No Choke Dog Collar Creator Alecia Evans on the Real Dr Doolittle Show™

Alecia Evans has been successfully transforming the relationship of hundreds of dogs of all ages, breeds and temperaments with their people 2001.  As a Holistically minded dog trainer Alecia works with issues ranging from bringing a new puppy home to severe aggression. Her philosophy is harness your dog’s energy to unleash their greatest potential and your own.  Having she began suspecting that many of the tools used to train dogs and puppy’s were causing undetected harm and damage to the dog’s neck, throat and spine areas. Often times having long term ramifications that few trainers or veterinarians are aware of.

Never feeling right about choking dogs and unsuspecting puppies to train them, Alecia invented The Walk In Sync™ Humane Dog Walking and Training System as the gold standard of training tools in order to end the choking of dogs during training and walking.   Alecia is revolutionizing the dog training world with her exclusive 5 Minute Manners Makeovers using the Walk In Sync™ Harness and Accu-Grip Leash, along with her Walk In Sync™ 3 Easy Steps to teach any human/dog duos to Walk In Sync in just minutes.

Alecia’s background as an Animal Wellness Consultant over the last 15 years has been focused on nutritional health and emotional well being utilizing nature’s pharmacy of supplements and natural remedies to address the animal’s root issue and restore balance to their system and behavior.

As the former host of the award winning GrassRoots Aspen TV Series, The Whole Animal- An Alternative Approach to Animal Care, Alecia takes a natural approach to dog training and health care.  Her work has been featured on: Fox and Friends, The Sandra Glosser Show, NY 1, and in Aspen Magazine, Dogtipper.com, The New York Daily News and Woof Report.  She is the training expert for Dogtipper.com and Only Natural Pet Store.

Alecia believes prevention and proper education about the best training methods and tools will begin to limit the number of dogs given up for adoption due to behavior issues.

By listening to the interview you will learn:

• How training dogs with flat, pinch or prong collars around their neck or nose can cause serious problems.
• Why using old technology dog collars often make dog training dangerous.
• What made Alecia invent the Walk In Sync™ System.
• What the scientific basis for this system is and why it is more effective for dogs and pups and their people.
• How traditional training methods cause dogs to become aggressive and fearful.

We need to upgrade the tools we use to train our dogs and puppies.

Although we have been taught for the last 60 years that training your dog by any apparatus around their neck or nose is ok, perhaps we need to rethink how these tools have been failing them.  Training humanely is the highest tribute we can pay to our dogs and will not only make training more effective but will keep many dogs out of shelters who have been labeled “behaviorally challenged.”

Visit: http://www.valheart.com/walkinsync.html   (Alecia has made a special 10% discount available for my podcast listeners – should you wish to purchase your own harness for your furrkid, then at checkout please put in the coupon code – wis10.)

Click here to download…

Animals & Intuitive Intelligence, Interview with Val Heart

Val Heart, The Real Dr Doolittle™, is an animal communication expert, animal whisperer, animal behaviorist, internationally recognized pet psychic and master healer for people and  their  animals..  She is also a world renowned Equestrian Health, Behavior & Performance Expert.

She works with celebrities and other animal lovers who are struggling with their animals because after 10 trips to the vet they still don’t know why their animal is sick, they can’t get their dog to stop eating their shoes, their horse refuses to jump, bucks them off or runs away with them.

Val solves problems in minutes not years because she bridges the gap between you and your animals.

She also loves teaching animal lovers how to communicate with animals themselves so they can save money at the vet, solve their own behavior, performance and training problems, and learn how to deepen their heart connection with all animals.

Paula Gregorowicz hosted an Intuitive Intelligence™ Telesummit called “The 12 Days of Intuitive Intelligence™”.

She carefully handpicked a dream-team of guests she wanted to interview…and I was one of them. It might seem like an unusual approach to becoming enlightened and developing your intuition.  Usually when a spiritual seeker is interested in developing their intuitive intelligence, they learn from human gurus and teachers.

However, your animals are sometimes your best teachers (and healers).

