on the scale, and say goodbye. That’s it! A couple quick minutes of positivity at no charge. Imagine your reactive dog feeling less scared at the vet because it’s a kinda-sorta happy-ish place. (I harbor no delusions that this will “fix” his issues at the vet, but it can’t hurt and will likely help at least to a small degree!)

It’s not *quite* as perfect as it sounds. The practice is small, so they’re missing a few services we hoped for and had at our previous vet, but we decided that all the rest more than makes up for it. Kindness and compassion for a special pup like ours, not rushing us through the visit, spending time getting to know him and us… they won us over.

THEN we got a thank you note for joining their practice. #blownaway

So, yeah, Coop has a new vet. We scheduled him for his annual in October. I thought he was due in April but couldn’t remember why I thought that. Once we were home and I was updating his records, I realized it’s because he’s supposed to start his twice-a-year visits (GAH!) so was due for a baseline blood panel in April to start up his senior status. I need to call them back to schedule that, but there you have it.

My big takeaway and piece of advice: If you’re not happy with your vet, call around or visit vets until you find one you are happy with. It’s an important relationship, and you and your pets should absolutely find a place that feels comfortable!

Have you ever sought a new vet? How did your experience go? What were your big takeaways? Please share ’em in the comments so we can all learn together!