When one of my co-workers found out about a tiny, orphaned kitten that needed a home a few months ago, he didn’t hesitate to adopt it. He says his new companion helped make the months of COVID-19 isolation at home much less stressful.
He is not alone. Animal shelters and breeders across the country have reported record numbers of dog and cat adoptions in recent months.
But after my co-worker returned to work, he says his adorable kitten started urinating on the kitchen counter while he was away.
Another friend is worried about how her dog will react when she returns to the office. Her big, goofy Labrador retriever follows her everywhere, even to the bathroom. When she leaves to run a quick errand, the dog sits by the back door and whines, awaiting her return.
What should these pet owners do?
The problem with sudden changes in routine
A change in routine, such as suddenly being alone for many hours every day, is a major cause of separation anxiety for both dogs and cats.
Separation anxiety is more than a little whimpering when you head out the door. It’s major, unwanted behavior that happens every time you leave or are away.
For dogs and cats, this can mean excessive pacing, barking or howling, whimpering or self-grooming as you get ready to leave. In some cases it can mean urinating or defecating around the house, often in places where scents linger, such as on bedding or rugs, or destroying household items in your absence. Extreme clinginess or neediness is another symptom.
Separation anxiety won’t go away on its own, and it can be difficult to get rid of entirely. But there are ways to manage it. As a clinical veterinarian and professor, I am often asked to help people find ways to ease their pets’ anxiety.
What not to do
First, it’s important to understand that it’s not about you – it’s about your pet. Your dog or cat is not trying to teach you a lesson or get revenge. Animals don’t act out of spite.
Instead, it’s a signal of extreme distress and frustration that should be approached like any other medical ailment. Your pet doesn’t want to experience separation anxiety any more than you want to experience its consequences.
For this reason, punishment is never the answer. For one thing, your pet won’t connect the punishment with something that happened hours – or even a few minutes – earlier. And punishment may only exacerbate your pet’s anxiety and stress.
Similarly, going to the opposite extreme by praising or giving affection when your pet is suffering anxiety also will make the problem worse.
The goal is to create a balanced relationship so your pet tolerates being alone. First, get your pet checked out by a veterinarian to rule out physical conditions, such as a urinary tract infection if your pet urinates in inappropriate places.
Next, make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. For dogs, this may mean a long run or brisk walk every day. Getting exercise shortly before you leave the house may put your dog in a more relaxed state while you’re gone. It’s harder to feel stressed when the endorphin levels are elevated. For cats, this could mean a change of environment by being outdoors in a safe, enclosed area such as a “catio.”
Treating separation anxiety with behavior change
Here, we’re talking about your behavior. The goal is to make your absence seem like no big deal. Making a fuss over your pet when you leave or arrive home only makes matters worse. If you treat it like it’s routine, your pet will learn to do the same.
Try to figure out when your pet starts to show signs of anxiety and turn that into a low-key activity. If it’s when you pick up your handbag, for example, practice picking it up and putting it back down several times over a few hours. Similarly, get dressed or put on your shoes earlier than usual but stay home instead of leaving right away. Try starting your car’s engine and then turning it off and walking back inside.
Next, practice short absences. When you’re at home, make it a point to spend some time in another room. In addition, leave the house long enough to run an errand or two, then gradually increase the time that you’re away so that being gone for a full day becomes part of the family routine.
Changing the environment
Boredom makes separation anxiety worse. Providing an activity for your pet while you’re gone, such as a puzzle toy stuffed with treats, or simply hiding treats around the house will make your absence less stressful. Other options for dogs and cats include collars and plug-in devices that release calming pheromones.
To maintain your bond while you’re gone, place a piece of clothing that you have worn recently in a prominent place, such as on your bed or couch, to comfort your pet. Similarly, you can leave the TV or radio on – there are even special programs just for pets – or set up a camera so you can observe and interact with your pet remotely. Some of these come equipped with a laser pointer or treats you can dispense.
Using supplements or medication
In some severe cases, when the animal harms itself or causes property damage, medication or supplements might be necessary. These alter the brain’s neurotransmitters to create a sense of calm.
While some are readily available without a prescription, it’s a good idea to get advice from your veterinarian to determine which are safest and most effective for your pet’s situation. Medication can help reduce the anxiety, making it easier for the pet to learn new coping skills. A behavior modification plan accompanying the use of medication can help manage this problem.
Separation anxiety is difficult for both you and your pet. But a few simple changes can make a huge difference as life returns to some semblance of normal.
RELATED: 31 popular dogs that should stay inside this winter
Intro
Although we know that dogs are descended from the mighty wolf, different dog breeds exhibit a huge variety of characteristics. While some breeds can pull sleds around the Alaskan tundra and face the cold weather, other pups were meant to stay bundled up inside this winter.
The data experts at pet data site PetBreeds used data from Animal Planet and the American Kennel Club to find the 31 most popular breeds that can't handle the cold weather. These dogs are qualified as the least cold tolerant, or "1" (Animal Planet measures on a scale of 1-low tolerance, 2-medium tolerance and 3-high tolerance). Dog breeds are ranked by their popularity in 2015, based on information from the American Kennel Club.
Most of these canines have short fur (or none at all) and not enough body fat to keep them cozy in freezing temperatures. Size, however, is not a determining factor. Of course, tiny breeds like Chihuahuas and Shih Tzus would prefer to stay curled up on the couch, but larger dogs like Weimaraners and Great Danes do not handle cold temperatures well, either.