Listen and learn:

•       How Val got started as a professional animal communicator
•       How animals are telepathic and how they share information energetically with you
•       How you’re already receiving messages your animal is sending to you
•       How learning animal communication can save you time, money and peace of mind
•       Why you should ask your animals for help when there is a problem
•       Why sometimes the problem isn’t with them, it’s with you!
•       3 simple steps to tell your animals what you need them to know
•       Why Val is so passionate about helping people learn how to communicate with animals

Be sure to listen to the end – there’s a $200 gift waiting for you.

To sign up for the next Learn Animal Communication in One Weekend Virtual Retreat, a program designed to enhance your intuitive abilities for the purpose of communicating, healing and resolving problems with animals, visit:

http://www.valheart.com/acsretreat.html

You can learn more about Val’s work at www.valheart.com/

Click here to download…

The Concert of Tiny Bells by Christine Price

Written and copyrighted by Christine Price

I’m a volunteer at my local Santa Cruz SPCA in their Cat TLC Program. Every year in the spring “Kitten Season” arrives, and staff and volunteers rally forces and valiantly prepare to greet the hundreds of unwanted kittens who will arrive at the Shelter’s door.

It can be an achingly disheartening time. We watch the adoption rate for our adult cats take a plunge because most people want kittens. And we watch many precious kittens, just beginning their lives, get passed over, again and again, because they happen to be older, sick, shy or “homely.”

The hard truth is that there are simply not enough homes to go around and space at the Shelter is finite.

One day during the height of this difficult season I noticed a small, solitary kitten looking very glum inside her kennel.

She needed some attention and, perhaps, a toy to play with.

I went to our usually full toy basket and found it empty–or empty, at least of those wonderful little balls with bells inside, the toy loved by kittens worldwide! To remedy this I headed over to a pet supply store and purchased every single package of balls with bells that they had in stock.

Returning to the Shelter I set about distributing a brand new toy to each kennel housing a kitten, through the four rooms of our cat building. It took me about twenty minutes to complete my task, and it was only upon pausing that I heard it.

Throughout the kennel, from each room and every direction, came the musical sound of a myriad of tiny bells. punctuated here and there by percussive bangs. The toys were being played with, and the cumulative effect was a concert to rival the Boston Pops! The adult cats also heard the music and perked up to listen.

I stood very still for several minutes, my eyes closed, simply enjoying the concert of bells. And I was reminded anew of how contagious joy can be and of how a small, simple act can have such impact.

Celebrating the Gifts of Animals in Our Lives

Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Albert Schweitzer, said:

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life. Music and cats.”

Whether you love cats or find your refuge in dogs or horses, the sweet and lovely story of The Tiny Bells will touch your heart.

After all, who else was in the manger with the baby, Jesus?  Animals!!  I think that’s significant, don’t you?

The many incredible, transformational gifts they give us every day are not to be ignored, discarded or underappreciated.

Our guest this week on The Real Dr Doolittle Show is none other than yours truly, Me!  I was recently invited to speak on a 12 Days of Intuitive Intelligence(tm) Telesummit, and received permission to post the interview recording to the Show so you can enjoy it too.

Our animals change our life in so many ways, it pays to be more consciously aware of them and their many gifts.

I know it’s a busy time of year, but I hope after listening to my interview and reading our heart warming articles in this edition of our ezine, that you’ll spend some quality time expressing your gratitude for the amazing Gift of the animals in your life.

Much love, joy and the wonders of the Season to you and your furrkids,

Val

“The greatest gift that you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance.”  – Brian Tracy, Motivational Speaker and Author

How To Connect the Lazy Horse

By Jane Savoie

This month I’ll explain how to use the “Connecting Aids” with a lazy horse to put him on the bit. Next month, I’ll talk about connecting the hot Horse.

Here’s a review of the connecting aids:

(1) Close both calves to generate power from behind.

(2) Close your outside hand in a fist to capture, contain, and recycle that power back to the hind legs.

(3) Squeeze and release (vibrate) the inside rein, like squeezing water out of a sponge, to keep your horse’s neck straight.

