Category: Global

Advocating, Allison, Books, Cats, Dogs, Global, Humane Education, WorkersLeave a comment

Review: Nobody’s Cats & Out of the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff

Allison

If you are creative and care about the welfare of animals, what can you do? Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff wrote children’s picture books. Both Nobody’s Cats and Out of the Cold are based on true stories from northwest British Columbia and profits from the sale of the book go towards the care of animals in that region.  Nobody’s Cats tells the tale of a boy who saw a tiny black cat shivering in the snow by an old shed. The cat was just one of many that had been born or abandoned  there. A few of the neighborhood boys … Continue reading Review: Nobody’s Cats & Out of the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff

Advocating, Allison, Books, Cats, Dogs, Global, Internet, Spay/Neuter, WorkersLeave a comment

Interview with Author Valerie Ingram

Allison

As part of volunteering with Husker Cats, I followed online groups that took care community cats. One day a post appeared about a picture book that had been published on the topic. The book was by Valerie Ingram, co-founder of Lakes Animal Friendship Society. Since that time, Valerie has become an inspiration to me in my animal welfare goals and a dear friend. Valerie and I both share a passion for pet education. This spring, she contracted me to write ten articles for Lakes Animal Friendship Society that could be run in local newspapers. My life this upcoming year will … Continue reading Interview with Author Valerie Ingram

All Pets, Allison, Enrichment, Global, Internet, Intervention, Magazines, VolunteersLeave a comment

Interview with An Animal Journal Editor

Allison

Like pretty much every trainer and behavior consultant I talk to, I’d definitely say my career path has been a little labyrinthine, and there’s no way I could have seen around the corner and known where I’d end up.—Jesse Miller, editor of IAABC Journal Working on an animal welfare publication is one way that creative people such as Jesse Miller can help better the world for animals. In 2016, Jesse saw a post in the Facebook members’ forum of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants asking for a volunteer managing editor of the group’s new journal. As soon as … Continue reading Interview with An Animal Journal Editor

Allison, Cats, Enrichment, Global, Internet, PodcastsLeave a comment

Catexplorer

Allison

Hasara Lay is the owner of two adventure cats, the founder of the  Catexplorer website, and the host of the Catexplorer podcost.  Nearly 25 years ago, Hasara started exploring the world with her childhood cat, Tabby, The two were strongly bonded and so Hasara took her with her on family road trips, which occurred every few months. When Tabby died, Hasara grieved for a long time. At the same time, she felt grateful to Tabby who taught her much about life and cats. For example, Tabby introduced her to the concept of adventure cats, long before this was even a … Continue reading Catexplorer

Allison, Cats, Global, Training, WorkersLeave a comment

Interview with a Cat Graduate Student Researcher

Allison

Jennifer White is a cat graduate student researcher in Canada. Her interest arises from experiences with her own, but also an over all concern for cat welfare. Jennifer believes that, “Cats are often misunderstood, discarded, and viewed as replaceable.” The focus for her current research is to determine the effects of human social enrichment on emotion and affiliative (bonding) behaviors in anxious shelter cats. “Local shelters need support to help manage cats that often come in with health or behavior issues,” Jennifer explained. “The more we learn about how to improve animal welfare in shelters, the healthier and happier shelter … Continue reading Interview with a Cat Graduate Student Researcher

Advocating, Allison, Books, Cats, Dogs, Global, Humane EducationLeave a comment

Interview with Author Valerie Ingram

Allison

After becoming a volunteer with Husker Cats in 2014, I started to follow online groups that also took care community cats. One day a post appeared about a picture book that had been published on the topic. Being a book reviewer, I naturally contacted the author and requested a copy of Nobody’s Cats. Since then, Valerie Ingram and I have exchanged emails about many topics including our former teaching careers and our passion for homeless cats. When she released a new book this past fall, Out in the Cold, she graciously sent me a copy. It’s an honor to know Valerie, who is … Continue reading Interview with Author Valerie Ingram

Advocating, Allison, Books, Cats, Dogs, Global, Humane Education, Spay/NeuterLeave a comment

Review: Nobody’s Cats & Out of the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff

Allison

If you are creative and care about the welfare of animals, what can you do? If you’re Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff, you write children’s picture books. Both Nobody’s Cats and Out of the Cold are based on true stories from northwest British Columbia and profits from the sale of the book go towards the care of animals in that region.  Nobody’s Cats tells the tale of a boy who saw a tiny black cat shivering in the snow by an old shed. The cat was just one of many that had been born or abandoned  there. A few of … Continue reading Review: Nobody’s Cats & Out of the Cold by Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff

All Pets, Allison, Global, Humane Education, Local, NationalLeave a comment

Why Humane Education?

Allison

“We have statistics that show that education does improve animal welfare,” said first female Ontario SPCA chief inspector, Connie O’Mallory. She believes education gives people the knowledge and tools to change and cited supporting statistics. She credited education for an increase in animal welfare compliance rates from 57 percent to over 80 percent. Lincoln Animal Ambassadors president, Mary Douglas, expressed a similar sentiment. To her, humane education helps people of all ages and all different walks of life. Animal control officer, Agnes Smith, referred to an interaction with a mother who didn’t know that 70 million dogs and cats are … Continue reading Why Humane Education?

All Pets, Allison, Global, Internet1 Comment

Interview with Zazie Todd, Companion Animal Psychology Blog

Allison

“Happy pets, happy people.” That’s the aim with which Zazie Todd started Companion Animal Psychology. The site shares evidence-based information about how to care for our pets. While exploring a variety of topics in animal welfare , there are particular themes to which Zazie often returns: the importance of enrichment for our pets; the use of reward-based training for dogs (and cats); the need to make visits to the vet less stressful; and the psychology of the human-animal bond. Todd has a PhD in Psychology (University of Nottingham) and an MFA Creative Writing (UBC). She also Zazie graduated with honors … Continue reading Interview with Zazie Todd, Companion Animal Psychology Blog

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Pet Podcast Roundup

Allison

Would you like to know more about animal welfare, but have no time to read a book? Podcasts are the answer! You can listen to them while driving, exercising, or doing chores. Over the past year, I listened to a few episodes of six animal welfare podcasts. The first four are dedicated to cats and the final two are about animals or pets in general. Read on for my reactions! Cat Lady / available on iTunes / 22 episodes, 2014-2015 / 40-60 minutes http://catladypodcast.com/ Website Blurb: “Hosted by Official Cat Ladies Liz and Rah, the Cat Lady Podcast features interviews … Continue reading Pet Podcast Roundup

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Review: Newfoundland Pony Tales by Marion Brake

Allison

The idea for Newfoundland Pony Tales came to author Marion Brake when she visited the Newfoundland Pony Sanctuary in Change Islands and could not find a children’s book about the pony in the town’s visitor’s center. To meet that need, Brake decided to write her own. The result was a collection of stories about the ponies, with an introduction about the sanctuary. The illustrations by professional artist Cassandra Gallant are gorgeous, while the semi-interconnected tales are cute and left me wanting more. Newfoundland Pony Tales starts out by introducing Tia, the oldest Newfoundland Pony on Change Island. Her owners could no longer … Continue reading Review: Newfoundland Pony Tales by Marion Brake