border collieand tabby cat sitting next to each other Tracie Hotchner the Radio Pet Lady
Feb 26

Service Dog Salute

Drum roll, please! For the first time in the 9 years of the Dog Film Festival there will be a new separate category called SERVICE DOG SALUTE – with cash prizes and all-expense-paid trips to the NYC Premiere on October 24th, 2024 for the top three finalists! As always, the Festival will then travel to… Read more »

President Biden walking with 2 dogs
Sep 27

Somebody Stop the President’s Dog!!

How is it possible that nothing is being done about the dangerous young German Shepherd the Bidens bought two years ago – after they got rid of their previous German Shepherd, who himself bit people at the White House? Oh wait – maybe the problem isn’t the dogs who are the fundamental problem? Maybe it’s… Read more »

Jul 6

Myth About Your Dog: Do Dogs Share Happily?

Myth About Your Dog #1: Do Dogs Share Happily? I’m starting a little summer series of  “myth busters” about the way we misunderstand our dogs and cats, unwittingly applying human-type emotions and desires to animals, who are actually cut from a different piece of cloth than we are. I hope these will serve as little… Read more »

Jan 25

Should You Let Your Dog Sleep in Your Bed?

Should You Let Your Dog Sleep in Your Bed? My two dogs sleep in my bedroom. Wanda likes her soft-sided “hut” and Maisie stretches out on the chaise longue which is designed as “hers,” but neither of them sleeps on my bed — partly because, as a widow of two years, I have a crazy… Read more »

Jan 18

Interrupt “Bad” Behavior With A Reward!

Interrupt “Bad” Behavior With A Reward! We have all heard about ways to stop your dog from doing something we don’t like by basically “snapping him out of it,” using various methods of distracting him from his shenanigans. There’s the squirt bottle that often comes up as a supposedly harmless intervention. Some trainers suggest that… Read more »

Nov 16

Is that the ‘Look of Love’ in Your Dog’s Eyes?

Is that the ‘Look of Love’ in Your Dog’s Eyes? You know how some dog trainers caution to never look a dog directly in the eye — that it can be threatening or intimidating or send a negative message along those lines? And might even incite a dog to go after you? Now this may… Read more »

border collieand tabby cat sitting next to each other Tracie Hotchner the Radio Pet Lady
Oct 24

Are Dogs Wolves?

Are Dogs Wolves? The conversation has been going on for years about whether dogs are basically governed by the qualities of their distant ancestors, the wolf. There have been lively debates about whether the chihuahua under someone’s arm retains any of the instincts, abilities and natural tendencies of the wolf in his genetic background. Dog… Read more »

border collieand tabby cat sitting next to each other Tracie Hotchner the Radio Pet Lady
Aug 30

Horsing Around With Your Dog!

Horsing  Around With Your Dog! One of the topics on this week’s Dog Talk® was a lively conversation I had with Marc Bekoff, the dog expert and educator, who has written too many impressive animal-oriented books to list! Marc is a fun and modest gentleman — despite his PhD and many accomplishments — and he likes… Read more »

border collieand tabby cat sitting next to each other Tracie Hotchner the Radio Pet Lady
Jul 26

Do You Use Baby Talk with Your Dog?

Do You Use Baby Talk with Your Dog? Do you think your dog likes hearing baby talk from you? Do you enjoy having that special communication style? Are you as surprised as I am by French researchers telling us we’re wasting our time on doggy baby talk?! I read a fun article on Gizmodo recently… Read more »