Apply the three sets of aids for approximately three seconds. To an observer, it will appear that you’re giving the aids simultaneously, but in reality the legs slightly precede the closing of the outside hand, which is applied just before the vibrations with the inside hand.

In order to get the desired effect from these connecting aids, it’s important that your horse responds obediently to your aids. This is often overlooked, as many of us have a very lazy that seems to ignore our aids. Here are some tips to help you.

The Lazy Horse

Your connecting aids won’t work if your horse isn’t in front of your driving aids. For example, when you put your legs on, your horse should immediately move forward. Remember that horses are extremely sensitive to touch. No matter how lazy a horse is, he can feel a fly land on his side and flick it off.

It’s usually the rider who makes the horse dull. The horse isn’t electric enough, so the rider uses more leg. That works for a while, but then the horse gets dull to that, so the rider starts putting on spurs. Then the horse gets used to that so the spurs get bigger. This cycle is common, and as time goes by, the leg aid gets louder and louder.

The reason your horse isn’t reacting to light aids is probably because you’ve started “screaming” with your aids, and he’s tuned you out.

The first thing you have to do is decide that you’re not going to close your legs any stronger than a fly landing on your horse’s side. When you whisper with an aid, your horse should shout his answer-instead of the other way around.

The Correction

Instead of constantly repeating your aid or making it stronger, make a correction. The correction for the lazy horse depends on his sensitivity. You can either bump-bump-bump with your legs, or you can use your whip and tap-tap-tap to chase your horse forward.

Either way, you need to get a really forward response. If you’re walking, bump or tap until your horse is trotting; if you’re trotting, do it until he breaks into the canter.

The most important part of the correction is to re-test with a light, whispering aid. For example, in a transition from walk to trot, lightly close your legs, and your horse should surge into the trot. If he doesn’t, tap-tap-tap, but then you must go back to the walk and re-test with a very light aid for that transition. When he reacts enthusiastically, praise him.

Once he’s in front of your leg, go back to using the connecting aids as described above.

Reprinted with permission.

About Jane Savoie:  Jane Savoie is one of the most recognized names in dressage, and for a good reason.  She has been a member of the United States Equestrian Team and has competed for the US in Canada, Holland, Belgium, France and Germany. She was the reserve rider for the Bronze medal winning Olympic dressage team in Barcelona, Spain. She has been long-listed by the USET with several horses and has won nine Horse of the Year awards and three National Freestyle Championships.

She was the 1996 and 2004 Olympic dressage coach for the Canadian 3-Day Event Team in Atlanta and Athens. She also coached several top dressage and 3- Day Event riders in their preparations for the 2000 Olympics and while in Sydney she helped rider Susan Blinks secure a bronze medal for the US dressage team. Ms. Savoie has written five books that have been published both in the US and abroad.

www.janesavoie.com

Did you miss Jane Savoie’s Happy Horse course holiday sale? I just found out that it’s not too late for you to take advantage of it, you’ve got one last chance.

Her powerful Happy Horse courses include 12 Bonuses (including The Riders’ Inside Edge CD set and her bestselling book That Winning Feeling) AND the one and only chance for a 4-payment plan.

But you have to act fast – Jane is making this final offer available for 24 hours only starting Monday December 19th midnight EST (9 pm PST) to midnight Tuesday December 20th EST (9PM PST).

Check it out here and claim your copy now:

http://tinyurl.com/janesavoiehappyhorse

After Duty, Dogs Suffer Like Soldiers

I thought you might find this interesting.  No surprises.  At least the military is trying to deal with it in some way.

By JAMES DAO, http://tinyurl.com/7gmsf2m

SAN ANTONIO — The call came into the behavior specialists here from a doctor in Afghanistan. His patient had just been through a firefight and now was cowering under a cot, refusing to come out.

Apparently even the chew toys hadn’t worked.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, thought Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., chief of behavioral medicine at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base. Specifically, canine PTSD.

If anyone needed evidence of the frontline role played by dogs in war these days, here is the latest: the four-legged, wet-nosed troops used to sniff out mines, track down enemy fighters and clear buildings are struggling with the mental strains of combat nearly as much as their human counterparts.

