Events & Announcements

Catapalooza at Seattle Humane Society

Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT-KA

13212 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98005

The Seattle Humane Society is conducting the 6th annual Catapalooza event in the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington on August 13th and 14th. We’re excited to be participating again this year along with other cat behavior professionals. If you’re interested in cat behavior, speakers will be giving presentations on everything cat:

Saturday, August 13th

11:00 How to Make a Happy Home for an Indoor Cat by Dr. Cori Gross, DVM
12:00 Cat Behavior and Mis-Behavior by Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT-KA
1:00 Litter Box by Wailani Sung, DVM
2:00 First Impressions Count! Cat/Cat and Cat/Dog Introductions by Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT-KA
3:00 Clicker Training for Cats by Wailani Sung, DVM
4:00 Tellington Touch for Cats by Emily Keegans, CTC, CPDT-KA

Sunday, August 14th

11:00 Environmental Enrichment: Reducing Behavior Problems and Saving the Environment by Christine Hibbard
12:00 Kitten Basics: Litter Box, Appropriate Play, Socialization, Handling by Jennifer Schneider
1:00 Litter Box by Wailani Sung, DVM
2:00 Tellington Touch for Cats by Emily Keegans, CTC, CPDT-KA
3:00 Clicker Training for Cats by Wailani Sung, DVM
4:00 Tellington Touch for Cats by Emily Keegans, CTC, CPDT-KA

It’s not all serious topics though. There are plenty of fun activities for the entire family!

Face painting, cat-toy making and education stations for kids
Cat-centric art, treats, leashes, collars and more!

You can read more here. Come on out and see us!

Tucker and the Orcas

Katherine Ayres will be giving a lecture about her PhD project where she trained her scent detection dog to find whale scat in Puget Sound. Katherine is analyzing these scat samples to determine the health and welfare of the whales. Katherine wrote an article titled Whales, Dogs, Poop and Conservation Biology about her exciting work.

Katherine’s lecture is Thursday, February 24th (this lecture has been rescheduled due to weather) Thursday, March 3rd at 7:00PM at the Duwamish Longhouse: 4705 West Marginal Way, S.W., Seattle, WA 98106. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets. We hope to see you there! [Read more...]

Pet Blogger Challenge

Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT

1. When did you begin your blog?

We began our blog in September 2007.

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

Like many businesses that start a blog, we wanted to drive traffic to our web site but it was more than that. We’re passionate about educating pet owners and professionals working with pets about scientific, safe and effective methods for training dogs and modifying their pets’ behavior. The past five years or so have thrust us into a “whispering” world where dog training methods that entail the use of force, fear and pain are being recommended on television shows and web sites. We have reams of scientific evidence that these harsh methods can cause behavioral fallout with dogs such as increased anxiety, fear and aggression but science is often drowned out by the media. These methods aren’t just bad for the dogs but they put family members in danger of being injured. We hope that we can reach pet owners and pet professionals of all stripes with the message that scientific and humane methods for working with pets are the safest and best methods available. [Read more...]

Happy New Year!

Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT

As we look forward to a new year, we want to thank everyone for making 2010 such a successful year for us:

Thank you for being our clients. We appreciate the trust you placed in us by inviting us into your homes and families.

Thank you for caring so much about your pets. We know that your pets aren’t just animals, they’re members of your family.

Thank you for the work you do with your pets every day. Sometimes what we recommend is not always convenient but you continually put in the time and effort.

Thank you for your faith in our methods. Our scientific approach often goes against popular beliefs and we appreciate every open mind that we encounter.

Thank you for referring your friends, family, colleagues and clients to us. There is no higher compliment to us than a referral.

All of us wish all of you a peaceful, happy and prosperous 2011. Happy New Year!

What Is Your Carbon Footprint If You Have Four Feet?

Louisa Beal, DVM Blog Action Day 2009

Today, October 15 2009, is Blog Action Day. Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue. If you’re interested in finding more information, visit http://blogactionday.org and register your blog now to be part of the largest social change event on the web. Today, the topic is climate change. I feel it is the critical issue of our time and I want to put in my two cents worth.

[Read more...]

Australian Shepherd Rescue Puppy Please!

Christine Hibbard, CTC, CPDT ImageShack

I adopted two adult, male Aussies named Conner and Flynn from Australian Shepherd Rescue so now I’m a volunteer. A little over a week ago, I got a call from Seattle Animal Care and Control notifying me that a purebred, female Australian Shepherd puppy had been surrendered. Once the puppy’s hold period was up, I went off to evaluate her and bring her into Aussie Rescue.

I’d love to know the back story on this girl since she’s perfect, never been mistreated that I can see, and perfectly healthy (including negative fecal float). She’s up to date on shots and has a microchip. I’ve named her Maebh (pronounced may + v). This name is from an old Irish name Madb, “the cause of great joy” or “she who intoxicates.” I know she’ll probably end up with a name like Oreo, but I thought I should give her a predictive name… it’s a shot. [Read more...]