#31. Pharaoh Hound
Popularity (2015): 171
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 55 lbs
#30. Ibizan Hound
Popularity (2015): 160
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 65 lbs
#29. Greyhound
Popularity (2015): 147
Average life expectancy: 12 years
Average weight: 70 lbs
#28. Redbone Coonhound
Popularity (2015): 139
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 65 lbs
#27. German Pinscher
Popularity (2015): 138
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 35 lbs
#26. Manchester Terrier
Popularity (2015): 137
Average life expectancy: 16 years
Average weight: 22 lbs
#25. Affenpinscher
Popularity (2015): 136
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 9 lbs
#24. Saluki
Popularity (2015): 132
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 65 lbs
#23. Toy Fox Terrier
Popularity (2015): 110
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 7 lbs
#22. Rat Terrier
Popularity (2015): 101
Average life expectancy: 19 years
Average weight: 40 lbs
#21. Japanese Chin
Popularity (2015): 97
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 7 lbs
#20. Brussels Griffon
Popularity (2015): 95
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 10 lbs
#19. Basenji
Popularity (2015): 87
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 26 lbs
#18. Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Popularity (2015): 79
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 40 lbs
#17. Chinese Crested
Popularity (2015): 75
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 12 lbs
#16. Italian Greyhound
Popularity (2015): 71
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 14 lbs
#15. Miniature Pinscher (Min Pin)
Popularity (2015): 64
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 10 lbs
#14. Dogue de Bordeaux
Popularity (2015): 63
Average life expectancy: 11 years
Average weight: 144 lbs
#13. Dalmatian
Popularity (2015): 62
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 60 lbs
#12. Whippet
Popularity (2015): 57
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 40 lbs
#11. Papillon
Popularity (2015): 48
Average life expectancy: 14 years
Average weight: 9 lbs
#10. Weimaraner
Popularity (2015): 34
Average life expectancy: 11 years
Average weight: 90 lbs
#9. Vizsla
Popularity (2015): 32
Average life expectancy: 12 years
Average weight: 65 lbs
#8. Chihuahua
Popularity (2015): 28
Average life expectancy: 16 years
Average weight: 6 lbs
#7. Havanese
Popularity (2015): 24
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 13 lbs
#6. Boston Terrier
Popularity (2015): 22
Average life expectancy: 12 years
Average weight: 25 lbs
#5. Shih Tzu
Popularity (2015): 19
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 16 lbs
#4. Great Dane
Popularity (2015): 15
Average life expectancy: 7 years
Average weight: 180 lbs
#3. Boxer
Popularity (2015): 10
Average life expectancy: 11 years
Average weight: 80 lbs
#2. Yorkshire Terrier
Popularity (2015): 7
Average life expectancy: 13 years
Average weight: 6 lbs
#1. Bulldog
Popularity (2015): 4
Average life expectancy: 9 years
Average weight: 55 lbs
Puppy store in Marana mall closes amid claims it sold sick dog that later died
A Tucson area pet store accused of selling puppies bred under abusive conditions has closed four months after it opened amid claims it sold a sick animal with one lung that died within a month of purchase.
The tiny Yorkshire terrier pup, purchased Oct. 4 from Puppy World at Tucson Premium Outlets in Marana, cost $2,700 to purchase, plus another $1,500 in veterinary bills for what was supposed to be a healthy, vet-checked specimen with a 12-month guarantee against genetic defects, the buyer’s paperwork shows.
But the man behind the guarantee was nowhere to be found when Alyssa Madril went back to the store last weekend to confront the management about fate of the 12-week-old male Yorkie her family named Yappy, who died Nov.3.
The glass storefront of Puppy World was covered over with brown paper, with no information left behind to let customers know what happened.
Madril, 39, of Phoenix, said her family is heartbroken, and she’s preparing a complaint to the Arizona attorney general’s consumer fraud division.
“My heart hurts for my puppy, to not have him for even a month, to have stayed up late at night caring for him and watching him suffer,” she said in an email interview of the pooch.
“Then not seeing him at the end … then to hear he passed away and getting his ashes. My heart broke. It’s been a tough time for me and my family.”
The business license for Puppy World is registered to a 23-year old California man, Rickie Gallardo, who promotes get-rich-quick videos online and advertises them by posing with photos of luxury cars and stacks of $100 bills.
Gallardo previously ran a Puppy World store in his home state but relocated to Arizona soon after he was named a defendant in a federal lawsuit that accuses him of procuring his puppies from puppy mills.
This cute labradoodle has gotten pretty good at creating beautiful pieces of abstract expressionism, thanks to her owner and dog trainer Himal…
Gallardo denied wrongdoing in an interview in August with the Arizona Daily Star.
Animal welfare groups say puppy mills churn out product at high speed by sacrificing the health of mother dogs, who are kept in cramped cages and bred every heat cycle to produce as many offspring as possible in the shortest time possible.
Gallardo did not respond to requests for comment for this story including a voicemail, a text message and two emails over a three-day period this week.
Madril said she has family members in Tucson and visits often, sometime stopping at the outlet mall on the way home. Though her household already has several rescue dogs, she stopped by Puppy World and “fell in love,” with the 3-month-old Yorkie, she said.
Mardril’s sales contract offered a 12-month guarantee against genetic defects that lead to the death of a puppy.
Under the terms, she was to receive a $2,700 credit, her purchase price, toward the purchase of another puppy.
Meanwhile, a Tucson-based animal welfare group that protested against Puppy World on the sidewalks around the Marana outlet mall is claiming credit for forcing the pet store to close four months after it opened in early August.
“At the very site where Rickie Gallardo briefly exploited mill-bred animals for profit, Tucson’s animal activist community now celebrates his removal,” said a news release from SPEAK, an acronym for Supporting and Promoting Ethics for the Animal Kingdom.
Not all breeds are designed to pull sleds around the Alaskan tundra all winter.
Lori M Teller is affiliated with the American Veterinary Medical Association and serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors.
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