By some estimates, more than 5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs deployed by American combat forces are developing canine PTSD. Of those, about half are likely to be retired from service, Dr. Burghardt said.

Though veterinarians have long diagnosed behavioral problems in animals, the concept of canine PTSD is only about 18 months old, and still being debated. But it has gained vogue among military veterinarians, who have been seeing patterns of troubling behavior among dogs exposed to explosions, gunfire and other combat-related violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Like humans with the analogous disorder, different dogs show different symptoms. Some become hyper-vigilant. Others avoid buildings or work areas that they had previously been comfortable in. Some undergo sharp changes in temperament, becoming unusually aggressive with their handlers, or clingy and timid. Most crucially, many stop doing the tasks they were trained to perform.

“If the dog is trained to find improvised explosives and it looks like it’s working, but isn’t, it’s not just the dog that’s at risk,” Dr. Burghardt said. “This is a human health issue as well.”

That the military is taking a serious interest in canine PTSD underscores the importance of working dogs in the current wars. Once used primarily as furry sentries, military dogs — most are German shepherds, followed by Belgian Malinois and Labrador retrievers — have branched out into an array of specialized tasks.

They are widely considered the most effective tools for detecting the improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.’s, frequently used in Afghanistan. Typically made from fertilizer and chemicals, and containing little or no metal, those buried bombs can be nearly impossible to find with standard mine-sweeping instruments. In the past three years, I.E.D.’s have become the major cause of casualties in Afghanistan.

The Marine Corps also has begun using specially trained dogs to track Taliban fighters and bomb-makers. And Special Operations commandos train their own dogs to accompany elite teams on secret missions like the Navy SEAL raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Across all the forces, more than 50 military dogs have been killed since 2005.

The number of working dogs on active duty has risen to 2,700, from 1,800 in 2001, and the training school headquartered here at Lackland has gotten busy, preparing about 500 dogs a year. So has the Holland hospital, the Pentagon’s canine version of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Dr. Burghardt, a lanky 59-year-old who retired last year from the Air Force as a colonel, rarely sees his PTSD patients in the flesh. Consultations with veterinarians in the field are generally done by phone, e-mail or Skype, and often involve video documentation.

In a series of videos that Dr. Burghardt uses to train veterinarians to spot canine PTSD, one shepherd barks wildly at the sound of gunfire that it had once tolerated in silence. Another can be seen confidently inspecting the interior of cars but then refusing to go inside a bus or a building. Another sits listlessly on a barrier wall, then after finally responding to its handler’s summons, runs away from a group of Afghan soldiers.

In each case, Dr. Burghardt theorizes, the dogs were using an object, vehicle or person as a “cue” for some violence they had witnessed. “If you want to put doggy thoughts into their heads,” he said, “the dog is thinking: when I see this kind of individual, things go boom, and I’m distressed.”

Treatment can be tricky. Since the patient cannot explain what is wrong, veterinarians and handlers must make educated guesses about the traumatizing events. Care can be as simple as taking a dog off patrol and giving it lots of exercise, playtime and gentle obedience training.

More serious cases will receive what Dr. Burghardt calls “desensitization counterconditioning,” which entails exposing the dog at a safe distance to a sight or sound that might set off a reaction — a gunshot, a loud bang or a vehicle, for instance. If the dog does not react, it is rewarded, and the trigger — “the spider in a glass box,” Dr. Burghardt calls it — is moved progressively closer.

Gina, a shepherd with PTSD who was the subject of news articles last year, was successfully treated with desensitization and has been cleared to deploy again, said Tech. Sgt. Amanda Callahan, a spokeswoman at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

Some dogs are also treated with the same medications used to fight panic attacks in humans. Dr. Burghardt asserts that medications seem particularly effective when administered soon after traumatizing events. The Labrador retriever that cowered under a cot after a firefight, for instance, was given Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, and within days was working well again.

Dogs that do not recover quickly are returned to their home bases for longer-term treatment. But if they continue to show symptoms after three months, they are usually retired or transferred to different duties, Dr. Burghardt said.

As with humans, there is much debate about treatment, with little research yet to guide veterinarians. Lee Charles Kelley, a dog trainer who writes a blog for Psychology Today called “My Puppy, My Self,” says medications should be used only as a stopgap. “We don’t even know how they work in people,” he said.

In the civilian dog world, a growing number of animal behaviorists seem to be endorsing the concept of canine PTSD, saying it also affects household pets who experience car accidents and even less traumatic events.

Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, director of the animal behavior clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, said he had written about and treated dogs with PTSD-like symptoms for years — but did not call it PTSD until recently. Asked if the disorder could be cured, Dr. Dodman said probably not.

“It is more management,” he said. “Dogs never forget.”

A Simple, Powerful Question That Could Change Your Life By Nikkea B. Devida

Without my mentors, my path to heal, discover, and build a business that’s an expression of my purpose would have been a LOT harder, slower, and less enjoyable. There’s no question in my mind that my mentors have accelerated the process and made the journey a lot easier. And frankly, not all mentors are created equal. Having a mentor is a very special relationship that goes beyond that of a coach. In my opinion, a mentor is someone you want to learn from their expertise and model how they achieved their success. While I’m fortunate to have selected some great mentors to guide me in different things over the years, I now ask myself the following questions to help me make the best choice:

1. Does the mentor have expertise and success in the specific area that I’m seeking assistance with?

2. Do I want to model my mentor and how they achieved their success? Do we share compatible values?

3. Do they have a proven, specific, duplicable, process or system for transferring their knowledge and expertise?

4. Do I respect and trust my mentor? Do I value their opinion?

5. Do I personally like my mentor?

6. Would I be willing to do and follow through with what they guide me to do?

Frankly, I think that criteria #1-5 are all a lead in to the most important question, #6.

Because lately, I’ve noticed that the most profound shifts and breakthroughs I’ve made have not occurred from anything particularly complicated, new, special or magical. That’s both the good news and the bad news. The good news is, getting massive breakthrough results is actually more simple than you think. The bad news is, sometimes doing what’s “simple” isn’t always “easy”. Plus, sometimes we get seduced into thinking that something that’s complicated, mysterious, or elusive is somehow more powerful than something that’s simple, obvious, or common sense. Personally, I haven’t found that to be true.

I think Einstein had it right: “Keep it simple”.

When things are clear, simple and straightforward, they tend to work. When they get complex, complicated, mysterious, or beyond common sense, they often lose effectiveness.

We’re sometimes led to believe that if we just have a “magic pill”, potion, formula, system, or secret, then we’ll have everything we ever wanted in our lives.

The problem is, even when people invest in that “thing”, they still don’t get the results…even when the information actually works! Why? Because they don’t follow through with it!

One of several things often happens. They either:

1. Don’t start

2. Stop in the middle of starting

3. Get stopped vs. course correct

4. Stop before they complete or finish

And yes, let’s temporarily set aside that there’s often so much conflicting information, approaches, points of view, systems, and formulas, it’s hard to discern what works. Or I should say, what will specifically work for you! That’s why it’s important to choose the right mentor to listen to using all of the above criteria.

I recently started a new relationship with a business mentor I greatly respect and admire. On our very first call, I was willing to surrender to her process to be open and willing to see things differently and have a life changing session. In fact, I intended and expected it. I also took responsibility and clearly communicated the outcome I wanted from the session to set us both up for success.

She asked me a very simple, but powerful question that changed my life…and it’s about to change the course of my business.

She asked me: “What do I go on a rant about”?

Meaning, what “ruffles my feathers” and pushes my buttons so much that if someone got me going on the subject, I’d passionately go “off” about it? That question actually stopped me in my tracks for a minute. As I formulated my answer, I actually started my “rant”.

So, what did I rant about? And why is that important to you?

I’ll answer the second question first. Finding your “rant” is important because it illuminates your values, what you’re passionate about, what’s important to you, and what you’re willing to take a stand about.

What did I rant about? Well, long story short (after all, this is my rant!), I ranted about how frustrated I am to see people invest good money with mentors and systems that they don’t follow through with. That they don’t take the actions necessary to implement what they’ve learned and how they need more support with putting the learning into action. That I thought it was tragic for people to give up on themselves, their dreams, and their purpose by not following through, especially because I see that they’re so close. That to me, not following through is akin to not keeping your word…to yourself or others. That they’re letting people down who desperately need their gifts and expertise. That following through on what you say you’ll do is a matter of integrity and honor. That if people would actually follow through with almost any one individual approach, they probably would get better, faster results. That people often don’t “follow through with the start”.

I think you get the idea. What wasn’t obvious to me, but was completely obvious to her (I could feel her smiling on the other end of the phone!) was that all of my life’s experiences led me to be an expert in “follow through”.

That hadn’t occurred to me before, but it made perfect sense. And it was such a big change from how I saw myself, my business, and how I’d positioned myself that I had to “try it on” for a while to see how it “fit”. And within a short time, I knew it was right, and that I could and would follow through with it to make the adjustments necessary to reposition and rebrand myself as “the follow through mentor”.

So, what do YOU rant about? This one question could change your life, too…but only if you’re willing to follow through.

©2011 Peregrine InSight Group, LLC

Nikkea B. Devida is “The Follow Through Mentor”. Get her FREE SPECIAL REPORT, “Stop Trying Harder: How To Get Unstuck Without Coming Unglued” and also receive special offers, hot tips and occasional gifts at http://www.FastResultsFormula.com.

Want to use this article for your own ezine? You’re welcome to “reprint” this article as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the copyright and contact information at the end), and you send me a copy or link to your reprint at support@fastresultsformula.com. Thanks!

Indoor Enrichment for Cats

By Dr. Jean Hofve

Cats are smart, and they naturally know everything they need to know about being a cat. However, they do not know about things like cars, dogs, infectious diseases, and other outdoor hazards. Like young children, cats need to be protected from dangers they can’t anticipate or handle. That’s why Little Big Cat recommends that cats be kept indoors, and not allowed to roam loose outside.  (See our article “Indoors or Outdoors” for more information.)

Now, many people think that this is cruel. They say that Nature intended for cats to wander (and hunt, and fight!), and this is true. But Nature is also cruel in its own way, and free-roaming outdoor cats tend to die young. In this modern society, we all have to make many accommodations in order to live safe, healthy lives…and this goes for our cats, too.

While keeping cats indoors it is the safest choice, can create its own problems. A reader recently asked about converting a former free-roamer to an indoor lifestyle…and in a recent newsletter, I told you about “OCD” (obsessive-compulsive disorder) in indoor cats. So how can we keep our cats not only safe, but also physically, mentally, and emotionally fulfilled? It’s vital to create an indoor environment that provides mental and physical stimulation as well as social interaction, to ensure our cats’ overall health and happiness.

That’s where “Environmental Enrichment” comes in. This term originally described the need to provide something besides a barren wire crate for highly intelligent primates housed in experimental laboratories, but it’s equally applicable to any confined animal, including stabled horses, zoo animals and, nowadays, pets that are housed primarly indoors. The Ohio State University is a pioneer of indoor enrichment for cats in particular; and they have recently expanded the concept to include dogs that spend most of their time inside.

Indoor enrichment has many facets that address the many needs and natural behaviors of cats. Besides the fundamental necessities of food, water, bed, and litterbox, cats need to satisfy their sense of territory, social impulses, and perhaps most importantly, their hunter instincts.

Territory.  For a cat, territory encompasses not only the square footage of your home, but the vertical dimension as well. Many cats like to climb; a high vantage point makes them feel safe. Cat furniture that provides shelves and climbing opportunities doubles as a visual and scent marker for the cat to scratch (and protects furniture from the same behavioral drives). Window shelves also allow the cat to watch the great outdoors without being exposed to its dangers.

Safe Access.  A secure outdoor enclosure is a good way to give your cat access to fresh air and sunshine without the dangers of roaming free. Click here to read about outdoor safety for indoor cats.

Hunting.  Cats live to hunt. It is a hard-wired instinct that must be satisfied for our cats to be mentally healthy. The playful stalking and pouncing that so delights us in kittens is actually preparing them for survival as adults. Indoor cats don’t need to hunt to eat, but they still need to express those instincts.

Indoor Enrichment Tools

• Play and treat balls (SlimCat, Deli Dome)
• Cat grass
• Play Therapy
• Other exercise (prey facsimiles, rotate toys, walks)
• Clicker training
• Cat furniture
• Climbing frames (KatWallks, Crazy Cat Wall)
• Bird feeders, fish tanks, cat videos
• Outdoor enclosures (Habicats, Catios)

Got Finicky or Overweight Cats? Renown Vet Dr. Hofve on the Real Dr Doolittle Show

Holistic veterinarian Jean Hofve, DVM, is internationally known for her expertise on pet food and nutrition. Dr. Jean has written hundreds of articles, has lectured on pet topics throughout the US, and has appeared on radio and TV around the world.

Her articles have been published in Animal Wellness, Feline Wellness, The Whole Dog Journal, The Whole Cat Journal, Cats, DogWorld, Let’s Live, Journal of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, Journal of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, and many other publications.

Her award-winning website, www.littlebigcat.com, is a respected source of information on feline health, nutrition and behavior. Her site, Little Big Cat, just won the 2011 Muse Medallion from the Cat Writers’ Association for best website!

Dr. Jean currently lives in Denver with four fabulous felines: Flynn, Puzzle, Sundance, and Spencer.

What you will learn:

* How the types of food you are currently feeding your animal friend may be seriously impacting their overall health.

* How vitamins and mineral supplements can’t make up for poor quality food.

* Find out what the most common problem is that vets see every day.

* Are pets really that fat?

* Why Dr. Hofve does NOT recommend dry food, especially for cats.

* Why titanium dioxide found in animal food is so bad.

* What you should watch out for on the pet food labels.

* Tips on how to get finicky feline eaters to eat a better quality diet.

Check out Dr. Hofve’s latest books, a must for any animal parent; What Cats Should Eat: How to Keep Your Cat Healthy with Good Food, Feline Diabetes: The comprehensive guide from a holistic veterinarian and Fat Cats: A Holistic Veterinarian’s Guide to Your Cat’s Healthy Weight. (Links to Books below) Dr. Hofve is now retired and not available for specific veterinary advice for individual animals.

Dog Blessings & Freedom Tails Advocate, Author June Cotner on the Real Dr Doolittle Show™

June Cotner is the author of twenty-seven books, including the bestselling Graces, Bedside Prayers, and Dog Blessings. Her books altogether have sold nearly one million copies. She has been featured in many national publications including USA Today, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day and Family Circle and regularly appears on television and radio.

June’s latest love and avocation is giving presentations on “Adopting Prisoner-Trained Shelter Dogs.” In May 2011, she adopted Indy, a chocolate lab/Doberman mix (a LabraDobie), from the Freedom Tails program at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington. June works with Indy daily to build on the wonderful obedience skills he mastered in the program.

Listen and learn:

• Why June was inspired to write her book, Dog Blessings, and how it can profoundly impact your own relationships with your furrkids.
• June shares her favorite poem from her Dog Blessings book. You’ll also love the other poems and entries from this book, many of which are written by some of the top poetry writers of our time, including Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles
• About the largest “Blessing of the Animals” service at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.
• How our prison systems are helping to create a win-win-win situation for many dogs who would otherwise be euthanized.  (Freedom Tails Program)  Hundreds of thousands of dogs are saved each year by this program.
• How June’s own dog adoption from the Freedom Tails Program (Indy) is working out.  Her experience with the program has proven to be exceptional!
• Learn what commands a dog masters in the Freedom Tails Program, making the transition into a home easier.

For more information about Dog Blessings and June’s work, please visit her athttp://www.junecotner.com.

For more information on the Freedom Tails program and to see dogs available for adoption, go to http://www.FreedomTails.net.

Click here to download…